Windows 11’s growth was a fluke as market share falls again in December

Some of it was picked up by Windows 10 and Windows 8, but it seems users are starting to leave the Microsoft platform. 

In summary:

• PCWorld reports that Windows 11’s market share dropped to 50.73% in December 2025, falling over 3 percentage points after previous growth appeared temporary.
• Windows 10 defied expectations by increasing to 44.68% market share despite Microsoft ending official support for the older operating system.
• Microsoft faced significant challenges in 2025 with struggling AI initiatives and Windows update issues, making it a difficult year for adoption.

Microsoft is entering 2026 with discouraging numbers for Windows 11, as the latest figures from Statcounter reveal that market share for Microsoft’s operating system fell further in December despite the ending of support for Windows 10 in much of the world.

Image: Statcounter

The share of Windows 11 users fell by just over 3 percentage points, from 53.7 percent down to 50.73. At the same time, the share of Windows 10 users increased from 42.7 percent to 44.68 percent, while the share of Windows 8 users actually rose from 2.93 percent to 3.83. (Huh.)

Overall, 2025 seems to have been a bit of a nightmare year for Microsoft, with—among other things—floundering AI initiatives that didn’t really catch on, plus a series of inadequate Windows updates.

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