- 400 million PCs will need to be replaced to support Windows 11
- $2.42 billion worth of gold could be recovered from computer waste
- PC shipments increase thanks to Windows 10 EOS
New research has examined the possible environmental impacts of Windows 10’s upcoming end-of-life, which will require millions of devices to upgrade.
With 400 million PCs worldwide expected to be retired due to lack of hardware support for Windows 11 (and 14.4 million PCs in the UK alone), we could face huge challenges recovering 12.8 million kg of recoverable metals, including gold, copper, silver, platinum, palladium and indium.
As a result, around £1.809 billion ($2.42 billion) could be recovered from major recycled metals alone, according to figures from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) researchers Business Waste.
Windows 10 end-of-life costs
Business Waste claims a staggering £1.68 billion worth of gold could be recovered from decommissioned devices, along with £98.8 million of copper and £32.9 million of silver.
However, although there are some schemes to support responsible recycling (such as the UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive), it is not clear how many devices are actually recycled.
Regardless, Business Waste highlighted the need for an upgrade to deflect responsibility away from consumers and businesses. As older devices lose support, they will become more vulnerable to viruses and software issues. Unsupported software will also become a growing problem as vendors adapt to new operating system versions.
Although some reluctance to upgrade persists, IDC tracked a 9.4% year-over-year increase in PC shipments during the third quarter of 2025 in anticipation of Microsoft’s operating system changes.
Senior research director Maciek Gornicki also noted the end of a device refresh cycle compared to pre-pandemic purchases, supporting some of the sales.
More broadly, as the EEA benefits from another year of Extended Security Updates (ESU), device upgrades and PC shipments could continue to grow for months to come.
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