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Windows 11 adoption has been slower than expected, particularly among enterprises, due to the challenges of transitioning from older versions of Windows 10. With the end-of-support push for many versions of Windows 10 looming, it remains to be seen how Microsoft's latest operating system will gain traction in the market.
As of November 2025, Windows 11 accounts for 53.7% of the Windows desktop market, while Windows 10 stands at 42.7%, representing a narrowing gap between the two operating systems.Experts warn that challenges in transitioning businesses from older versions of Windows 10 to Windows 11 are major obstacles to adoption.Slow change management processes and high costs of implementing new technology hinder Windows 11 adoption among enterprises.The selective use of Microsoft Extended Security Updates (ESU) by enterprises has helped them maintain older operating systems, especially for mission-critical systems with specific dependencies.Hardware vendors have noted a sluggish pace of transition to Windows 11 due to lack of must-have features and economic constraints.
The latest statistics from Statcounter, a website tracking software adoption, reveal that Windows 11 has not significantly widened its market share lead over Windows 10 despite the impending end of support for many versions of the latter. As of November 2025, Windows 11 accounted for 53.7 percent of the Windows desktop market, while Windows 10 stood at 42.7 percent. This represents a narrowing gap between the two operating systems, rather than the widening expected by Microsoft and the PC OEMs.
This news comes as no surprise to experts in the field, who have been warning about the challenges of transitioning businesses from older versions of Windows 10 to the newer Windows 11. Lansweeper principal technical evangelist Esben Dochy noted that consumers were more likely to have devices that couldn't be upgraded or follow the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule when it comes to change. This sentiment is particularly true for consumers in the EU, who receive Microsoft Extended Security Updates (ESU) for free.
For businesses, however, the situation is different. Dochy pointed out that the primary blocker is slow change management processes. These can be slow due to bad planning, lack of resources, difficulty in execution (in highly distributed organizations), etc. The ESU program, which provides security updates and patches for Windows 10, has become a strategic bridge for businesses using the operating system. However, these updates come at a cost, making it more expensive for unprepared or inefficient organizations.
Kieren Jessop, a research manager at Omdia (formerly Canalys), described the picture presented by Statcounter as "genuine, but complex." When consumers purchase a new Windows 11 PC, they frequently retain their old Windows 10 machine as a secondary device – repurposed for children's homework, as a kitchen PC, or for basic tasks. These machines continue generating web traffic and appearing in usage statistics even at lower intensity. This means the Windows 11 adoption curve represents net additions rather than pure replacements, tempering the rate of Windows 10 decline without reflecting actual purchasing behavior or the installed base composition of primary devices.
In contrast to consumers, enterprises sticking with Windows 10 are using the ESU program selectively – "covering mission-critical systems with application dependencies, specialized hardware where Windows 11 drivers don't exist, and segments where refresh budgets haven't been allocated yet." This selective approach is strategic triage rather than a wholesale decision to remain on Windows 10 indefinitely. Companies are buying time for specific portions of their fleet while executing staged migrations for everything else.
Jessop noted that the per-device ESU cost is often substantially lower than the disruption costs of a migration – compatibility testing, deployment planning, user retraining, and potential productivity loss during rollout. When you factor in that many organizations would need to purchase new hardware anyway, spreading that capital expenditure across normal refresh cycles makes more financial sense than a crash program to meet an arbitrary deadline.
The challenge facing Windows 11 is that, other than the end of free support for many versions, there is no must-have feature to make enterprises break a hardware refresh cycle, particularly in a difficult economic environment. As such, Microsoft has not released official statistics on Windows 11 adoption. However, hardware vendors have noted the sluggish pace of transition.
Dell COO Jeffrey Clarke commented during an analyst call: "If you were to look at it relative to the previous OS end of support, we are 10-12 points behind at that point with Windows 11 than we were with the previous generation."
In conclusion, the adoption of Windows 11 has been slower than expected, particularly among enterprises. This is largely due to the challenges of transitioning from older versions of Windows 10, as well as the cost and complexity of implementing new technology. As such, it remains to be seen how Microsoft's latest operating system will gain traction in the market.
Windows 11 adoption has been slower than expected, particularly among enterprises, due to the challenges of transitioning from older versions of Windows 10. With the end-of-support push for many versions of Windows 10 looming, it remains to be seen how Microsoft's latest operating system will gain traction in the market.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Windows-11-Adoption-Slows-as-Enterprises-Cling-to-Windows-10-Despite-End-of-Support-Push-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/12/03/windows_11_statcounter/
Published: Wed Dec 3 06:57:23 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
