Windows 11 now runs on 70.44% of gaming PCs and 69.92% of all Windows machines worldwide as of June 2026 (Valve, Steam Hardware and Software Survey, June 2026; Statcounter, Windows Version Market Share, June 2026). Windows 10, the version that dominated the desktop for a decade, has fallen to 28.1% globally. Windows 11 crossed 1 billion active devices in about 1,576 days, faster than Windows 10 managed (Microsoft, FY2026 Q2 earnings call, January 2026). Yet an estimated 240 million PCs still cannot meet Windows 11’s hardware bar, and Microsoft has quietly extended Windows 10 security updates to October 2027 (Canalys, 2023; Windows Latest, June 2026). This analysis consolidates data from Statcounter, Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey, Microsoft’s investor filings, Gartner, IDC, Canalys, and several other primary sources to map where Windows stands after the largest forced migration in its history.
TL;DR
- Windows 11 reached 69.92% of all Windows machines worldwide in June 2026, versus 28.1% for Windows 10 (Statcounter, Windows Version Market Share, June 2026).
- On Steam, Windows 11 64-bit hit 70.44% of gaming PCs in June 2026, its first month above 70% (Valve, Steam Hardware and Software Survey, June 2026).
- Windows fell to 56.6% of the global desktop OS market in June 2026, dropping below 60% for the first time in years (Statcounter, Desktop OS Market Share, June 2026).
- Windows 11 crossed 1 billion active users in about 1,576 days, roughly 130 days faster than Windows 10 (Microsoft FY2026 Q2 call, January 2026; TechPowerUp).
- Microsoft reported 1.6 billion monthly active Windows devices in April 2026, up from the long-cited 1.4 billion figure (Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 earnings call).
- Windows 10 support ended October 14, 2025; consumer ESU costs $30 per device or 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points (Microsoft Support, Windows 10 ESU).
- About 240 million PCs cannot meet Windows 11’s requirements, a potential 480 million kg of e-waste (Canalys, 2023).
- Global PC shipments rose 4% to 62.8 million units in Q1 2026, but Gartner forecasts a 10.4% full-year decline (Gartner, Q1 2026).
- Microsoft’s More Personal Computing revenue was $13.2 billion in Q3 FY2026, down 1% year over year (Microsoft, FY2026 Q3, April 2026).
- AI PCs are forecast to reach 54.7% of the PC market in 2026, up from 15.6% in 2024 (IDC / Statista, AI PC Shipments).
- In Germany, 48% of household PCs still ran Windows 10 in January 2026, about 21 million devices (ESET, January 2026).
- Enterprise Windows 11 deployments passed 60.1% worldwide by late 2025 (Lansweeper, 2025).
1. Windows 11 vs Windows 10: the version crossover
Windows 11 only overtook Windows 10 in mid-2025, but the October 2025 end-of-support deadline turned a slow crossover into a rout. Windows 11 climbed from 50.73% of Windows machines in December 2025 to a 72.57% peak in February 2026 before settling near 70%, a swing of more than 21 points in two months (Statcounter). The web-measured figure (Statcounter) and the gaming-PC figure (Steam) now sit within a point of each other, a rare convergence between two independent samples. For a Windows-native desktop app, that consolidation means the vast majority of active users are on a single, current OS build. Gamers track this closely; see our PC gaming hardware statistics for the wider rig picture.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 share, worldwide (all Windows) | 69.92% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Windows Version Market Share |
| Windows 10 share, worldwide | 28.1% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Windows Version Market Share |
| Windows 7 share, worldwide | 1.67% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Windows Version Market Share |
| Windows 11 swing, Dec 2025 to Feb 2026 peak | 50.73% to 72.57% | Statcounter (reported), Feb 2026 |
| Windows 11 on Steam (64-bit) | 70.44% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| Windows 10 on Steam (64-bit) | 23.56% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| Windows 7 on Steam (64-bit) | 0.07% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
Outlier note: Statcounter revises figures as more page-view data arrives, which is why the February peak of 72.57% reads higher than the settled June figure of 69.92%.
