The reality of Windows 10 dying seems to be hitting home, as Windows 11 adoption spikes

Windows 11 has seen a sizeable growth in its adoption, although that's hardly surprising given that Windows 10's end of life is now only half a year away.

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Unsurprisingly, Microsoft is keen on the idea of upgraders buying a new Windows 11 PC - preferably one of its own, of course (Image Credit: Microsoft)

Clearly, that prospect is getting folks thinking about migrating, and according to Statcounter, which publishes monthly statistics pertaining to the usage of different Windows versions, Windows 11 is up by 4.53% in March 2025. This means the newer OS is now on 42.66% and is finally closing the gap with Windows 10.

That said, Windows 10 is still on 54.23%, with more than a 10% lead, but it lost 4.43% this past month, and that kind of erosion is likely to continue apace as 2025 rolls on.

Elsewhere, Windows 7 dropped to 2.22%, losing just 0.08%, and Windows 8.1 slipped very slightly to a now close to non-existent 0.28% (it shed 0.02%). In fact, Windows 8.1 is now behind Windows XP which somehow remains on 0.33%.

Those still on Windows 10 have several choices open to them, including paying for extended support, an option which Microsoft is offering to consumers for the first time ever. If their PC isn't up to scratch for Windows 11's more stringent system requirements, they may be able to upgrade (with a TPM module perhaps).

Although for some systems, the upgrades needed (CPU, motherboard, perhaps more besides) may mean that purchasing a new PC might be a more sensible option. Not an environmentally-friendly one particularly, but Microsoft is certainly pushing the idea of consumers buying a new Windows 11 PC wherever it can. (Preferably a Copilot+ PC, of course).

Read more: Miss Windows Vista? Well, both of you can now recreate the OS in Windows 11 with a new mod