Windows 11 struggles to grasp market share two years post-launch

Windows 11, although it has been reaching computers for over two years, has only garnered just under 30 percent of the market. Despite being available as a free update for Windows 10 users (provided their hardware meets the requirements), the popularity of the latest Windows version might still be surprising.

One might assume that these are not the statistics Microsoft hoped for when Windows 11 hit the market. It is a refreshed Windows 10 but will lose support next year. According to the latest statistics from StatCounter, Windows 11 globally operates on only 29.7 percent of all computers with Windows systems.

These statistics might be surprising considering that Windows 11 has been reaching computers for over two years, is available on likely every new computer or at least the majority of those on the primary market, and can usually be installed for free by current Windows 10 users.

In many cases, the issue could be non-compliance with requirements such as the much-discussed TPM 2.0 module, which prevents many people from taking advantage of the free update. In many instances, Windows 10 remains the latest Microsoft system that can officially run on a given device.

This is a major problem for users who want to maintain full security. Since October 2025, Windows 10 has no longer received security updates. Certainly, not everyone will be able to afford a new PC by then.