Skip to main content

Windows 10 now installed on 100 million systems

Less than two months after it was officially launched, Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 10, has been installed on more than 100 million systems around the world. This represents an increase of more than 25 million devices in the past month, with 75 million users registering their copy within the first 30 days of its release.

Much of this adoption can be put down to the ease with which Microsoft has made it possible to upgrade to and install the new OS, as well as the fact that it made it freely available to anyone with valid Windows 7 and 8.1 licenses.

Recommended Videos

However as great as this adoption is so far, there is still a massive number of systems that could be brought over to the new platform. As of August, Windows 10 accounts for just five percent of all operating system installs. Windows 7 is still around the 50 percent mark, so Microsoft’s biggest competitor is itself. It may need to do something special to bring over the diehards who deliberately avoided Windows 8 with its greater focus on tablet and mobile computing.

Related: Windows 10 adoption rate is huge; 75 million in first month

That said, Petri believes that Windows 10 may be adopted faster and faster as time goes on, with Microsoft making big inroads internationally, especially in China following a partnership with Baidu. That’s significant because Microsoft hasn’t always had a great relationship with the Chinese marketplace, where piracy is rampant. If it can legitimize its latest OS among consumers there, it will have a huge market to tap into.

It’s also thought likely that Microsoft will generate a lot more interest in Windows 10 before the end of the year, as Christmas sales of new PCs and notebooks draw interest, along with the potential launch of its Surface Pro 4. Indeed, the success of the Surface Pro 3 could help catapult Windows 10 to new heights.

Microsoft’s goal is to have a billion Windows 10 installs within three years. It’s a tall order, but it’s well on its way already.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
I hope these 3 long-lost Microsoft Windows 8 features stay gone forever
Windows 8 Start screen

If you used a Windows computer in the early 2010s, chances are you experienced Windows 8. Whether it was a good experience is another matter entirely, though. If you ask me, it was a bit of a disaster.

For me, updating to Windows 8 was an unexpected jumpscare. Maybe you had a similar experience; perhaps you just updated your computer one day to discover that the beloved Start Menu vanished without warning. In its place, you saw a full-screen tile interface that probably made you feel like you were using a phone rather than a desktop.

Read more
This Windows 11 update makes Start Menu much more desirable and usable again
The Dell XPS 13 on a table with the Start Menu open.

The Start Menu has been the central element in Microsoft Windows for nearly three decades. Though loved initially for its resourcefulness, the Menu went through some debatable -- I call them abhorrent -- changes with Windows 8, but eventually returned to occupying less space in the interface with Windows 8.1, and then Windows 10 and 11. Despite the rescuing, it is still reeling under the damaging changes in the form of recommendations and random automatically populating lists that reduce it to a mere glorified search interface. However, Microsoft may now be looking to resolve these issues and bringing back a more simplified interface with an upcoming update.

Microsoft is testing a new interface for Start Menu on Windows 11, reducing the existing clutter of randomly interspersed apps and files. X user @phantomofearth, renowned for testing new features in Windows Insider builds, gave us a good look at the new interface in a detailed video walkthrough.

Read more
Windows 11 users outsmart Microsoft once again with new local account trick
A screenshot of the Windows 11 Microsoft Account setup page

A newly discovered trick allows Windows 11 users to bypass Microsoft’s online account requirement during setup, raising questions around user control and privacy. The workaround, shared by X user @witherornot1337, lets users set up Windows 11 with a local account instead of being forced to log in with a Microsoft account.

This follows previous similar methods, highlighting an ongoing cat-and-mouse game between Microsoft and privacy-conscious users. Microsoft has been increasingly pushing online accounts as a mandatory requirement for Windows 11, particularly in Home and Pro editions. This change has frustrated many users who prefer local accounts for greater privacy and independence from Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Read more