Win11 has been out for 5 years, yet 30% of users still haven't switched—Microsoft's frustration isn't helping. In October 2021, Windows 11 officially launched. Five years on, Microsoft finds itself facing an awkward reality: Windows 10 just won't die. The most direct evidence comes from three sets of data, sourced from three completely different channels. Enterprise side: 1 in every 6 computers is still running it.

💡 What You Will Learn

Win11 has been out for 5 years, yet 30% of users still haven't switched—Microsoft's frustration isn't helping. In October 2021, Windows 11 officially launched. Five years on, Microsoft finds itself fa

📜 Table of Contents

• Enterprise Side: 1 in 6 PCs Is Still Running Windows 10
• Hardware Vendors: HP Says 30% of Its Installed Base Is Still on Windows 10
• Microsoft Itself: OEM Revenue Declining, Admitting the "EOL Dividend" Is Fading
• Consumer Data Shows Something Even More Dramatic
• Why Won't People Switch?
• Microsoft Has Already Admitted Defeat

Windows 11 Has Been Out for 5 Years, and 30% of Users Still Won't Switch — Microsoft's Frustration Won't Change That

In October 2021, Windows 11 was officially released. Five years later, Microsoft finds itself facing an awkward reality: Windows 10 just won't die.

The most direct evidence comes from three sets of data, from three completely different sources.

Enterprise Side: 1 in 6 PCs Is Still Running Windows 10

Lansweeper, a service provider that tracks enterprise assets by scanning real corporate hardware, shows in its latest data that Windows 10 still accounts for 16.9% of enterprise Windows clients, while Windows 11 holds 78.8%.

In other words, roughly 1 in 6 enterprise PCs is still on Windows 10.

What stings even more is that these holdouts aren't simply "users who haven't gotten around to upgrading yet." Lansweeper puts it bluntly: "The easy migrations were done long ago. What's left are the tough cases — either they can't switch, or they simply don't want to."

Which industries are the most "stubborn"? Healthcare and pharmaceuticals (23%), consumer retail (22.7%), and SMBs (21.4%). What these industries have in common: migrating IT systems risks disrupting business continuity, and they'd rather keep using what works than take that gamble.

Hardware Vendors: HP Says 30% of Its Installed Base Is Still on Windows 10

HP acknowledged this at its May investor call. CFO Karen Parkhill said: "Approximately 30% of our installed base is still running Windows 10."

HP spun this as an "opportunity" — that 30% will eventually need new machines, representing future growth. But looking at it from another angle: Windows 11 has been out for five years, and HP still has 30% of customers who haven't budged. That tells you Windows 10's "holdouts" are more determined than Microsoft imagined.

Microsoft Itself: OEM Revenue Declining, Admitting the "EOL Dividend" Is Fading

Microsoft's latest earnings indirectly confirm this trend line. Windows OEM and device revenue fell 7% year-over-year, with Windows OEM alone down 5%. Microsoft's own explanation: "The prior-year period benefited from the upgrade wave driven by Windows 10 end-of-support, and that base effect is now fading."

In plain English: last year, Windows 10's end-of-support deadline forced a lot of people to buy new PCs. This year, that cohort is gone — because the ones left behind simply don't respond to that tactic.

Consumer Data Shows Something Even More Dramatic

Lansweeper's data is enterprise-focused and reflects controlled environments. What about everyday consumers? Statcounter's July data shows Windows 11 at 68.93% globally, with Windows 10 still at 29.83% — close to three in ten.

In other words, whether enterprise or individual, Windows 10's "resistance movement" is on the same scale (roughly 17%–30%). It's not that enterprise data looks more optimistic — it's that enterprises at least have IT departments to push things along, while on the consumer side it's entirely "you push all you want, I'll keep using what I'm using."

Why Won't People Switch?

Windows 10 holdouts fall into several categories:

The first is hardware-locked. Windows 11's TPM 2.0 requirement eliminated a huge number of older PCs. It's not that these users don't want to switch — they can't. They either buy a new machine or keep running Windows 10 until their current PC dies.

The second is no reason to switch. Windows 10 works perfectly fine. For daily office work, watching videos, and gaming (except the latest AAA titles), there's no meaningful difference in experience. Windows 11's "novelty factor" was exhausted within the first year of release.

The third is actively repulsed. Windows 11's forced updates, ad push notifications, Copilot integration, and Edge promotion — for Windows 10 users, these aren't reasons to upgrade; they're reasons to ask "why would I leave?"

HP's CFO put it well: "AI PCs are indeed a growth driver, but what's really pushing Windows 11 upgrades is Windows 10 end-of-support — not AI."

Microsoft Has Already Admitted Defeat

Microsoft has extended paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10 through October 2027. This is an official acknowledgment of two things: first, Windows 10 isn't going away anytime soon; and second, Microsoft still has to keep patching those users who refuse to leave.

Lansweeper's data confirms this too: roughly 14% of enterprise Windows 10 users have purchased ESU, but about 2% of enterprise users haven't even bought ESU — running completely exposed — not even patching, just toughing it out.

Windows 11 has been out for five years. Microsoft has thrown everything at it — end-of-support countdowns, full-screen pop-ups, hardware requirements, AI bundling — and still 30% of users won't switch. This isn't a lack of effort on Microsoft's part. It's that Windows 10 is simply "good enough" in users' eyes.

At the end of the day, the hardest thing to compete with isn't a rival product — it's users who simply don't want to move.