Recent data from Statcounter reveals a significant shift in the operating system landscape, with Windows 11 now commanding a market share of 72.57 percent, leaving Windows 10 trailing at 26.45 percent. This trend aligns with Microsoft’s earlier assertion that its flagship operating system has surpassed the milestone of one billion users.
Market Share Insights
While these figures are promising for Microsoft, it is essential to approach them with caution. Statcounter gathers its data from tracking code embedded on over 1.5 million websites worldwide, and the numbers are subject to revision as new information becomes available. In the absence of official telemetry from Microsoft, Statcounter remains a key independent source for gauging operating system market share.
The upward trajectory of Windows 11 is not entirely unexpected, especially following Microsoft’s decision to discontinue support for numerous versions of Windows 10 come October 2025. Although users can opt for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program to receive ongoing fixes, this additional support often incurs extra costs for many commercial clients.
Esben Dochy, Principal Technical Evangelist at Lansweeper, a company specializing in asset tracking and discovery, shared insights with The Register: “I don’t think any organization wants to pay for ESU licenses. Many organizations will migrate, but a non-trivial subset will rely on ESU as a safety net because their constraints are less about ‘deciding to upgrade’ and more about validating dependencies and coordinating operational downtime.”
Concerns for Administrators
While the rise of Windows 11 may bring relief to Microsoft’s desktop operating system team, the recent announcement regarding the impending end of support for Windows 10 2016 LTSB and Windows Server 2016 raises concerns among administrators still utilizing these platforms. According to Lansweeper, Windows Server 2016 holds a 20.3 percent share of all the servers monitored by the company. Dochy pointed out that the end-of-life for Windows Server 2016 is “still a bit further out,” adding, “Migration barriers for servers are often related to the services they provide. Services they run massively increase the effort and time required to migrate as any downtime doesn’t affect a single device but an entire service for the organization.”
In terms of Windows 10 2016 LTSB, it accounts for a modest 0.5 percent share of Windows devices, but within the LTSC/LTSB category, it makes up 19.8 percent. Dochy noted, “This data isn’t very surprising; Microsoft itself positions LTSC/LTSB for special-purpose devices (think kiosk/POS/OT/embedded-style deployments).”
This positioning explains the higher usage rates in the consumer and retail sectors, where many of these endpoints must navigate stricter upgrade protocols, including vendor certification, peripheral and driver support, and designated change windows—factors that extend beyond mere IT preferences.
Despite Windows 11’s impressive market share growth, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 continue to maintain their presence in the operating system ecosystem.
