Users Return to Windows 10 as Windows 11 Declines
According to a report by Tom’s Hardware, the statistics website Statcounter has released a new report showing a noticeable decline in the global market share of Windows 11 since February of this year, dropping nearly two percentage points from 28.16% to 26.19%. Meanwhile, Windows 10 has experienced a resurgence, rising to 69.89%. In the Microsoft operating system market, Windows 10’s share has reached 70.3%, while Windows 11 has fallen below 26%, with a market share of 25.65%.
The report suggests that Windows 11 has not increased its appeal among users. Tom’s Hardware even posits that the upcoming Copilot AI feature in Windows 11 24H2 is unlikely to encourage more users to switch to Windows 11, as most users do not need, and may even dislike the Copilot functionality. Since its launch, Windows 11 has encountered numerous issues with its core functionalities, such as slow system search, SSD slowdowns, decreased gaming performance, and high CPU usage by File Explorer, leading to user skepticism about Microsoft’s commitment to improving the Windows operating system.
Interestingly, although Statcounter’s statistics show a decline in Windows 11’s share, data from the Steam platform presents a contrasting trend. In the April 2024 survey, the share of Windows 11 on Steam increased by 3.54 percentage points, while Windows 10 decreased by 3.38 percentage points. Although the latter still constitutes more than half of the shares, the gap between the two is now within 6%. However, the results from the Steam platform primarily represent the system preferences of gamers, while Statcounter tracks users across various industries, making it more representative.
Microsoft has officially stated that it will fully cease technical support for Windows 10 by 2025, as well as for the Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2 versions, leaving users’ future operating system choices eagerly anticipated.
