Microsoft continues to have a Windows 11 problem, with Windows 10 adoption increasing at the expense of its successor.
According to the latest data by StatCounter, Windows 10 adoption increased to 70.01% at the end of April 2024. In contrast, Windows 11 adoption dropped to a mere 25.69%. Interestingly, Windows 10’s gain appears to be directly at the expense of Windows 11, since Windows 10 rose by 0.96% and Windows 11 dropped by 0.97%.
Windows 11 has been incredibly unpopular with Microsoft’s user base, largely as a result of controversial decisions Microsoft has made. The company has insisted on including advertising in the operating system, despite intense criticism of the practice. Windows 11 also has steep, and seemingly arbitrarily, high system requirements that will see hundreds of millions of PCs become obsolete.
Unfortunately for users, Windows 10 is EOL October 2025, meaning it will not receive bug fixes or security updates after that date. Microsoft has rolled out an extended support option, but it is expensive. The option starts at $61 per license for the first year, then increases to $122 the second year, and $244 the third. Microsoft offers no additional support, paid or otherwise, after the third year.
If the latest usage stats are any indication, Microsoft still has a long way to go to convince users to upgrade to Windows 11.