Windows 10 continues its world domination – but Windows 7 refuses to die

(Image credit: FOTOKITA/Shutterstock/Future)

Microsoft’s continued attempts to get Windows 10 on more PCs seems to be paying off, with new stats that show that Windows 10 is now installed on a hefty 61.26% of internet-connected PCs. 

However, the company may not be too pleased, as Windows 7 users are still refusing to budge, it seems, despite Microsoft ending support for the older operating system back in January.

The results come from NetMarketShare, and reported by Softpedia, and show that Windows 10 use continues to grow – it had 60.57% market share in August. 

NetMarketShare gets its information from people visiting websites, and while that means these numbers only count PCs connected to the internet, it still means it uses a huge sample size, giving us a good idea of how popular Windows 10 is.

The OS that just won’t die

Interestingly, Windows 7 also saw a growth in usage, with 22.77% of people using it, up from 22.31% the month before. This shows that Windows 7 users are still not being convinced to dump the older operating system, despite Microsoft’s best efforts.

Back on January 14, 2020 (which feels a lifetime ago, to be fair), Windows 7 entered its End of Life phase, which means Microsoft no longer offers patches and security updates. People still on Windows 7 have been encouraged to switch to Windows 10 through offers of free upgrades and nagging pop-ups, but it seems there are a committed core of users who just don’t want to budge.

This will frustrate Microsoft, as while Windows 7 fans are still using one of its operating systems, it is no longer getting patched, so people clinging onto the older operating system could be at risk from online nasties.

Hopefully, as the year goes on, Windows 7 users will start to migrate to more modern operating systems. However, it seems like for the moment at least, Windows 7 is still stubbornly clinging on to life.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.