2. Windows in the desktop and cross-platform OS landscape
Zoom out from Windows versions to all operating systems and Microsoft’s grip looks less total. Windows slipped below 60% of the global desktop market for the first time in years, to 56.6% in June 2026 (Statcounter). Read that number carefully: Statcounter measures web page views, not installed machines, and a large “Unknown” bucket (about 21%) inflates the denominator. On mobile the picture inverts entirely, with Android and iOS splitting nearly all devices. On Steam, by contrast, Windows still owns the gaming desktop outright. For the phone side of this split, see our smartphone market statistics; for the desktop challenger, our Linux gaming statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Windows, global desktop OS share | 56.6% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Desktop OS Market Share |
| Desktop Linux share, worldwide | 4.39% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Desktop OS Market Share |
| Android vs iOS, global mobile | 70.6% / 28.7% | Statcounter, Mobile OS Market Share |
| Windows share on Steam (all versions) | 94.10% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| Linux share on Steam | 3.69% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| macOS share on Steam | 2.21% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
Context note: on Statcounter’s June 2026 desktop chart, Apple’s combined macOS labels sit ahead of both Chrome OS and desktop Linux, keeping Apple second to Windows on the desktop.
3. The Windows install base
Adoption percentages hide the raw scale, so Microsoft’s own device counts matter. Windows 11 reached 1 billion active users in about 1,576 days, roughly 130 days faster than Windows 10’s 1,706-day run (Microsoft FY2026 Q2 call; TechPowerUp). Microsoft’s headline device count is contested: the company cited 1.4 billion monthly active devices for years, then reported 1.6 billion in April 2026 after previously trimming the word “users” from the phrasing, drawing scrutiny over how the metric is defined. Roughly 1 billion PCs still ran Windows 10 as the migration accelerated. VoxBooster’s Windows voice tools target exactly this install base of current Windows 10 and 11 machines.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 active users | 1 billion+ (Jan 2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q2 earnings |
| Days for Windows 11 to reach 1 billion | ~1,576 days | Microsoft (via TechPowerUp), Jan 2026 |
| Days for Windows 10 to reach 1 billion | ~1,706 days | Microsoft (via TechPowerUp) |
| Windows 11 user base growth, year over year | +45% | Microsoft, FY2026 Q2 earnings call |
| Monthly active Windows devices (2025) | 1.4 billion | Microsoft |
| Monthly active Windows devices (Apr 2026) | 1.6 billion | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 earnings call |
| PCs still on Windows 10 (estimate) | ~1 billion | Windows Central / analyst estimate, 2026 |
Caveat: Microsoft has not disclosed whether its billion-user figures are daily or monthly active, or the split between new hardware and upgrades.
4. Windows 10 end of support, ESU, and the holdouts
The deadline was supposed to be clean, but the holdout population forced Microsoft to blink. Microsoft quietly extended consumer Windows 10 security updates to October 2027, a year past the original consumer ESU cutoff, a tacit admission that hundreds of millions of PCs would not move in time (Windows Latest, June 2026). Consumer ESU is cheap or free; commercial ESU escalates steeply to push businesses off the old OS. Unpatched machines are a real risk surface, which we cover in our cybersecurity statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 end of support | Oct 14, 2025 | Microsoft Support, Windows 10 ESU |
| Consumer ESU price | $30/device, 1,000 Rewards points, or free with settings sync | Microsoft Support |
| Consumer ESU coverage extended to | Oct 2027 | Microsoft / Windows Latest, Jun 2026 |
| Commercial ESU, year 1 / 2 / 3 | $61 / $122 / $244 per device | Canalys / Microsoft |
| Germany household PCs on Windows 10 | 48% (~21M devices) | ESET, Jan 2026 |
| Compatible PCs whose owners refused to upgrade | ~500 million | Forbes reporting, Dec 2025 |
| Enterprise deployments on Windows 11 | 60.1% (late 2025) | Lansweeper |
| Enterprise endpoints not yet migrated | ~50% (2026) | ControlUp |
Context note: consumer ESU covers up to 10 devices per license and includes only critical and important security updates, not feature fixes or support.
