Windows 11 Surpasses One Billion Users Despite Mixed Reception

Windows 11 has officially surpassed the milestone of one billion users worldwide, marking a significant moment for Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system. This achievement was announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during the company’s recent earnings call, as reported by The Verge. Notably, Windows 11 reached this milestone slightly faster than Windows 10, doing so in 1,576 days compared to Windows 10’s 1,692 days following its release.

The context of this rapid adoption is particularly interesting considering Windows 11’s stricter system requirements. Unlike Windows 10, which was available as a free upgrade to users of Windows 7 and Windows 8 without additional hardware demands, Windows 11 requires more recent hardware, rendering many existing PCs ineligible for the update.

Despite the expanding Windows 11 user base, Windows 10 continues to maintain a substantial presence. Although official figures are hard to pin down due to variable public data, multiple indicators suggest that Windows 10 remains active on hundreds of millions of machines. For example, StatCounter, a web analytics service tracking operating system usage, estimates that in late 2025, between 50% and 55% of Windows PCs globally ran Windows 11, while Windows 10 still powered 40% to 45% of devices.

Further supporting these figures, Dell’s COO Jeffrey Clarke mentioned that approximately one billion Windows 10 PCs were still in use as of late 2025, with about half of these incapable of upgrading to Windows 11 due to hardware limitations. This data implies an almost even split between the two versions on Windows-capable devices.

Windows 10’s persistence can be partly attributed to its widespread adoption in previous years, making it one of the most popular Windows releases alongside XP. Given that Windows 11’s launch excluded many older devices, millions of PCs remain on Windows 10, which continues to receive security updates through an extended support model. Consumers receive one additional year of free, opt-in security patches, while businesses can access paid support for up to three years. Core Windows 10 apps like Windows Defender, Microsoft Office, and Edge will also be supported until at least 2028.

Windows 11’s adoption has not been without complaint. Among technology enthusiasts and everyday users alike, concerns have been raised about performance, reliability, and user experience annoyances. Common frustrations include mandatory Microsoft account sign-ins, frequent prompts to use or subscribe to Microsoft services like OneDrive and Game Pass, and persistent suggestions to use Microsoft Edge and Bing search.

Microsoft acknowledges some of these issues. Pavan Davuluri, president of Windows and devices, has stated that the company is prioritizing resolving performance and reliability problems over the coming months. There are also efforts underway to modernize elements of the system’s interface that still reflect designs dating back to Windows 7, XP, or even NT. However, there has been no specific commitment to reducing some of the imposed user experience irritations such as the recurrent upsell notifications.

Despite these challenges, Windows 11 remains the default upgrade path for many Windows 10 users, partly because switching to a different operating system or staying with Windows 10 poses practical difficulties. Going forward, Microsoft’s key task will be improving the user experience sufficiently to prevent Windows 11 from being a last Windows version for frustrated customers.