Microsoft has huge plans for the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update. The operating system is going to go all-in on utilizing the power of AI PCs, including features such as AI Explorer and Copilot running locally. It's going to be the Redmond giant's biggest stake in the booming AI market, so the last thing it wants is for people to turn away and use other systems. Unfortunately, that may be exactly what's going on.

Recently, StatCounter posted a chart showing that Windows 10's market share is growing, while Windows 11's is shrinking. This flies in the face of what Microsoft has planned, especially given how Windows 10's end-of-life date is looming in the distance. As such, I wanted to do some research into the topic; did StatCounter's statistics get things wrong? Or are people downgrading from Windows 11 to Windows 10? While there's no way to state without a doubt that people are downgrading, I did find people with pain points with Windows 11 that might be contributing to the system's downfall.

1 Windows 11 is giving some people performance issues

Some people are noticing that Windows 10 just runs faster

This one is a bit contentious. Some people will state that Windows 10 just gives them a better performance than Windows 11, while others will claim that they did not notice any difference in how fast things ran, regardless of which operating system they used. However, the problems were so noticeable for some that they went back to Windows 10 and noticed that everything ran smoother.

It's hard to tell the exact cause of these performance issues. The blame could be on Windows 11, which just happens to run slower on some computers than Windows 10. However, some people may have upgraded to Windows 11 using incompatible hardware, at which point it's pretty inevitable to encounter at least some issues when running the operating system. If it's the former, Microsoft may need to iron out the issues before more people decide to stick with Windows 11; if it's the latter, then it's a part of the larger issue of Windows 11's hardware requirements that prevent people from upgrading the official way.

2 Windows 11 does a poor job of creating a comfortable home for Windows 10 users

A lot of missing creature comforts are causing conundrums

So, let's imagine a scenario where someone upgrades from Windows 10 to 11, and they have the proper hardware to handle the newer system. Not only that, but they don't experience any performance issues, and everything runs smoothly. Even in this case, it appears that people get a nasty feeling of culture shock when moving to Windows 11, so much so that it makes them want to revert back to the older operating system.

To be fair, I can see exactly what they mean. Right now, the Windows 11 Start menu sucks; it's missing a lot of features that Windows 10 users have become accustomed to over the years. And the taskbar isn't so great, either; Windows 11 won't let you place it on any side of the screen, for instance. Fortunately, there are apps out there like Start11 that can restore these lost features, but ideally, people shouldn't have to install a third-party app to regain basic functionalities.

3 Windows 11 is taking a route that some people dislike

Not everyone is pleased with what Microsoft is doing with its operating system

So this one is a little more speculative than the other two points, but I can't shake the feeling that Microsoft's recent attitude has affected people's attitude towards Windows 11. If you've been out of the loop, Microsoft has been spotted adding advertisements to the Windows 11 Start menu, and the community has banded together to get rid of them again. The debloater tool Winpilot recently got an adblocker as an optional tool, and a Linux user took pity upon us Windows users and developed the Oh Frick Go Back (OFGB) tool that removes ads.

Not only that, but some people have been a little skeptical over Windows 11's 24H2 update. Microsoft really wants to push AI tools as the driving point behind the update, but some want nothing to do with them. As such, I can definitely imagine people reverting back to Windows 10 so they're not caught up in the AI wave.

Again, this is speculation on my part, but I can't help but notice that the Windows 11 adoption rate began reversing in January 2024, when Microsoft began introducing and announcing new Copilot features. There's a chance that people are turning back to Windows 10 to dodge the 24H2 update, either as individuals who dislike the tools or as businesses that don't want to entrust their private data with artificial intelligence.

Will the reversal to Windows 10 stick?

With Windows 10 on the rise, people are going back to an operating system that will only see support until October 2025. And while Microsoft has already announced paid support for Windows 10, we'll have to see what people will do when the deadline drops. Will people upgrade, or will they pay? Will they use Windows 10 unsupported, or will they hop onto a different operating system altogether? We'll just have to wait and see; for now, however, Microsoft has a big Windows 11 adoption issue on its hands.