Windows 7 usage seemingly skyrockets as users refuse to upgrade to Windows 11 in wake of Windows 10 end of support

Someone must be wishing really hard, as according to StatCounter, Windows 7 is gaining market share in the year 2025, five years after support for it officially ended. As of this week, Windows 7 is now in use on 9.61% of Windows PCs within StatCounters pool of data, and that's up from the 3.59% it had just a month ago.

For years, Windows 7 has hovered around 2% market share on StatCounter. After mainstream support ended, the last few holdouts very quickly made the move to Windows 10, but with support for Windows 10 ending now just two weeks away, it looks like many are giving Microsoft's best version of Windows another try.

Of course, StatCounter isn't an entirely accurate measure when it comes to actual usage numbers, but it can give us a rough idea about how the market is trending, and it seems people are not happy with the idea of upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10. Windows 7's sudden marketshare gain is likely a data anomaly, but interesting timing nonetheless.

Taking a closer look at StatCounter, it appears Windows 11 market share stalled in the last month, maintaining around 48% share. Windows 10 continued to drop, as expected, and is now on just 40% of PCs. While I wouldn't be surprised if some people had experimented with going back to Windows 7 recently, I highly doubt it's a number as high as 9.61%.

Of course, it's absolutely not recommended to be using Windows 7 in 2025. The OS is 16 years old, with a kernel that hasn't been patched with security updates since 2023. Plus, driver and app compatibility is likely waning at this point, so switching to Windows 7 will almost definitely generate more headaches for you than it's worth.

Windows 11 failing to gain any market share in the final month before Windows 10's end of support is frankly shocking, and if the numbers are accurate, should be setting alarm bells off for Microsoft internally. It's clear that much of the market has rejected Windows 11, whether that be because of its high system requirements or insistence on AI features, people aren't moving to it.

In recent months, it seems Windows' reputation has fallen off a cliff. With enshittification slowly moving in, a lack of innovative new features and experiences that aren't tied to AI, and monthly updates that consistently introduce unnecessary changes and issues, people are getting tired of Microsoft's antics.

Perhaps it's time for a clean slate for Windows. If Windows 11 is following the famous "good/bad" cycle that Windows is known for, perhaps it's time for Windows 12 to right the ship. What are your thoughts on Windows 7's usage numbers increasing? Let us know below.

via Neowin

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