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Windows 11 Adoption Gains Momentum as Windows 10 Support Sunset Looms
In the final stretch before Windows 10’s end of support on Oct. 14, enterprise adoption of Windows 11 is accelerating -- but not without friction.
While nearly half of global desktops now run Windows 11, a sizable share still depends on aging Windows 10 installations, according to data by StatCounter. Windows 11 holds roughly 49 percent of worldwide desktop Windows share as of September 2025, while Windows 10 still commands about 41 percent of usage. These figures suggest enterprises are advancing migrations but not completing them en masse.
A recent survey by ControlUp of over one million business devices found that many organizations are still assessing migration readiness. While a portion of systems are flagged as "ready" for Windows 11, others need hardware refreshes or software remediation, creating roadblocks to full adoption.
The company pointed out that while Windows 11 migration is on the rise, the rate of adoption is much slower than Windows 10. ControlUp's Marcel Calef speculates that the reason for the slower adoption is the continued reliance on older hardware in organizations. Per Calef:
Despite Microsoft’s push towards newer operating systems, our data reveals that a small number of machines are still running legacy Windows versions. We observed:
- Windows 8.1: 45 machines, mostly Pro Edition.
- Windows 7: 21 machines still in use. This truly highlights the longevity of some of these older deployments.
This underscores the challenges of legacy system support and raises important questions about compliance, security risk, and device lifecycle management in large IT environments. I would be curious to understand why those systems are still around—it’s not as if they are being monitored!
For those who still need more time as, as next week's deadline looms, Microsoft has reintroduced the Windows 10 Extended Support Program (ESU) for volume licensing customers as a buffer for organizations unable to finish migration in time. That safety net allows continued receipt of "critical" and "important" security patches at a per-device cost that escalates annually.
According to Microsoft's June report, over 53 percent of enterprise-managed Windows devices still run Windows 10 version 22H2. Organizations with custom applications, older hardware, or regulatory requirements have cited these factors as barriers to migration.
Microsoft describes the ESU program as a short-term solution and continues to encourage organizations to transition to Windows 11 to maintain access to future updates and platform features.