5. The upgrade wall: TPM, hardware ineligibility, and e-waste
The reason the migration stalled is physical, not preference alone. An estimated 240 million PCs cannot meet Windows 11’s TPM 2.0 and CPU requirements (Canalys, 2023, most recent public figure), the core driver behind years of e-waste warnings. Enterprises are in better shape than the consumer base: most business machines that have not moved yet are technically capable of running Windows 11, so the corporate lag is scheduling, not hardware.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PCs unable to meet Windows 11 requirements | ~240 million | Canalys, 2023 (most recent available) |
| Potential e-waste from ineligible PCs | 480 million kg (~320,000 cars) | Canalys, 2023 |
| Enterprise devices (yet to migrate) that can run Windows 11 | 88% | ControlUp, 2026 |
| Enterprise devices needing full replacement | 11% | ControlUp, 2026 |
| Windows 11 security requirement | TPM 2.0 (mandatory) | Microsoft |
| Copilot+ PC minimum NPU | 40+ TOPS | IDC / Microsoft |
Outlier note: ControlUp found migration varies sharply by sector, from technology at 73% to healthcare at 41% and finance at 45%.
6. PC shipments and Microsoft’s Windows business
The upgrade wave was real but front-loaded, and 2026 is paying it back. Global PC shipments rose just 4% to 62.8 million units in Q1 2026, and Gartner expects a 10.4% full-year decline as memory-price inflation pushes new-PC prices up (Gartner, Q1 2026). Analysts flagged that even the Q1 gain came from channel inventory building, not end demand. Microsoft’s Windows business reflects the same softness: More Personal Computing revenue slipped year over year even as OEM partners stockpiled ahead of price hikes.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 PC shipments (Gartner) | 62.8M units, +4% YoY | Gartner, Q1 2026 |
| Q1 2026 PC shipments (IDC) | 65.6M units, +2.5% YoY | IDC, Q1 2026 |
| Full-year 2025 PC shipments | 270M+ units, +9.1% | Gartner, 2025 |
| Top vendor 2025: Lenovo | 73.5M units, 27.2% share | Gartner, 2025 |
| Full-year 2026 forecast (Gartner / IDC) | -10.4% / -11.3% | Gartner / IDC |
| Microsoft More Personal Computing revenue | $13.2B, -1% YoY (Q3 FY2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 |
| Windows OEM and Devices revenue | -2% YoY (Q3 FY2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 |
| Microsoft total revenue, FY2025 | $281.7B, +15% | Microsoft, FY2025 |
Context note: Gartner reported Lenovo (27.2%), HP (21.5%), and Dell (16.5%) as the top three vendors by 2025 share.
7. AI PCs, Copilot+, and the next hardware cycle
Microsoft is betting the next Windows 11 upgrade cycle on AI silicon, but the premium tier is smaller than the marketing implies. AI PCs are forecast to make up 54.7% of the PC market in 2026, up from 15.6% in 2024, yet Copilot+ machines with 40+ TOPS were barely 2% of Windows PCs in early 2025 (IDC / Statista). The gap is definitional: most “AI PCs” carry a modest NPU, while true Copilot+ hardware remains a slim, high-end slice. Microsoft’s own AI attach, measured in paid Copilot seats, is growing far faster than the branded hardware.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AI PC share of PC market | 15.6% (2024) to 54.7% (2026 forecast) | IDC / Statista, AI PC Shipments |
| AI PC shipments | 38.1M (2024) to 143.1M (2026 forecast) | Statista, AI PC Shipments |
| Copilot+ PCs (40+ TOPS), share of PC market | 0.5% (2024) | IDC |
| Copilot+ PCs, share of Windows PCs | 2.3% (Q1 2025) | IDC |
| Copilot+ units shipped | 1.3 million (2024) | IDC |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot paid enterprise seats | 20 million (Q3 FY2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 |
| Full-year 2026 total PC device shipments (IDC) | ~401.9 million units | IDC |
Outlier note: IDC’s full-year 2026 device forecast implies year-over-year declines could steepen toward 20% by Q4 as component costs rise.
