windows 11 Growth Stalls as older OSes See Unexpected Resurgence

Microsoft is facing a puzzling situation with its Windows operating systems. Despite surpassing one billion users, Windows 11 has experienced a decline in market share, falling from 55.18% in October to 50.73% by the end of december 2025, according to recent data from Statcounter.

This decrease coincides with a surprising rebound for Windows 10, which increased its market share from 41.71% to 44.68% even after the official end of security updates on October 14th. Adding to the unexpected trend, the outdated Windows 7 also saw a rise in usage, climbing from 2.52% to 3.83%.

The primary driver behind this shift appears to be ongoing technical issues with Windows 11. Frequent updates have been plagued by significant bugs, requiring Microsoft to rapidly deploy fixes. The January update, such as, caused problems with Outlook and prevented some computers from booting.

this trend of older operating systems maintaining a strong foothold, even in the face of newer alternatives, isn’t isolated to Windows. Similar patterns are observed with Android, suggesting a broader user hesitancy towards adopting the latest software. The long-term implications of this trend remain to be seen, but it highlights the importance of stability and reliability in operating system performance.