Windows Loses 400 Million Users in Three Years: What’s Behind the Decline?

Microsoft’s user base for Windows has seen a significant drop of 400 million devices over the past three years. According to Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s EVP, Windows currently powers over a billion active devices worldwide, but a recent report from ZDNET revealed that Windows 10 and 11 combined were running on 1.4 billion devices just a few years ago. This decline is attributed to several factors, including the global shift towards mobile computing, with smartphones and tablets increasingly replacing traditional PCs. Another major contributor is Microsoft’s strict hardware requirements for Windows 11, which has left many users with older, but still functional devices, frustrated and opting to stick with outdated versions or switch to alternative operating systems like Linux. The aggressive push to upgrade to Windows 11 has not only alienated some users but also made the operating system less intuitive, especially with changes to design and a stronger focus on data collection, which mirrors some of the criticisms aimed at Apple. Although the rise of macOS, particularly with Apple Silicon, poses competition, the drop in Windows users is not simply due to people switching to Macs—Mac sales have also been falling. The shrinking of Windows’ user base highlights the growing importance of alternative computing platforms in today’s mobile-first world.