Windows 11 Adoption Slows Globally In May 2025, Windows 10 Holds Strong

Since its launch, Windows 11 continues to experience increased adoption from gamers and other early adopters. But in May 2025, it looks like the operating system faced a global setback. New Windows data from StatCounter indicates Windows 11 exposed itself to some downside momentum and its market share dropped significantly, undoing multiple months of progress. On the other hand, Windows 10 had a slight boost, suggesting ongoing reliance on the legacy operating system despite its impending end-of-life deadline. Microsoft is already on shaky ground when trying to convince users to make the switch, considering the dwindling transition period.

Windows 11 Market Share Declines

Credits: StatCounter

StatCounter reported that Windows 11 witnessed a decline in its market share from 47.32% in April to 43.23% in May 2025. Though the decline does not seem large, the number stands out when considering the operating system’s prior uninterrupted growth.

The same can’t be said for Windows 10, which has now ‘increased’ in their value to 53.19%, implying that a good portion of users are stalling or outright undoing their updates. This indicates users are sitting on the fence, which means they are likely dealing with issues of a lack of platform compatibility, having the right hardware to use, or just wariness toward utilising something new.

Regional Performance Varies

Windows 11’s user base saw a big downfall in its market share, with the percentage shrinking from 56.36% to 52.94% in the USA, where it was previously reigning supreme. The same drop to 50.65% was also observed in Canada. Conversely, UK joined Windows 11 with previously set records of soaring usage that hit an all-time high of 57.12%.

The latter versions such as Windows 7 (2.48%) and Windows XP (0.54%) as well as Windows 8.1 (0.29%) appear to be sticking around without any significant development.

Long Term Trends and Outlook

Even with the recent decline, Windows 11 has increased by 17.04 percentage points over the past year – climbing from 26.19% in May 2024 to 43.23% currently. Migration is expected to accelerate again, although unevenly across regions, with the end of Windows 10 support slated for October 2025.

Conclusion

Microsoft tends to turn a blind eye to how slowly Windows 11 adoption is rising, but is instead more fixated on how redundant the approach to OS upgrades tends to be given Windows 10 offers a reliably smooth experience. It makes sense to expect that in coming months, Windows 11 adoption numbers will start to skew in the company’s favor as Microsoft does seem to increase marketing efforts. Reminiscent of the post-support era for Windows 7, they could turn to use Windows 10 for years, laden with expects for updates tailored by Microsoft and third-party vendors.