No, Windows 11 still runs on about 1.4 billion monthly active devices. Despite what you might read online, Windows is not done and dusted. It didn’t lose 400 million devices over the past three years. At worst, its growth has slowed, but it isn’t losing market share to Linux or macOS.
In June 2025, Microsoft announced it’s extending Windows 10 support for users who link their PC to a Microsoft account, use Microsoft Rewards points, or pay $30 for Extended Security Updates (ESUs). In that same blog post, while talking about how Windows is empowering the world, Microsoft casually mentioned “1 billion” instead of “1.4 billion.”
In the original blog post I found on the Internet Archive, Microsoft noted that “Windows is the most widely used operating system, powering over a billion monthly active devices,” which seemed to imply that only just over a billion devices use the OS. But in 2022, Microsoft said over 1.4 billion devices were running Windows.
This led some to think Windows had lost so many devices that Microsoft could no longer say “1.4 billion.” Whether that meant 400 million, 300 million, or even 200 million fewer users, it sounded like a big drop. But that’s not the case. It was just an oversight.
Microsoft has clarified that the blog’s “over a billion” phrasing was simply an oversight, not a drop from the previous 1.4 billion figure.
I’m told that the “1 billion” line was a communication error, and Microsoft officials pointed us to the updated blog post, which now correctly says 1.4 billion monthly active users: “Windows is the most widely used operating system, powering over 1.4 billion monthly active devices.”
And it makes sense. 400 million is no small number. If Windows had dropped from 1.4 billion to just over a billion, we would’ve seen a major change in the market share reports published by analytics companies like StatCounter, SimilarWeb, Statistica, and, more importantly, Steam gaming data.
Windows 11 is not a great operating system, but it’s also not a terrible OS that people want to dump and move on. It still works well, especially if you’ve new and capable hardware. Of course, it has many shortcomings when compared to Windows 10, and my personal favourite is still Windows 10.
With Windows 10’s EOL looming, Windows 11 is slowly gaining market share, and it’s likely to maintain pace when version 25H2, which is believed to be more stable, is ready for consumers.
Microsoft understands that millions would stay on Windows 10 when its support ends on October 14, 2025, but as I mentioned at the outset, you can link your Microsoft account and extend support. Or you can use 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
