Windows 10 suddenly gained popularity

The Windows 10 operating system from Microsoft, released more than ten years ago, suddenly began to gain popularity, according to a report from the analytical company StatCounter.

As of December 2025, Windows 10 occupied 44.6% of the global market, and the current Windows 10 - 50.7%. The share of the previous generation operating network has been growing over the past two months: in October it was 41.7%, in November - 42.7%. At the same time, the share of Windows 11 was decreasing - from 55.2% in October to 53.7% in November.

In Russia, Windows 10 is still the most popular operating system from Microsoft, occupying 57.5% of the country's market in November, and 60.79% in December. The current version is in second place - its share of the Russian market in December was 32.5%.

StatCounter did not explain the reasons for this dynamics. Journalists from Windows Central suggested that such changes may be due to distrust in the new operating system. This was, in particular, influenced by the fact that Microsoft announced its consent to transfer access to BitLocker encryption keys at the request of the FBI.

In addition, users could be disappointed by the unstable operation of Windows 11 and the forced introduction of artificial intelligence functions, journalists say. “People don't hate change. They hate surprises and the feeling of not being included in what is happening,” concluded media editor Sean Endicott.

In October 2025, Microsoft announced the end of support for Windows 10 and recommended that users upgrade their devices to Windows 11. Software updates, technical support, and security updates were no longer available with the old operating system.

At the same time, Microsoft promised to provide extended security updates for Windows 10 for an additional fee to users of devices that do not meet the technical requirements of the new operating system.