Over 400 Million Users Abandoned Windows PCs in 3 Years—Is Microsoft Losing Its Grip?

Microsoft’s Windows is the world’s most popular software platform for computers, powering over a billion active devices globally. That is a tall claim that the company’s executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, Yusuf Mehdi, made last week in a blog post to highlight Windows’ current momentum. However, what he did not specify is that the latest install base is a significant drop in Windows-powered machines spanning the past three years.

According to Microsoft’s annual report from 2022, cited by ZDNet, over 1.4 billion devices were running Windows 10 or 11 three years ago, but now the base has shrunk by 400 million users. The decline can easily be attributed to the appeal of Apple’s macOS — Windows’ biggest rival, but Macs are not the main reason why Microsoft is losing its popularity. Not all of the 400 million users switched to macOS, because even Mac sales have plummeted sharply.

So, where are Windows users going? The report suggests mobile phones and tablets have become powerful enough to facilitate tasks like creating documents and presentations, video conferencing, browsing the internet, and streaming. The only markets where Windows PCs still stand out are gaming and advanced professionals who need specialised software that runs on Windows. The first trend of people switching to more personal devices like phones and tablets began immediately after the pandemic, but the convenience prevented people from moving back to laptops and PCs.

While the current user base of Windows-powered machines is still healthy, Microsoft is aware it is gradually losing the market to mobile devices. The company had exited the smartphone industry long ago, but it has increasingly urged users to adopt Windows 11 and its AI features. Copilot, powered by OpenAI’s GPT models, is Microsoft's biggest bet yet to reinvigorate its PC ecosystem — but whether it can reverse a declining trend remains uncertain.

Read more: Does OnePlus Share Your Data with China? Here's What Indian Users Should Know