A sample of more than three hundred readers shows that Windows 11 is gradually becoming the dominant version of Windows. Although (old) legacy versions stubbornly persist.

Every PC needs an operating system to function. Windows has dominated the global IT landscape for many years and the vast majority of devices in Belgium also run on some version of the Microsoft operating system. However, there are always and everywhere loyal macOS or Linux users. But today you also have a choice within Windows. Microsoft is increasingly trying to push everyone to the latest version, but not everyone has made the switch yet.

So it’s a good time to ask our readers what operating system their PC is running. Has Belgium already mass-adopted Windows 11 or is Windows 10 still preferred? How many computers are still running a version of Windows that is no longer supported? And who ignores Windows and prefers macOS or Linux? 364 readers took part in the survey.

Windows 11 takes over

We start with a statistic that Microsoft has been waiting for for a long time. In our survey, Windows 11 has a higher market share than Windows 10. 40 percent of respondents have now updated their device to the latest version or recently purchased a new device that comes standard with Windows 11. 31 percent will stay with Windows 10 for the time being.

If you look for broader market numbers for the Belgian IT market, they paint a different picture. According to Statista, almost 22 percent of Belgian IT users are already using Windows 11 and Windows 10 still has a market share of 75 percent. Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 until October 2024, so not only will you miss out on new functionality, but you won’t damage your device by continuing to use Windows 10.

Windows 7 and 8 aren’t quite dead yet

The same does not apply to using older Windows versions 8.1, 8, 7 and XP. After all, these are no longer supported by Microsoft, and the extended update program for 8.1 and 7 also ended in January. This will no longer fix vulnerabilities in the operating system, which poses a serious security risk for your device.

That doesn’t stop four percent from continuing to use an outdated version of Windows. We would still recommend these respondents to upgrade to a newer version.

Linux is “the best of the rest”

Since not everyone uses Windows, macOS and Linux were also allowed to take part in the survey. Every fourth respondent prefers macOS and Linux to Windows. Taking all distributions together, Linux received a slim majority of thirteen percent. Apple has to be content with 12 percent for its operating system.