Windows 10 finally overtakes Windows 7 to become the undisputed desktop OS champ

Windows 10 Redstone 4
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Windows 10 has finally overtaken Windows 7 in terms of user numbers according to the latest figures from one analytics firm.

Netmarketshare’s latest figures for December 2018 show that when it comes to the overall picture of the desktop operating system market, Windows 10 is installed on 39.22% of PCs, with Windows 7 on 36.9%.

That’s a big jump for Microsoft’s newest operating system, as if we look at the November figures, Windows 10 was still on 38.14%, with Windows 7 just ahead on 38.89%.

Windows 8.1 also shed users, dropping from 4.59% to 4.45% from November to December.

Top dog

Obviously Microsoft will be pleased to see Windows 10 taking the crown from Windows 7, and doubtless this is some welcome good news and a respite from the continued problems plaguing the latest October 2018 Update for Windows 10.

You might think that Windows 10 actually overtook Windows 7 quite some time ago, and that’s true – if you look at the statistics from rival analytics firm Statcounter, which compiles desktop OS adoption figures somewhat differently, and found that Windows 10 took the top spot back in January 2018, a year ago now.

Still, it’s now clear that whatever figures you go by, Windows 10 is finally more popular than its predecessor. Although Microsoft clearly needs to work harder throughout 2019 to restore Windows 10’s reputation when it comes to upgrades, given the aforementioned bugs which are still dogging the OS even as we type.

Via On MSFT

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).