Microsoft may be making new PC and gaming-handheld purchases more expensive. A Taiwanese report claims the company raised the fees OEMs pay to ship systems with Windows preinstalled, with the average increase reportedly reaching 7% to 10% in July 2026.
Those licensing fees are part of the cost PC manufacturers pay to include Microsoft’s operating system on their machines. If the reported increase is accurate, it gives manufacturers another expense to account for before a computer reaches store shelves.
United Daily News cited a PC-brand executive who said Windows OEM licensing had usually increased by single-digit percentages each year. The executive reportedly placed the average increase at 7% to 10% from July 2026, which would be a larger jump than previous annual adjustments. Since the claim comes from one source, its exact scope across manufacturers, device types, and Windows licensing tiers remains unclear. OEM pricing is not necessarily based on one universal rate, either. Device specifications, manufacturing volume, and the terms available to each company can affect the final amount, so the reported percentage would not automatically apply equally to every PC or handheld maker.
Windows costs may also vary according to the processor inside a system. Coverage from Wccftech points to Microsoft charging OEMs more when Windows is paired with higher-end CPUs. If that structure is accurate, the licensing charge becomes another cost tied to a PC’s hardware tier, even though the operating system itself remains the same.
There is at least one recent example of a PC maker seeing higher Windows costs. Framework said it had seen Windows license costs increase in an update about memory pricing. That does not confirm the reported 7% to 10% average, but it suggests the claim may not be limited to a single source.
OEM Windows fees could spread across PC lineups
Buyers would not necessarily see a 7% to 10% increase on every Windows PC. Manufacturers could absorb part of the cost, accept smaller margins, or raise prices across a product range if they decide that limiting the increase to Windows-equipped models would not work.
OS-free systems, including Linux-based gaming hardware, could avoid the direct Windows licensing charge, but that would not guarantee a lower final price. SteamOS products such as the Steam Deck OLED and Steam Machine offer manufacturers another route, although compatibility and support considerations come with that choice. An OEM facing narrower margins might raise prices across its lineup regardless of whether a particular machine ships with Microsoft’s operating system.
Windows still offers access to a wider PC software library and services such as Game Pass. It also powers gaming handhelds including the ROG Xbox Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go S, so manufacturers weighing Linux-based alternatives would be trading licensing costs against software access and compatibility.
The reported change would arrive while PC hardware is already carrying higher costs tied to memory and storage. A software licensing increase may look smaller beside those expenses, but it would still add another charge to the cost of building and selling a computer.
Microsoft’s broader financial results do not suggest a company struggling for revenue. Its official FY 2026 fourth-quarter earnings release reported revenue up 18% year over year. That result does not confirm the Windows licensing claim, and the reporting does not include a direct Microsoft explanation for the alleged increase.
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