Windows 11 Hits 1 Billion Users Sooner Than Windows 10

Windows 11 has officially crossed the one billion user mark. Microsoft achieved this impressive milestone during the recent holiday quarter, surpassing the pace set by Windows 10 nearly six years ago.

“Windows reached a big milestone, 1 billion Windows 11 users,” stated Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during the company’s fiscal Q2, 2026 earnings call, noting a year-over-year increase of over 45 percent. This surge in Windows 11 adoption can be attributed in part to Microsoft ending support for Windows 10, which also boosted the company’s Windows OEM revenues.

The momentum for Windows 11 was particularly strong in December, as Windows chief Pavan Davuluri mentioned at Microsoft Ignite on November 19th that “nearly a billion people” were already using the new operating system.

What’s particularly noteworthy is that Windows 11 reached one billion users in just 1,576 days, a quicker timeframe than the 1,706 days it took for Windows 10 to hit the same target. Microsoft initially aimed to have Windows 10 running on a billion devices within three years of its launch, but that goal was delayed following the cancellation of Windows Phone.