Statcounter: Linux increases desktop market share to 4.05%

Linux has successfully increased its market share from 4.03% to 4.05%, solidifying its position even further.

One thing to note is that while Statcounter considers Chrome OS to be using the Linux kernel, it is not included in their calculation of Linux market share. This data encompasses various distributions, including Ubuntu, Fedora, and Linux Mint.

Despite remaining stagnant at 2.27% of market share, Chrome OS has actually seen a significant decline from September when it held 3.89% of the market share.

The use of Chrome OS in the education sector is greatly facilitated by its integration with Gmail accounts. By simply signing in, users can access all of their apps and their previous settings, even on a new device, thanks to Google Chrome’s syncing capabilities. This makes it a much more manageable option for schools with a large number of students.

As Microsoft plans to discontinue support for Windows 10 in October 2025, customers will need to make a decision about purchasing a new Windows 11 computer. However, for some individuals, this may not be feasible. In such situations, they will have to choose between using an unsupported Windows 10 operating system or switching to a different compatible operating system like Linux.

After the retirement date of Windows 10, it will be intriguing to observe whether the strict hardware requirements of Windows 11 will have a negative impact on Microsoft’s dominance in the desktop market.

In the upcoming month, we can expect two major Linux releases. The first one will be Fedora 40, featuring the latest GNOME desktop. A few days after that, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will be released. This new version of Ubuntu will receive updates until 2029, making it an ideal choice for those who want to continue using their current hardware but are unable to upgrade to Windows 11.

According to Statcounter, the source for desktop operating system market share worldwide is available at the provided link: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide.