These Windows market share statistics show where Windows stands in March 2026 across all devices, desktop operating systems, Windows version adoption, and selected regional markets.

One of the biggest takeaways is that Windows still dominates desktop computing, but it is no longer the top operating system across all device types because smartphone usage gives Android a larger overall global share.

Windows market share statistics (Top Highlights)

• Windows held 31.12% of global operating system market share across all devices in February 2026.
• Android led worldwide all-device OS share at 36.02%, putting Windows in second place globally on a combined desktop, mobile, and tablet basis.
• Windows still dominated desktop operating systems worldwide with a 66.60% share in February 2026.
• Desktop Windows share reached 69.34% in Europe, 65.06% in Asia, and 60.51% in the United States in February 2026.
• On an all-device basis, Windows held 35.07% share in Europe, 37.83% in Hungary, and 49.29% in Poland in February 2026.
• Within the Windows desktop base worldwide, Windows 11 reached 72.57% share in February 2026, while Windows 10 fell to 26.45%.
• Steam’s February 2026 hardware survey showed Windows at 96.61% of surveyed users, far ahead of Linux at 2.23% and macOS at 1.16%.
• Steam’s survey also showed Windows 11 at 56.28% of all surveyed users and Windows 10 at 40.25%.
• Microsoft said in its 2022 annual report that more than 1.4 billion monthly active devices were running Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• Microsoft said in its 2023 annual report that the number of devices running Windows 11 had more than doubled over the prior year.
• Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, which likely helped accelerate Windows 11 migration during the 2025 to 2026 refresh cycle.
• Gartner said worldwide PC shipments rose 9.1% in full-year 2025 to more than 270 million units, adding more momentum to the Windows PC replacement cycle.

Global operating system market share on all devices

Max = 36.02%. Widths: Android 100.00%, Windows 86.40%, iOS 47.42%, OS X 9.52%, macOS 6.39%

Across all devices, Windows ranked second worldwide in February 2026. That gap versus Android mainly reflects how much global web usage now comes from smartphones and tablets rather than traditional PCs.

Windows share on all devices by selected markets

Max = 49.29%. Widths: Worldwide 63.14%, Europe 71.15%, United States 65.73%, Hungary 76.75%, Poland 100.00%

Windows performs better in some Central and Eastern European markets than it does worldwide on an all-device basis. Poland stood out at 49.29% in February 2026, while Hungary was almost level with Android at 37.83%.

Desktop operating system market share worldwide

Max = 66.60%. Widths: Windows 100.00%, OS X 11.02%, macOS 7.39%, Linux 4.34%, Chrome OS 2.22%

Desktop is where Windows remains overwhelmingly dominant. StatCounter reports OS X and macOS separately in this view, so both Apple desktop labels are shown above exactly as reported.

Windows desktop share by selected regions

Max = 69.34%. Widths: Worldwide 96.05%, Europe 100.00%, Asia 93.83%, United States 87.27%

Even though Windows leads desktop in every region shown here, Europe was the strongest of these markets in February 2026, while the United States posted the lowest Windows desktop share among the four.

Windows version share inside the Windows desktop base

Max = 72.57%. Widths: Windows 11 100.00%, Windows 10 36.45%, Windows 7 0.85%, Windows XP 0.28%

The Windows installed base is now heavily concentrated in Windows 11. With Windows 10 support ending on October 14, 2025, the version mix has shifted much more decisively toward Windows 11.

Windows share among Steam survey participants

Max = 96.61%. Widths: Windows 100.00%, Linux 2.31%, macOS 1.20%

Windows is even more dominant in PC gaming than it is in the broader desktop market. Steam’s February 2026 survey also showed Windows 11 at 56.28% of all surveyed users and Windows 10 at 40.25%.

What these Windows market share statistics show

Windows is still the default operating system for desktop and laptop computing. The February 2026 figures show a large gap between Windows and every other desktop operating system, both worldwide and across major regions. That desktop lead remains the clearest sign of Windows’ strength in work, gaming, and general PC use.

At the same time, Windows is no longer the largest operating system across all connected devices. Android’s lead on a combined desktop, mobile, and tablet basis shows how much of today’s internet usage comes from phones. In other words, Windows still owns the PC market, but the broader device market is now more mobile-first than PC-first.

The version mix also points to a post-Windows 10 transition period. Windows 11 now makes up most of the Windows desktop base worldwide, and the end of Windows 10 support in October 2025 likely pushed both consumer and commercial refresh activity into 2025 and early 2026.

Sources

• StatCounter Global Stats, Operating System Market Share Worldwide, Europe, United States, Hungary, Poland, and Asia, accessed March 2026
• StatCounter Global Stats, Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide, Europe, United States, and Asia, accessed March 2026
• StatCounter Global Stats, Desktop Windows Version Market Share Worldwide, accessed March 2026
• Steam Hardware & Software Survey, February 2026
• Microsoft 2022 Annual Report
• Microsoft 2023 Annual Report
• Microsoft Support, Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025
• Gartner, January 20, 2026 worldwide PC shipments press release
• IDC, May 28, 2025 personal computing devices forecast update