Windows Statistics By Market Share, Trends, Insights And Facts (2025)
Updated · Oct 13, 2025
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Market Share
- Worldwide OS Market Share
- Desktop OS Market Share
- Microsoft Patent Portfolio
- Windows 11 Overtakes Windows 10 Amidst Massive Upgrades And The Glories of The AI-Future
- Shrinking User Base For Windows And Microsoft Now Prodding Windows 11
- Concerns Over Windows 10 End-Of-Life And Microsoft’s Support Plans
- Conclusion
Introduction
Windows Statistics: Windows, the deity of personal computing, is still dropping by more than a billion devices worldwide, but is dipping into the sunset. Windows 11’s slow curve has some goodwill, just as Windows 10 approaches the end of life, and with the evolution of the global PC market, Microsoft enjoys several opportunities and threats. The numbers say something about its end of dominance, transition, and innovation: from battles for market share against Apple and Android to its shrinking user base, and to a rather ambitious chase for the AI-powered “Copilot + PCs”.
This article goes into the latest Windows statistics, discusses market trends and user adoption, looks into patent might, and peeks at different strategic plans that surely make up a brightish future for the sun of Microsoft’s OS empire.
Editor’s Choice
- Windows 10, by the end of July 2024, still is the most frequently utilised desktop OS and lingers around 65%, while Windows 11 is installed on approximately 31% of devices. Windows has penetration into all global OSs, with more than 68% market share across desktops, tablets, and consoles, while Apple’s macOS and iOS together have less than 20%.
- In March 2025, Android accounted for 45.58%, Windows 25.86%, iOS 18.08%, macOS 4.92%, and Linux 1.45%.
- In terms of desktop, Windows leads with 71.72%, followed by macOS at 13.66%, Linux at 3.99%, and ChromeOS at 1.86%.
- It features over 107,170 granted patents; 70,676 are counted as active, with 833 new patents granted in 2024 alone, reflecting a strong worldwide IP presence.
- Windows 11 is edging out Windows 10 thanks to upgrades, Microsoft’s own push, and strong uptake by the gaming community.
- Windows 10 goes end-of-life on the 14th of October, 2025. From then on, some 400 million PCs will likely remain unaffected since they cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to hardware restrictions.
- Microsoft offers paid security for US$30 per year to Windows 10 users who are not eligible for free updates, while Consumer Reports wants everyone to be free to download.
- Windows active devices fell from 1.4 billion in 2022 to just over 1 billion in 2025, thus showing a declining user base in a span of three years.
- And Windows user decline has not been apparently majorly driven by switching to macOS, as Apple’s share in computer revenue fell below 7.7% in 2023.
(Source: statista.com)
- As per Statista, Windows statistics show that as of July 2024, Windows 10 still held about 65% of the Microsoft desktop operating system market, thus being the leading one.
- Windows 11 was making good progress, but still lagged far behind, with something like 31% of devices installing it.
- While Windows 7 was in its decline phase, users were still slowly opting out of this older system.
- Windows kept a strong position, holding over 68% of the global operating system market, straddling across desktops, tablets, and consoles.
- Comparatively, macOS and iOS combined would rank just shy of 20%, and are thus very small players in the computer OS space.
- The existing dominance of Microsoft has a very different look in the mobile world.
- Through the phone world, there resides market control of more than 99% shared between Google and Apple’s iOS.
- It shows how Windows maintained its dominance in the PC and laptop market while being completely absent in the mobile world.
- At its core, an OS or operating system links supplies and applications, serving as the central platform through which the interface allows users to interact with their machines.
- An operating system is not limited to desktop computers and smartphones; even in specialised tools such as graphical calculators and other electronic gadgets, operating systems are used.
- Technology today is largely dependent on operating systems for nearly every procedure that involves digital hardware.
(Source: gs.statcounter.com)
- From StatCounter data of March 2025, Android continued to rule the operating system market across all platforms with a share of 45.58%, having suffered a marginal drop from 45.49% in the preceding month.
- Windows rather gained a little, going from a 25.35% share to 25.86%.
