Microsoft has reached a significant milestone as Windows 11 has become the most used desktop operating system worldwide, surpassing Windows 10. According to data from Stat Counter, Windows 11 now holds 52% of the desktop OS market, while Windows 10 accounts for 44.59%.
Windows 11 was released nearly four years ago and initially faced slower adoption compared to Windows 10. For example, it took Windows 11 two years to reach 400 million devices, whereas Windows 10 reached the same number in just one year.
This slower growth has been partly due to Windows 11’s stricter hardware requirements, which left many older machines incompatible with the upgrade.
Microsoft has encouraged users with unsupported hardware to update their devices to access Windows 11, sometimes using full-screen prompts. Despite the challenges, Windows 11 became the top OS for PC gaming as early as September 2024, showing strong popularity among gamers.
Windows 10 support is set to end on October 14, 2025. To help users transition, Microsoft is offering a free year of extended security updates for consumers who enable Windows Backup and sync their Documents to OneDrive.
Users who opt out can pay $30 or redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points for an extra year of updates.
