Five years ago today, on October 5, 2021, Microsoft released its Windows 11 operating system, marking the beginning of a new era. With its fresh design, Windows 11 quickly became a hot topic among gamers, enthusiasts, and tech observers worldwide, especially as Microsoft gradually phased out updates for its previous Windows 10 operating system. When Microsoft reported its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2025, ending December 31, the company highlighted that Windows 11 was achieving its goals faster than its predecessor, Windows 10. As of today, Windows 11 has officially reached over one billion global users. It took just 1,576 days for the new Windows OS to reach this milestone, compared to the 1,706 days it took Windows 10.

Windows 11 has been on the market since October 5, 2021. In the tech world, that is a long time for any software product. Over the years, it has evolved from a slight reskin of Windows 10 into a completely different user experience with more modern layouts and a modernized interface. However, it has also faced a range of issues. As Microsoft attempted to integrate everything into a singular OS, problems became common with updates, leading to random bugs and system crashes. Nowadays, it is popular to criticize Windows 11, but despite its buggy nature, its success and market penetration speak for themselves. Microsoft plans to keep Windows 11 as a long-running version, so it might be a while before we see a Windows 12 or anything similar.Microsoft saw a massive influx of new Windows 11 users after the end of life for Windows 10. On October 14, 2025, Microsoft officially ended support for an operating system that had powered billions of desktops since 2015. After 10 years, Windows 10 was phased out, and Windows 11 is now running the show, with over one billion users. We can expect to see many more Windows 11 updates, whether good or bad, but it continues to be a central topic for millions of enthusiasts worldwide.