In August, Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system achieved a significant milestone, capturing an impressive 3.36% increase in market share, as revealed by the latest Steam Hardware Survey data. This surge has positioned Windows 11 as the preferred operating system for over 50% of Steam users, reaching a precise 50.81%.
Market Dynamics
A closer examination of the data indicates that this growth in Windows 11’s popularity is primarily attributed to users transitioning from Windows 10. While Windows 11 gained ground, Windows 10 experienced a decline of 3.29% in its Steam user base. Additionally, a small number of users from Windows 8.1, Windows 7, and other platforms appear to have made the switch as well.
This milestone is particularly noteworthy given that Windows 11 has been available for nearly three years and has undergone extensive promotion. However, Windows 10 is not relinquishing its hold without a challenge. Earlier this year, Statcounter data indicated a slight resurgence for Windows 10, which contrasts with the ongoing difficulties in acquiring PCs pre-installed with the older operating system and Microsoft’s persistent upgrade prompts.
With Microsoft announcing that support for Windows 10 will cease in just over a year, a notable 48.6% of Windows users still favor this OS, suggesting a significant migration challenge ahead for many users.
Broader Operating System Landscape
Looking beyond the Windows ecosystem, the latest Steam data shows a slight decline in MacOS share, now at 1.30%. Meanwhile, Linux has also dipped marginally by 0.16%, bringing its share to 1.92%. Interestingly, other data sources, such as Statcounter, have indicated a recent growth trend for Linux, suggesting that it could reach 5% market share by the end of the year or early next year.
Additional insights from the latest Steam Hardware Survey reveal trends in hardware preferences, including a rise in octa-core and dodeca-core CPUs, while hexa-core systems have seen a decline. On the graphics front, Nvidia’s RTX 4060 Laptop GPU emerged as the biggest winner, gaining 1.36% to secure second place in the charts, trailing only the long-standing leader, the RTX 3060.
