The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra during an event in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026

IDC and Omdia: Global PC Shipments Fell 20.1 Percent in Q3 2026

October 11, 2026 Rachel Kim – Technology Editor Technology

Global PC shipments fell by 20.1 percent year over year to 62.7 million units in the third quarter of 2026, marking the sharpest third-quarter decline on record, according to data released this week by IDC and Omdia.

The Tech TL;DR:

  • PC shipments dropped to 58.1 million devices according to Omdia, and 62.7 million units according to IDC, during the third quarter of 2026.
  • Vendors and sales channels over-stocked inventory earlier in the year ahead of anticipated memory price hikes, dampening current demand.
  • The 20.1 percent year-over-year drop is the largest third-quarter decline IDC has ever recorded.

Global PC Shipments Fall over 20 Percent

Global shipments of laptops, desktops, and workstations fell 21.2 percent year over year to 58.1 million devices, Omdia announced. Desktop PC shipments, including desktop workstations, decreased 23.5 percent to 11.7 million units. Laptop shipments, including laptop workstations, declined 20.6 percent to 46.4 million units.

IDC and Omdia: Global PC Shipments Fell 20.1 Percent in Q3 2026

IDC reported similar findings, stating that shipments fell 20.1 percent year over year to 62.7 million units in Q3 2026, compared to 78.5 million units in Q3 2025. The industry shipped 9.1 percent fewer personal computers in Q3 2026 than in Q2 2026, when 68.2 million units shipped. Typically, third-quarter shipments exceed second-quarter numbers.

“If looking at all quarters, then we have seen other quarters in recent years with larger declines, such as 2022 Q4, which was -28.2 percent, and 2023 Q1, which was -28.7 percent,” Jitesh Ubrani, research director for consumer devices at IDC, told PCMag. “Both were coming off pandemic highs.”

Global PC Shipments Drop 20% in Q3 2026 as Component Inflation Dampens Market Demand.

High Inventory Levels Suppress Market Demand

IDC reported that many PC vendors and sales channels stocked up on shipments earlier in the year to get ahead of expected memory price hikes. That early accumulation left minimal remaining demand during the third quarter.

“[Sales] channels are now worried about carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand,” Ubrani said in a statement reported by PCMag.

Analyst Firm Q3 2026 Shipments Year-over-Year Decline Q2 to Q3 Change
IDC 62.7 million units -20.1% -9.1%
Omdia 58.1 million units -21.2% Not reported 
# Sample CLI query to check local inventory stock levels against hardware asset management databases
curl -X GET "https://api.internal-inventory-tracker.local/v1/hardware/pcs/q3-metrics" 
     -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" 
     -H "Content-Type: application/json"

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