Microsoft really wants its users to upgrade to Windows 11, but it seems the public has had enough of the operating system. Some healthy-looking growth in Windows 11’s user adoption has suddenly hit the brakes as users stopped migrating to the new operating system.
What Happened to Windows 11’s Growth?
As reported on BetaNews, Windows 11’s growth has come to a sudden standstill.
The website uses AdDuplex’s charts as proof, which pitches the new operating system’s popularity against Windows 10. And unfortunately, the statistics show that in March 2022, there were five times more Windows 10 PCs than Windows 11 machines.
Sounds bad, right? Unfortunately, when you put this statistic side-by-side with February 2022’s findings, it gets even worse. As BetaNews says (emphasis ours):
AdDuplex’s findings show that Windows 11 currently sits on 19.4 percent of PCs, up just 0.1 percentage points from where it was last month (19.3 percent). There are twice as many users running an Insider build now though—0.6 percent—which could be down to Microsoft trying out more experimental features in the Dev Channel.
This shows that not only is Windows 11 lagging behind its older brother, but its adoption rate has also plateaued hard. This is bad news for Microsoft and shows a potential steep climb for the company as it tries to make Windows 11 the top operating system.
Why Aren’t People Switching to Windows 11?
This statistic only tells us how many people have adopted Windows 11; it tells us nothing as to why people have (or, more importantly, haven’t) made the upgrade. However, we can make an educated guess based on how people react to it.
First up, Windows 11’s strict system requirements were a huge put-off even before the operating system was released. People quickly learned that it didn’t matter how powerful your PC was; it had to be modern enough to have TPM 2.0 to be compatible.
You could install Windows 11 without meeting the requirements, but Microsoft branded you with a watermark of shame in response. If you know what you’re doing, you can remove the “system requirements not met” watermark in Windows 11, but it’s still a hassle.
Windows 11 also really, really wants you to use Microsoft Edge. The operating system opens links in widgets with it by default, and it was an arduous process to change the default browser, something Microsoft has only just rolled back with new default browser options.
As such, Microsoft has done a poor job making people feel welcome on Windows 11. And that likely plays a huge part in why people are sticking with their nice and cozy copy of Windows 10.
Microsoft’s Make-or-Break Moment With Windows 11
As Windows 11 adoption begins to peter out, it’s up to Microsoft to convince users to leave behind Windows 10. However, given the flaws the new operating system has, it may be a very long time (if ever) until Windows 11 overtakes its older brother in the tech world.
