Windows 11 reaches 1 billion user milestone, and faster than Windows 10

'Windows reached a big milestone, 1 billion Windows 11 users,' Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced during its recent quarterly earnings call.

Windows 11 reaches 1 billion user milestone, and faster than Windows 10
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TL;DR: Windows 11 has reached 1 billion users in 1,576 days, surpassing Windows 10's growth pace. However, a large part of the recent surge was driven by the end of Windows 10 support. Despite recent backlash, this milestone marks Windows 11 as more successful than Windows 8 and Vista. Microsoft aims to enhance Windows 11's performance and stability through 2026.

Although recent reports indicate that Windows 10 is regaining market share in the desktop space, Microsoft's quarterly financial report highlighted a significant milestone for Windows 11. According to the company, there are now 1 billion Windows 11 users, and it took the operating system 1,576 days to reach this milestone.

Windows 11 reaches 1 billion user milestone, and faster than Windows 10 3
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That last figure is important because it took Windows 10 1,706 days to reach the 1 billion user mark. Windows 11 outpacing or eclipsing Windows 10 is good news for Microsoft; however, it's safe to assume that a big part of Windows 11's surge during the quarter ended December 31, 2025, was due to Microsoft ending support for Windows 10.

According to Microsoft, Windows 11's growth for the quarter can be attributed to this, as there was an overall decline in Windows 'Devices' revenue. Although public sentiment surrounding Windows 11 is far from positive, on the plus side, this 1 billion milestone does make it much more of a success than previously maligned Windows 8 and Windows Vista - two operating systems that failed to crack the 1 billion global user mark.

With 1 billion users, Microsoft's goal for 2026 is to improve Windows 11's performance and stability while regaining the trust of users, gamers, and developers alike. This probably means it'll be a while before we see Windows 12.

For many, Windows is viewed as a cornerstone of Microsoft's business. Still, its success now pales in comparison to the company's AI and Azure cloud business, which surpassed $51 billion in revenue last quarter. Windows revenue falls under the company's Personal Computing sector, which includes Xbox, which reported revenue of $14.3 billion last quarter, which, funnily enough, is roughly a quarter of Microsoft Cloud revenue.