Windows 11 has not overcome the two reasons many people remain on Windows 10: their PCs may be blocked by strict hardware checks, and the upgrade can feel like a costly interface change with no urgent benefit. Standard Windows 10 Home and Pro support ended on October 14, 2025, yet Valve’s September 2026 Steam survey still recorded Windows 10 64-bit on 23.61% of participating systems. That is a substantial holdout, although Steam’s optional, anonymous gaming sample is not a census of all Windows computers.
Why Windows 10 holdouts are not persuaded
For a compatible computer, moving to Windows 11 is primarily a software upgrade. For an older computer, it can be a hardware eligibility test. Microsoft’s minimums exclude some systems that run Windows 10 reliably, especially machines with unsupported processors, disabled firmware security features or older motherboard designs.
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The perceived reward is also uneven. A user who browses, works in office applications or runs established software may see little immediate improvement, while the disruption—new menus, settings locations, account prompts and the possibility of replacing a working PC—feels certain. That combination explains why an end-of-support date alone has not produced universal adoption.
What can stop a Windows 10 PC from upgrading?
Microsoft describes these as “the minimum system requirements for installing Windows 11 on a PC.” Missing any one of the key gates can block a supported installation.
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| Requirement | Minimum or condition | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Supported 64-bit CPU | An otherwise fast PC can fail if its processor generation is outside Microsoft’s supported list. |
| Memory | 4 GB of RAM | Systems below this amount do not meet the minimum. |
| Storage | 64 GB | The requirement concerns the device’s storage capacity, not just free space at the moment of installation. |
| Firmware | UEFI with Secure Boot capability | Legacy BIOS configurations and systems lacking Secure Boot capability can be rejected. |
| Security chip | TPM 2.0 | TPM provides hardware-backed security features required by Windows 11. A compatible chip may be present but disabled in firmware. |
| Graphics | DirectX 12-compatible graphics | Older graphics hardware can fail this compatibility check. |
| Display | A supported display | The screen must meet Windows 11’s display compatibility requirements. |
Microsoft cautions that if a device does not meet these requirements, Windows 11 may not install and the owner might want to consider purchasing a new PC. Bypassing checks is not the same as having a supported configuration, so an unofficial installation should not be treated as an equivalent upgrade path.
What the adoption numbers actually show
Valve’s official Steam Hardware and Software Survey for September 2026 reported the following Windows split among participating systems:
| Operating system | Share of surveyed Steam systems | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 64-bit | 71.34% | The majority in this gaming sample. |
| Windows 10 64-bit | 23.61% | Nearly one in four surveyed systems, not one in four Windows PCs worldwide. |
Participation is optional and anonymous, and Steam users are a gaming-oriented subset of PC owners. The figures therefore indicate persistence of Windows 10, not a precise global install base. Secondary reporting supplies context rather than a population estimate: Windows Central described roughly a quarter of Steam’s Windows users as still on Windows 10 in April 2026, associating the holdouts with hardware limits and reluctance to upgrade. Ars Technica’s earlier adoption analysis likewise identified unsupported CPUs and disabled Secure Boot or firmware TPM as recurring barriers.
The “674M views” figure attached to some versions of this story is not independently verified here. It should not be presented as a measured Windows 10 adoption statistic or as proof that a particular campaign reached that audience.
What happens now that standard Windows 10 support has ended?
Windows 10 Home and Pro reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Version 22H2 was the final release for those standard editions. End of support means the normal security and quality-update lifecycle has finished; it does not automatically disable an existing installation.
Windows 10 LTSC editions follow separate lifecycles. Whether an LTSC installation remains supported depends on its specific edition and published lifecycle, so an LTSC owner must check that edition rather than assume the Home-and-Pro date applies.
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Can you simply keep using Windows 10?
Technically, an existing PC can continue to boot and run applications after the Home-and-Pro deadline. The decision is a risk and support decision: unsupported standard editions no longer have the same vendor-maintained update coverage as a supported Windows release. Organizations should also account for application, compliance and managed-device requirements before leaving machines on an unsupported edition.
Upgrade, replace the PC or use another supported lifecycle?
There is no single best answer. Compare the choices against the machine’s eligibility, the owner’s tolerance for change and the cost of preserving existing data and applications.
| Decision | Hardware compatibility | Total cost | Support outlook | Performance and effort | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade the existing PC | Works only when every Windows 11 requirement passes. | Not stated; may be limited to configuration work, or may require components. | Moves the device to the supported Windows 11 lifecycle. | Usually the least disruptive path for data and applications, but interface and account changes remain. | Recent PCs that fail because a setting such as TPM or Secure Boot is disabled. |
| Replace the PC | Choose a machine sold as Windows 11-compatible. | Not stated; purchase price and migration costs apply. | Provides a supported platform if the model remains within Microsoft’s requirements. | Fresh hardware can improve performance, but migration takes planning. | Systems with unsupported CPUs, incompatible firmware or obsolete graphics. |
| Use a separately supported Windows 10 lifecycle | Retains the current hardware. | Not stated; eligibility and any fees depend on the specific lifecycle. | Only supported where the particular Windows 10 edition and program still have coverage. | Least interface disruption, but it postpones rather than solves the hardware question. | Special-purpose or enterprise systems that qualify for a separate lifecycle. |
Check before buying a component
Run Microsoft’s PC Health Check first and record the exact failure reason. If the result points to TPM or Secure Boot, inspect the PC’s UEFI settings and motherboard documentation before purchasing anything. TPM modules are motherboard-specific; a generic TPM 2.0 module is not universally compatible, and the wrong module will not make an unsupported board eligible.
A practical decision process
- Back up important data. Keep a separate copy of documents, photos, browser data and application installers or license information before changing firmware or operating systems.
- Run PC Health Check. Use the result to distinguish a disabled setting from a hard hardware incompatibility.
- Review UEFI settings carefully. If the motherboard supports TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, follow its manual for enabling them. Firmware menus and names vary by manufacturer; do not change unrelated boot or storage settings without a recovery plan.
- Reassess after the change. Run the compatibility check again. If the CPU remains unsupported, enabling TPM or Secure Boot will not fix that failure.
- Choose the least-risk path. Upgrade a compatible machine, replace one blocked by core hardware, or verify a separately supported Windows 10 lifecycle for a specialized device.
- Plan migration and rollback. Confirm application compatibility, recovery media and a way to restore files before starting the installation or moving to a new PC.
Is Windows 11 worth it if Windows 10 still works?
For a PC that passes Microsoft’s checks, Windows 11 is the straightforward way to remain on a current mainstream Windows release after Windows 10 Home and Pro support ended. The value is strongest when security support, newer hardware features or software compatibility matter more than keeping the old interface.
For a PC that fails the CPU or firmware checks, the answer is different. Replacing a dependable computer solely to obtain a familiar desktop successor may not feel worthwhile, but continuing indefinitely on an unsupported standard edition carries a different risk. The rational choice is to identify the exact block, price the migration realistically and decide whether support, cost or continuity matters most for that machine.
The bottom line
Windows 10’s remaining users are not ignoring a simple upgrade prompt. Some own hardware Windows 11 deliberately excludes; others do not see enough day-to-day benefit to justify change. The September 2026 Steam survey shows that Windows 10 still represented 23.61% of its participating systems, while Microsoft’s support deadline has already passed for Home and Pro. Check compatibility first, treat TPM purchases as motherboard-specific, and choose between a supported upgrade, a replacement PC or a genuinely supported Windows 10 lifecycle based on the device’s actual failure reason.
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