Users are finally switching over to Windows 11 — mainly because the cost of staying on Windows 10 is set to soar
Windows 10 ESU cost just $61, but with third-year costs reaching $244, companies are starting to ditch it.
As the cost of maintaining Windows 10 rises, more users are making the switch to Windows 11. This change occurs because Extended Security Updates (ESU) costs will double each year. In 2025, the annual cost was $61 per device, but it will increase to $122 per machine in subsequent years, totaling $427 for three years. This steep price hike is forcing companies to reconsider their decision to stay on Windows 10.
While some users are switching to Windows 11 due to the increasing ESU expenses, others are unable to upgrade due to technical limitations. These barriers can include specialist hardware or older devices that are not supported by Windows 11. Consequently, Windows 10's market share is unlikely to experience a significant drop, as most remaining devices will have a valid reason to avoid the upgrade.
Based on past trends, we can expect Windows 10 to remain popular among devices that cannot be upgraded. For instance, Windows 7, which supported ESU, saw its market share decline from 24.9% in 2020 to 9.6% by the end of the third year. It then dropped to 3.7% just two months later. Based on this pattern, Windows 10 is likely to persist on a considerable number of devices until at least October 2028.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
