Windows 11 adoption shows a slight drop versus Windows 10

Windows 11 Copilot
(Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Windows 10 tops the market share at 71.9% per StatCounter's latest report.
  • Microsoft's Windows 11 lags behind with a 22.95% stake in the market share.
  • Windows 10 will hit its end of support in October 2025.

Windows 11 has been on the market for a long minute now. And while Microsoft continues to work towards enhancing its user experience by releasing feature drops often, Windows 10 remains a personal favorite for many, according to StatCounter's report in May.

Per the report, Windows 10 tops the market share at 71.9%. This is despite Microsoft's efforts to get more people to upgrade their devices to its latest OS. Admittedly, Windows 11's minimum system requirements are quite steep for the average user.

Windows 11 comes in second place with a 22.95% stake in the market share, down from 22.95% in April. This means 94.85% of the users are running on Windows 10 and 11.

We already know that Windows 10 is expected to reach its end of support in October 2025. Microsoft has already started making changes leading up to this date. For instance, the company announced that it'll no longer release new versions of Windows 10. This means that the current version 22H2 was the last release it made.

You shouldn't expect any feature updates if you're still running on Windows 10. However, Microsoft will continue to release security updates.

Microsoft also announced that it'll be upgrading all Windows 10 users to the latest version 22H2 this month. This is mainly because the previous versions of Windows 10 are ending closer to their end of support as of June 13, 2023.

The report further detailed that some users were still running on older versions of Windows as highlighted below:

  • Windows 7 (3.61%)
  • Windows 8.1 (0.72%)
  • Windows 8 (0.37%)
  • Windows XP

Notably, Windows 7 also took a significant hit dropping by 0.06% percent compared to April's figures. This could be a result of Microsoft pulling the plug on its Extended Security Update program early this year.

Microsoft continues to encourage users to upgrade to Windows 11, though multiple users have expressed reluctance to transition, citing flaws in its design, particularly the Start menu.

Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.

Read more
Windows 11 Taskbar closeup
Windows 11 hits a new market share milestone as Windows 10's death looms on the horizon
Lenovo Legion Go (2023)
Windows 11 wrapped up 2024 with a massive spike in Steam users
Windows 10 logo on a clock close to striking midnight.
Windows 10 'doomsday clock' pushes closer to midnight as Microsoft's unexpected rivals dominate an expanding PC category
Former Microsoft Executive Vice President Terry Myerson stands in front of a presentation about Windows 10
Microsoft addresses the 'elephant in the room,' discusses upcoming end of Windows 10 support
Windows 11 Taskbar closeup
Microsoft doubles down on Windows 11 — calls for major Copilot+ PC upgrade cycle in 2025
Windows 10 Start menu on HP ZBook Studio G4
Microsoft will retroactively downgrade this part of Windows 10 next month
Latest in Windows 11
Photo of Microsoft's new sign-in page for Xbox.com using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Over one billion users will get a new Microsoft user experience, and it has a dark mode
Windows 11 answer file
How to easily create an unattended answer file for Windows 11
Windows Update
Microsoft begins testing next phase of Windows 11 — Dev Channel to flight new platform changes
Windows 11 Search
Copilot+ PCs' first must-have feature is just around the corner
Themes section of the Microsoft Store on Windows 11
Two of my least favorite things about the Microsoft Store are about to get fixed
Surface Laptop 7
Amazon warns Surface Laptop 7 shoppers as Mojang unveils massive visual update to Minecraft and Microsoft leaks a potential new feature for the Xbox app on Windows 11
Latest in News
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies mode screenshots for Shattered Veil map.
The next Call of Duty Zombies map, "Shattered Veil", is dropping earlier than expected
Helldivers 2
The new Helldivers 2 Illuminate Major Order is so important that we got a new stratagem for it
Hogwarts Legacy troll hero image
Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled by WB Games
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Rumored Ubisoft and Tencent agreement comes to fruition with 25% stake and new division for the Assassin's Creed developer
In-game screenshot of the player consuming an enemy in Shadow Labyrinth
This isn't your grandpa's Pac-Man — Bandai Namco's iconic character gets a gritty new action game this Summer
Key art for Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D remake
Every PC and Xbox game shown off during Nintendo Direct March 2025