Windows 11 Sees Lower Adoption Compared to Windows 10—Already on 400M PCs

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 18 October 2023, 07:10 pm

It has been two years since Windows 11 was released by Microsoft to the public, but current leaked internal data now claims that this latest operating system sees lower adoption rates compared to its last version. The comparison centers on the two-year run of both Windows 11 and Windows 10, with the former seeing only 400 million active computers using the PC OS.

There are still many debates regarding the top Windows operating system there is, especially the most popular ones, with users divided on which OS they prefer.

Windows 11 Sees Lower Adoption Rate Compared to Windows 10

(Photo : Windows from Unsplash)

A report by Windows Central shows the numbers from leaked internal data from the company, showing that after two years since Windows 11's release in October 2021, the OS is seeing 400 million active PCs. It is known that many PCs that initially had Windows 10 had the privilege to get a free update for their adoption of Windows 11, but still depended on their hardware's compatibility.

Various reports from the likes of Steam Hardware Survey and Statcounter claim that Windows 11 adoption rate is lower compared to Windows 10.

After two years after Windows 10's release, it saw 500 million active PCs using the OS, 100 million more than the current numbers of Windows 11.

Is Windows 11 Struggling to Meet Windows 10's Popularity

The numbers from Statcounter suggest that Windows 11 is seen running on 23 to 24 percent of Windows computers worldwide, but the Windows 10 OS has 72 percent of the market. It was noted by Ars Technica that Windows 10 was popular before as it could be run on PCs that support Windows 7 and 8, two of Microsoft's top-performing operating systems of all time.

Windows Operating Systems: Microsoft's Tech

Windows 11 is the latest there is from Microsoft, and it is the operating system that the company regards as its most advanced and is the current supported one to receive upgrades and updates. In various parts of the OS, Windows 11 sees significant UI improvements and new features, as older generation computer systems are now left behind in the dust.

Recently, Microsoft announced that it is no longer allowing users who use old product keys from Windows 7 and Windows 8 to activate the new installs on computers. This was a hack by various users to get a free Windows 11 upgrade and not pay for the new operating system, with the company preventing the current-gen update to the latest OS from the legacy ones.

It is debatable that Windows 10 is better than Windows 11, and vice versa as it still depends on its users on which operating system they prefer more or are more accustomed to. However, numbers and its adoption rate bring more context as to how Windows 11 is viewed now, with only 400 million active PCs using it after two years, compared to Windows 10 in its second year after release.