Windows 11 has finally managed to overtake Windows 10 to become the most used desktop operating system. It only took 4 years to achieve this.
Windows 11 debuted on October 5, 2021, and has received mixed reactions from users, largely due to the bloat the Microsoft keeps shoveling onto it, including the seemingly innumerable ways to integrate Copilot AI into every nook and cranny.
As reported by Windows Central, the latest chart from Stat Counter shows that Windows 11 has a 52% market share, compared to Windows 10 which has 44.59% of the market in the month of July 2025. Though it may seem like it won by a hair, Windows 11 will soon start climbing up the charts. As a matter of fact, their numbers were reversed a couple of months ago, when Windows 10 held a 53.19% market share, whereas Windows 11 had lagged behind at 43.22%. The fact that both operating systems saw their numbers change by nearly 10% in just a short time may come as a surprise to some people, but this change can largely be attributed to Windows 10’s impending end of life support, which is fast approaching. The OS will reach legacy status on October 14, 2025.
Of course, Microsoft has been promoting Windows 11 in various ways. It is advising Windows 10 users with older, unsupported hardware to upgrade to newer hardware compatible with Windows 11 to continue receiving security updates past the end of Windows 10’s support date. The Redmond company irked many users when it asked people with older PCs to trade them in for a new PC that can run Windows 11. And, it also made the ridiculous claim that Windows 11 is 2.3x faster than Windows 10, which as I pointed out is a blatant lie.
Windows 11 seems to be picking up speed among the gaming community as well. Steam’s latest hardware survey shows that Windows 11 has 59.84% of users, while Windows 10 has 35.69%. That is a considerably bigger difference than what one may have expected.