- Apple’s iOS lost some traction, dropping from 18.26% to 18.08%, whereas its desktop counterpart, macOS, also fell from 5.32% to 4.92%.
- Linux, meanwhile, remained a minor system, at 1.45% share, even after a little upward corrugation from the 1.38% it recorded the month before.
- These changes are small and likely mere normal monthly shifts occurring in StatCounter’s measurements, rather than indicating any dramatic trends.
(Source: gs.statcounter.com)
- For March 2025, StatCounter’s statistics showed Windows still ruling the desktop OS market with a share of 71.72%, a slight increase from the 70.54% it had enjoyed the previous month.
- Apple’s macOS observed a noticeable dip, going from 15.77% to 13.66%.
- Linux maintained a smaller yet growing share from 3.82% to 3.99%, while Google’s ChromeOS saw a slight rise from 1.80% to 1.86%.
- Windows further increased its lead; macOS lost some ground, whereas Linux and ChromeOS made little upward movement.
Microsoft Patent Portfolio
(Reference: insights.greyb.com)
- Microsoft has built a global patent portfolio with more than 107,170 patents granted across the globe. About 70,676 patents remain active, with 36,494 definitely expired.
- Staying true to its pattern, broke further into the intellectual property landscape by filing for 97 more patent applications and securing 833 granted patents in the year 2024.
- The largest number of Microsoft’s patents are generated in these regions: the United States with 45262, Europe with 14528, and China with another 12614.
- Apart from those, Microsoft has tried to make filings in many countries to provide global patent coverage for its technologies.
- Trending above are Germany with 4,456, Japan with 4431, India with 4761, and South Korea with 3780.
- The rest includes Canada, with 2021; Brazil, with 1934; and Australia, with 1489. Below are the next in line: Taiwan with 1404, Russia with 1,276, Mexico with 1186, and Hong Kong with 1173.
- Patent filings are fewer in other jurisdictions, but the counts do reflect Microsoft’s presence. The United Kingdom possesses 624, South Africa 533, Singapore 440, Malaysia 432, Israel 395, and Austria 305.
- In Southeast Asia and Latin America, filings are to be found in Indonesia (286), Spain (275), the Philippines (190), Thailand (167), Chile (154), Argentina (122), New Zealand (115), and Colombia (77), among others.
- The smaller jurisdictions where Microsoft stood tall would be Luxembourg (71), Italy (65), Norway (58), Vietnam (51), Denmark (31), Portugal (16), Egypt (16), and Poland (15).
- On the most minuscule levels, we see numbers in single digits in countries such as Slovenia (5), France (2), Finland (2), Cyprus (1), Turkey (1), Romania (1), Serbia (2), Lithuania (2), Croatia (2), and Hungary (3).
- So, from this spread, we understand that Microsoft tries hard to protect its inventions not only in major markets but also in smaller or emerging ones, practically making its network of intellectual property global.
Windows 11 Overtakes Windows 10 Amidst Massive Upgrades And The Glories of The AI-Future
- Thus, if for many years Windows 10 remained dominant, there has been a change in position.
- Being enforced for very active adoption, pushed heavily by Microsoft, by end-user choice, mostly in conjunction with new hardware upgrades, the number one OS for gaming since September 2021 has been Windows 11.
- Though not everyone has really gotten the benefit of that change. With Windows 11 having stricter hardware requirements, many older PCs couldn’t support Windows 11, even when the upgrade was free from Windows 10.
- Hence, there have been people trapped in Windows 10 unless they chose to buy new gadgets.
- Looking ahead, Microsoft is betting on artificial intelligence for its growth, introducing Copilot+ PCs using NPUs.
- Windows 10 users have an October 14 cut-off date for official support, after which users who meet certain requirements (such as use of OneDrive) can get security updates for free for an additional year, while others will have to pay US$30 per year.
Shrinking User Base For Windows And Microsoft Now Prodding Windows 11
- As per Tom’s Guide, Windows statistics show that Microsoft’s own senior leadership has recently stated that Windows powers over a billion active devices worldwide.
- While this still sounds like an impressive figure, it warrants comparison to the company’s own annual report for 2022.
