Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 as the most popular desktop operating system, achieving a 52% market share according to StatCounter. This milestone comes months before Windows 10's official end-of-support date. While Windows 11's adoption was initially slower due to stricter hardware requirements, it has now overtaken its predecessor. Microsoft offered a free upgrade but millions of older PCs couldn't meet the requirements. Windows 10 users can still get a year of extended security updates for free by enabling Windows Backup, or pay for extended support.

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.