- Windows 11 slides below 50% after reaching a record
- Windows 10 found a market share a month before the official end of life
- Windows 7, not supported for years, continues to grow slightly in use
Push of Microsoft to make Windows 11, its undeniable operating system seems to be slightly flickering because new data reveal a worrying stand in adoption.
The latest figures for global statistics from Statcourter, which are based on more than 3.8 billion pages viewed per month on 1.5 million websites, says the Windows 11 global market share has shown signs of setbacks at a critical time.
In August 2025, Windows 11 represented 49.08% of global use, against a summit of 53.51% earlier in the year.
Windows 10 resilience before the end of life
This drop is particularly striking since the operating system seemed to cross the symbolic threshold of 50% decisively.
Instead, its share slipped at a time when Microsoft expected to consolidate its user base around the last platform.
What makes the figures more disturbing is the unexpected rebound in Windows 10.
In July 2024, Windows 10 ordered almost 65% of the market, but its share has regularly decreased as the adoption of Windows 11 accelerated.
In the spring of 2025, it fell below 50%. However, in recent months, Windows 10 has started to climb back, reaching 45.53% in August 2025.
The timing is not good for Microsoft because it only remains for a month before Windows 10 officially reaches the end of life (EOL) in October 2025.
Instead of a decisive migration to Windows 11, the data show that millions of users remain reluctant or unable to upgrade on professional PC systems and personal devices.
Adding to the puzzle is the slight but notable Rise of Windows 7, an operating system that Microsoft ceased to take care of years ago.
After keeping a little more than 3% stable for a large part of 2024, Windows 7 increased to 3.59% in August 2025.
The increase is low in absolute terms, but important in the context.
Windows 7 has long after its security support window, but its persistence shows that users and organizations continue to depend on inherited systems, often operating on older laptops.
These holpouts can be linked to applications of specialized equipment or critical commercial applications, but they also create a persistent security concern for the wider ecosystem.
The simultaneous drop for Windows 11 and the growth of Windows 10 and Windows 7 highlight a deeper problem: resistance to change.
Despite the aggressive promotion and the system requirements designed to advance users, Microsoft seems to hit an adoption ceiling, and there are several reasons for this.
Windows 11 has stricter hardware requirements and excludes older but always usable devices.
In addition, companies always delay migration because they prefer stability to new features.
Then there is the cost problem. The modest resurgence of Windows 7 suggests that, for certain use cases, even unreformed software is preferable to upgrade costs.
Some users may even consider the best alternative operating systems available today just to avoid cost.
Unless adoption is accelerating quickly, Microsoft risks entering 2026 with a fragmented user base: half on Windows 11, the other attaching an officially obsolete operating system.