- In that report, Microsoft stated that upwards of 1.4 billion devices were running either Windows 10 or Windows 11 at the time.
- The 400-million-device difference means that in the last three tenths of the decade, the user base for Windows must have technically been shrinking, a fact Microsoft has never highlighted publicly.
- That increase in demand, before Windows 10, saw rapid business adoption of the NT operating system; now the reverse is happening.
- This explains Microsoft’s sudden aggressive push to convince users to migrate to Windows 11, with Windows 10 nearing the end of its lifespan.
- Hence, various users would begin to see their systems upgraded to the newer version or see the older-generation machines bought out due to their inability to meet the strict hardware requirements.
- There is an assumption that Apple’s macOS adoption would have been on the rise; that the deaf and dumb crowd perhaps was not all converted to Apple.
- Statista reports that Apple’s computer line, which once made over 85% of the company’s revenue, had shrunk to just 7.7% by 2023.
- This explains the shrinkage of Windows users as being less to do with a vast exodus to macOS and more to do with the wider changes in the PC market, including when things start selling less and usage conventions change.
Concerns Over Windows 10 End-Of-Life And Microsoft’s Support Plans
- Microsoft plans to end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.
- After this date, Windows 10 will no longer receive security updates, which means that up to 400 million machines will potentially begin to be insecure, especially those that cannot ergonomically upgrade themselves to Windows 11 due to new hardware requirements.
- Reports denounced this “hypocritical” and “national security risk” decision, noting that Windows 11 needs modern components such as TPM 2.0 chips.
- The group stressed that vulnerable groups like seniors, who use older PCs just to perform basic tasks and cannot buy new machines, will suffer the most.
- Microsoft provides a voluntary one-year extension fee of US$30 for consumers and paid extended support for businesses.
- Consumer Reports believes that security updates should be provided at no cost to anyone.
- The group also warned against the environmental consequences of a possible mass hardware disposal.
- With other organisations like Public Interest Research Group and Secure Resilient Future Foundation, Consumer Reports is calling on Microsoft to change its mind and consider both digital security and the environment. Microsoft has yet to respond to the calls.
Conclusion
Windows Statistics: Windows continues to dominate the desktop and PC market in 2025, with Windows 10 and 11 together powering more than a billion devices worldwide. Nevertheless, this operating system is challenged on several fronts, like a declining user base, increased hardware requirements for Windows 11, and the impending end-of-life for Windows 10 that will affect maybe up to 400 million PCs.
This is where Microsoft’s strong patent portfolio and AI-fueled initiatives like Copilot+ PCs are evidence of its push for innovation and growth. Users and several advocacy groups have asked for consistent security updates that are available to all so as to safeguard digital safety and environmental well-being, pointing to the fact that the future of Windows will centre on technological advances and inclusivity for users alike.
Sources
FAQ.
Windows had 25.86% of the worldwide OS market across all platforms in March 2025; on the desktop, 71.72% is being commanded, which makes it the most popular OS worldwide for PCs.
In 2025, over one billion active devices worldwide ran Windows. This has seen some decline, though, from around 1.4 billion in 2022, thus demonstrating the shrinking user base for the past three years.
Support for Windows 10 will cease on October 14, 2025, after which security updates will not be offered free of charge, leaving almost 400 million PCs holed to attacks if they cannot upgrade to Windows 11.
Eligible users who make use of OneDrive will be able to acquire a year of free security updates, while others will be asked for US$30 per year, which actually points out Microsoft’s implied direction toward Windows 11 and its harder hardware requirements.
Microsoft is putting its focus on AI-driven growth in Copilot+-powered PCs, using neural processing units (NPUs) to optimise and enhance performance and user experience and guarding its innovation through a patent portfolio of above 107,000 grants worldwide.
I hold an MBA in Finance and Marketing, bringing a unique blend of business acumen and creative communication skills. With experience as a content in crafting statistical and research-backed content across multiple domains, including education, technology, product reviews, and company website analytics, I specialize in producing engaging, informative, and SEO-optimized content tailored to diverse audiences. My work bridges technical accuracy with compelling storytelling, helping brands educate, inform, and connect with their target markets.
