Windows 11 Overtakes Windows 10 as Most Used Desktop OS

Microsoft has achieved a significant milestone for Windows 11, arriving months before the end of support for Windows 10. According to Stat Counter, as reported by Windows Central, Windows 11 is now recognized as the leading desktop operating system nearly four years post-launch, commanding 52 percent of the market share, while Windows 10 holds 44.59 percent.

In September, Windows 11 emerged as the top OS for PC gaming, yet its overall adoption had been trailing behind Windows 10 until this point. Data leaks from October 2023 indicated that Windows 11 was in use on over 400 million devices, reflecting a slower adoption rate compared to Windows 10, which reached the same milestone in just one year, whereas Windows 11 took two years.

The slow adoption can be attributed to the hardware requirements set by Windows 11. Although Microsoft provided a free upgrade for Windows 10 users, many devices have been left out due to the more stringent CPU and security standards. Microsoft has been actively encouraging owners of these older machines to upgrade their hardware to access Windows 11, sometimes through a full-screen notification.

Windows 10 is set to reach its end of support on October 14th, and Microsoft has recently announced that it will offer a free year of additional security updates to users who agree to enable Windows Backup and sync their Documents folder with OneDrive. For those who prefer not to do this, a fee of $30 will be required for a year of updates, or users can redeem 1,000 Microsoft Reward points.