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yesterday

Windows 11 Tops 1 Billion Users as Microsoft Pivots to Fix Quality Woes

Microsoft links the surge to Windows 10’s support cutoff, signaling an engineering shift to performance and reliability.

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A stylized, shattered image of the Windows Update "Restart Required" screen against a glitchy, blue digital background, symbolizing system instability.
Windows 11 Start
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Overview

  • CEO Satya Nadella announced the milestone on Microsoft’s fiscal Q2 2026 earnings call and said Windows 11 usage rose about 45% year over year.
  • Windows 11 reached 1 billion users in roughly 1,576 days, outpacing Windows 10’s approximately 1,706 days to the same mark.
  • Upgrades accelerated after free support for Windows 10 ended in October 2025, with holiday PC shipments boosting Windows OEM revenue.
  • Microsoft did not specify whether the 1 billion figure reflects active users or devices, nor the split between upgrades and new hardware, and it has not disclosed Windows 10 ESU enrollments.
  • After buggy January updates and backlash over stability and unwanted features, Windows chief Pavan Davuluri says teams will ‘swarm’ in 2026 to improve performance, reliability, and the overall experience.