Summary: Windows Market Share And Windows 11 by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 share, worldwide | 69.92% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Windows Version Market Share |
| Windows 10 on Steam (64-bit) | 23.56% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| Windows 11 on Steam | 70.44% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| Windows, global desktop OS share | 56.6% (Jun 2026) | Statcounter, Desktop OS Market Share |
| Windows share on Steam (all versions) | 94.10% (Jun 2026) | Valve, Steam Hardware Survey |
| Windows 11 to 1 billion users | ~1,576 days | Microsoft (via TechPowerUp), Jan 2026 |
| Monthly active Windows devices | 1.6 billion (Apr 2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 |
| PCs still on Windows 10 | ~1 billion | Windows Central / analyst estimate |
| Windows 10 end of support | Oct 14, 2025 | Microsoft Support |
| Consumer ESU extended to | Oct 2027 | Microsoft / Windows Latest |
| Enterprise endpoints not yet migrated | ~50% (2026) | ControlUp |
| PCs unable to run Windows 11 | ~240 million | Canalys, 2023 |
| Potential e-waste from ineligible PCs | 480 million kg | Canalys, 2023 |
| Germany household PCs on Windows 10 | 48% | ESET, Jan 2026 |
| Enterprise Windows 11 deployments | 60.1% (late 2025) | Lansweeper |
| Q1 2026 PC shipments (Gartner) | 62.8M, +4% YoY | Gartner, Q1 2026 |
| Full-year 2026 PC forecast (Gartner) | -10.4% | Gartner |
| Microsoft More Personal Computing revenue | $13.2B, -1% YoY (Q3 FY2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 |
| AI PC market share (2026 forecast) | 54.7% | IDC / Statista |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot paid seats | 20 million (Q3 FY2026) | Microsoft, FY2026 Q3 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by pulling the most recent public figures from named OS trackers, vendor shipment reports, and Microsoft’s own investor disclosures, then cross-referencing OS-share numbers across at least two independent samples (Statcounter web measurement and Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey) and flagging any divergence inline.
Sources cited:
- Statcounter Global Stats, Windows Version Market Share, Desktop Operating System Market Share, and Mobile Operating System Market Share (June 2026) - gs.statcounter.com
- Valve, Steam Hardware and Software Survey (June 2026) - store.steampowered.com
- Microsoft, FY2026 Q2 and Q3 earnings press releases and calls, and FY2025 results (Investor Relations) - microsoft.com/investor
- Microsoft Support, Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates and end-of-support notice (2025-2026) - microsoft.com/windows/extended-security-updates
- Gartner, Worldwide PC Shipments, Q1 2026 and full-year 2025 press releases - gartner.com
- IDC, Worldwide Personal Computing Device Market forecast and AI PC / Copilot+ tracking (2024-2026) - idc.com/promo/pcdforecast
- Canalys, End of Windows 10 support e-waste analysis (2023) - canalys.com
- ESET, German household Windows 10 usage (January 2026, reported via Windows Latest)
- Lansweeper, enterprise Windows 11 readiness data (2025) - lansweeper.com
- ControlUp, enterprise Windows 11 migration study (2026) - controlup.com
- Statista, AI PC shipments worldwide 2024-2026 - statista.com
Data watch: Statcounter and the Steam Hardware Survey both refresh monthly, so the version-share figures here move each month. Gartner and IDC publish PC shipment trackers quarterly, with Q2 2026 numbers due in mid-July 2026. Microsoft’s FY2026 Q4 earnings (late July 2026) will refresh the More Personal Computing and Windows OEM figures. Lansweeper and ControlUp update their enterprise migration reports periodically.
Last updated: July 10, 2026.
We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.