Skip to main content

Windows 10 now on 200 million devices, continues on record pace

1206757 autosave v1 2 windows 10 home laptop
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Windows 10 has been installed on over 200 million devices since its launch, making it the fastest growing version of the operating system, according to Microsoft.

This adoption rate has outpaced Windows 7 by almost 140 percent and Windows 8 by 400 percent, wrote Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Windows and devices. Black Friday also helped significantly in boosting the user numbers for Windows 10. Demand has been high for the enterprise and education versions too, added Mehdi.

The high number of active Windows 10 devices is something Microsoft will be pleased with but the new OS still remains under 10 percent when it comes to desktop market share. However it’s still early days and upgrading continues to be free for users.

“One of the ways we measure our progress with Windows 10 is looking at how people are using Windows,” said Mehdi. “Recently we reached another milestone — people have spent over 11 billion hours on Windows 10 in December alone, spending more time on Windows than ever before.”

Microsoft has also provided a breakdown of some of the user stats for Windows 10. It claims that more than 44.5 billion minutes have been spent in Microsoft Edge, the web browser that replaced the beleaguered Internet Explorer; more than 2.5 billion questions have been asked of Cortana since the OS’s launch; and finally, Bing search queries have seen a 30-percent increase.

Gaming has been popular in the new OS too, and the Windows Store has also seen an increase in activity, said Mehdi. Microsoft has stated in the past that its goal is to reach one billion devices over the next two to three years.

Today’s announcement provided some other details from Microsoft. It said that the Xbox has had a bumper festive season but did not share any specific figures, and Microsoft’s Surface Book will soon launch in the U.S. and Canada as well as China. From tomorrow it will be available in the U.K., France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, with India and Japan release dates to follow.

Editors' Recommendations

Jonathan Keane
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jonathan is a freelance technology journalist living in Dublin, Ireland. He's previously written for publications and sites…
Windows 11 is turning into Windows 12 right in front of us
Windows 11 set up on a computer.

Windows 12 is already upon us. Microsoft hasn't released the new operating system yet, or even formally announced it, but Microsoft's September 2023 event made it clear that recent updates to Windows 11 are laying the foundation for the next iteration of the OS.

A significant portion of the presentation focused on the upcoming AI assistant that is set to "revolutionize" the way you use Windows. A new update is now available for Windows 11 that adds Copilot to the OS. Copilot is said to be an everyday AI companion that provides assistance by uniquely integrating information from the internet, your work-related data, and your current PC tasks. It offers a range of AI features to numerous default apps by collecting data from your calendar, email, documents, and more to assist in quick text and email composition.

Read more
The best Windows apps for 2023
dell xps 13 2018 review version 1541544414 screen hero2

There are plenty of apps available in the Microsoft Store, but the best Windows apps can remain elusive. Calendar apps are a popular choice for those looking to improve productivity, and there are plenty of free apps you can choose from if you don't want to pay for the privilege.

To help you choose, we’ve put together a list of the best Windows 10 and Windows 11 apps for every user to try out, whether you want better productivity or just seek to be entertained.
Best Windows apps for productivity

Read more
I saw the AI future of Windows 11, and it blew me away
Microsoft Copilot allows you to ask an AI assistant questions within Office apps.

I don't blame you if you're fed up with all of the AI talk. It started with ChatGPT, it moved to Bing Chat, and now you can't open up Apple News without a deluge of AI news. It's overwhelming. And now, Microsoft wants you to use AI as an assistant throughout all of Windows 11. No thanks.

Call me a cynic, but I pushed back. Bing Chat following me around Windows 11 didn't sound like a good time, but I swallowed my pride, decided to do my job as a tech journalist, and kindly asked what it could do at Microsoft's September 2023 event. And Windows Copilot blew me away.

Read more