The clock continues to tick downward for Windows 10, as support for the operating system will come to a close on October 14, 2025. With the deadline fast approaching, businesses and consumers alike continue to make the switch to Windows 11. However, the past few months have seen a noticeable surge in adoption of Microsoft’s newer offering, to the point that we may finally see the OS usurp its predecessor.
According to statcounter, Windows 11 desktop market share has grown exponentially in 2025. The operating system began the year with a healthy 36.65%, but paled in comparison to Windows 10’s 60.33%. Now, in June 2025, there’s a mere 1.37% (47.66% vs. 49.03%) separating the two.
It’s likely that Windows 11 will close the gap during the remaining weeks of June, possibly even replacing Windows 10 as the dominant operating system. If not this month, then July feels like a given. Most gamers have finally welcomed the OS into their lives, accounting for 58.3% of Steam users at the time of writing. The rest of the market is now simply following suit.
While I’m sure Microsoft is happy to have more users on its most-current operating system, I don’t believe this is a willing shift, á la Vista to 7. Windows 11 has been on the market for almost four years now, and it’s only now, as the service life for its predecessor comes to an end, that it’s seeing such massive increases in its user base.
Even in March 2025, Windows 10 was able to claw back dominance on Steam from Windows 11. While hardware requirements understandably impeded appetite for the operating system, mandatory Microsoft accounts, repeatedly buggy updates, and controversial additions like Recall certainly haven’t helped things. It’s no wonder that interest has grown in MacOS and Linux alternatives like SteamOS.
Speaking as someone that’s happily used Windows 11 more-or-less since release, I sympathise with those begrudgingly making the switch. This is far from a perfect operating system, but I know it could be a lot worse having lived through the disaster that was Windows 8. To quote HBO’s Chernobyl, it’s “not great, not terrible.”
Hopefully brighter days are ahead for Windows 11. After all, SteamOS has apparently forced Microsoft’s hand to make improvements to the operating system. We’ll likely see the fruits of such labour in future Xbox devices, be they consoles, handhelds, or closer to a PC. For the moment, keep the faith.
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