Windows 11 has officially surpassed the 1 billion user mark. This was confirmed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during an earnings call for investors. The company’s latest operating system apparently reached this milestone towards the end of 2025.
According to Nadella, Windows 11 recorded a 45 percent increase over the previous year, which is likely correlated with the end of support for Windows 10. The end-of-support deadline was originally planned for October 2025, but thanks to extended security updates, users can remain secure with Windows 10 until at least October 2026.
Windows 11 and 10, compared
What’s notable about this milestone is that Windows 11 reached 1 billion users faster than Windows 10 did. While Windows 10 took approximately 4 years and 8 months to hit this number, Windows 11 did so in just under 4 years and 4 months. Pretty close, but clearly faster.
That said, it’s still slower than what Microsoft had anticipated for Windows 11. The company wanted to bring Windows 11 to a billion users within 3 years of its release. However, the transition has been slow, with many users—especially in Europe—still reluctant to switch.
An analysis published in recent days showed that Windows 10 is still more widely used than excepted. Although some Windows 10 PCs that didn’t meet the minimum requirements for a Windows 11 upgrade were replaced with newer devices, lots of private home users in particular are still sticking with Windows 10.
Windows 11 is no safe haven
Why are users reluctant to move on to Windows 11? Probably due to lack of confidence. Time and time again, system-crashing bugs and usability issues have reared their heads with every Windows 11 update. The recent January update made headlines for breaking everything, and Microsoft even had to advise users to uninstall the update because the company was unable to provide a timely solution.
Overall, the relationship between Windows users and Microsoft seems to be increasingly strained. Many have therefore been slowly but surely switching to other operating systems like Linux, ChromeOS, and macOS.
