One in six PCs still run Windows 10, and they're far less secure than Windows 11

Latest research shows that 16.9% of PCs still run Windows 10. Users who haven't upgraded yet are at much bigger risk of having their system breached.

Windows 10 reached its official end of support in October 2025. On paper, it seems that most users have already migrated to Windows 11, and that is true. But there’s still a certain percentage of users who haven’t, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see why Windows 11 now dominates. It accounts for 78.8% of Windows devices, up sharply since the support deadline pushed much of the fleet to migrate. Windows 10 still sits at 16.9%, which may not sound huge at first, but it means roughly one in every six PCs is still running the older OS.

The security gap between the two versions is also significant. According to research from Lansweeper (via WinFuture.de), a typical Windows 10 device carries an average of 1,903 active CVEs, compared to 652 on Windows 11, a gap of roughly 2.9 1.9 times. Of the vulnerabilities sitting on Windows 10 devices, 66.6% are rated high or critical, and a portion are already known to be actively exploited.

Every Patch Tuesday that fixes something in Windows 11 can also give attackers clues about the same unpatched flaw sitting in Windows 10. Researchers can reverse-engineer the fix to figure out exactly what was broken on the older system.

There is a temporary safety net for consumers still on Windows 10. Microsoft's free Extended Security Updates program, which quietly got extended through October 12, 2027, keeps eligible devices patched for security issues in the meantime. It's not a permanent fix, but it buys time for people who aren't ready or able to upgrade yet.

But there's a flip side to that coin. Memory and storage prices have spiked sharply this year, and older Windows 10-compatible hardware, often still running DDR4, is comparatively cheap to keep running. For some of that 16% who haven't upgraded, sticking with an older PC may simply be the more affordable option right now.

That's why users who haven't upgraded yet are strongly advised to enroll in the Extended Security Updates program. This will keep them relatively secure until at least the fall of 2027. What happens after that is anyone's guess, but if AI's potential disruption of the mobile industry is any indication, the PC market may not be far behind.

Source

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Posted Tuesday 21 July 2026 at 7:27 am AEST (my time).

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