Jakarta – Windows 10 is set to be retired in a matter of months. However, this operating system remains widely used, even outpacing Windows 11 by a significant margin.
According to Statcounter data for December 2024, Windows 10 holds a market share of 62.7%. Meanwhile, Windows 11’s market share dropped from 34.94% in November 2024 to 34.12% in December 2024.
While Windows 11’s market share is higher compared to the same period last year, which stood at 26.54%, the fact that it still lags far behind Windows 10 may be concerning for some Microsoft executives.
The hardware compatibility requirements mandating processors from 2018 onwards and TPM 2.0 remain a significant hurdle. There’s also speculation that many users and businesses initially tried Windows 11 but disliked it and subsequently downgraded to Windows 10.
“It’s not uncommon for companies to downgrade new Win11 devices to Win10 as part of their IT refresh cycles, prioritizing stability and compatibility with existing systems,” said Canalys analyst Kieren Jessop, as quoted by The Register on Saturday (January 4, 2025).
“Companies do this until they are ready to upgrade their entire infrastructure to Win11. In public institutions, downgrading to Win10 is even more common,” Jessop added.
Despite Windows 11’s slow adoption rate and Windows 10’s impending retirement, Microsoft remains firm on not lowering the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. They emphasize that TPM 2.0 is essential for maintaining Windows security and the ecosystem’s future.
Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, about nine months from now. Affected users have the option to purchase Extended Security Updates (ESU) if they wish to continue using Windows 10 securely.
Windows 10 users who do not purchase ESU can still use their PCs or laptops as usual but will face increased risks as they will no longer receive security updates from Microsoft.
Another option is to use the Windows 10 long-term servicing channel (LTSC) version, which will continue to be supported beyond the deadline. However, migrating to LTSC means reverting to an earlier version of Windows 10.
