Microsoft may finally have some encouraging news for Windows 10 users

(Image credit: Shutterstock / tanuha2001)

More and more users around the world are upgrading to Windows 10, but many are still sticking with older software editions, new data has shown.

The latest figures from NetMarketShare have shown that Windows 10 is now being used on nearly two-thirds of Windows devices as Microsoft's push continues to bear fruit

Overall, Windows 10 was found to be running 59.37% of devices, making it far and away the most popular edition of the operating system.

Windows 10 vs Windows 7

Windows boasts 87.03% of the desktop and laptop market share, however, older versions of Microsoft's operating system are still in regular use. 

In particular, Windows 7, despite having reached its end of support in January 2020, is still being used on 23.34% of PCs out there according to NetMarketShare.

Even worse, the venerable Windows XP still boasts 0.82% of all Windows users, meaning millions of devices could be at risk of attack due to running the outdated and unprotected software.

It seems that many users remain reluctant to make the upgrade to Windows 10 given Microsoft’s unfortunate recent habit of apparently breaking bits of its newest OS on a regular basis. 

Microsoft will now be keen to ensure Windows 10 growth continues throughout 2020 as the operating system now seems to have recovered from the fall it experienced in April 2020, where the OS dropped from 57.34% the previous month down to 56%.

Elsewhere, Linux use continued to rise, reaching 3.57% after climbing above the 3% marker for the first time in June 2020, Apple's macOS share fell again to just 8.95% (down from 9.68% the previous month), and Chrome OS (used by Chromebook devices) stayed fairly solid at 0.39% market share.

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.