Windows XP and 7 haven't said their last yet!

Windows 10 lost support last month, raising questions about upgrading to Windows 11. Despite this, millions of users still cling to Windows XP and Windows 7. Reasons range from application compatibility to cost and reliability, showing that old systems are not completely a thing of the past.

Photo: Microsoft

When Windows 10 officially ended support last month, nearly a decade after its release, many users were left wondering whether they should upgrade to Windows 11 or stick with the existing version. Experts cited security as the main reason for upgrading. But the fact is that millions of people are still using Windows XP and Windows 7, operating systems released 24 and 16 years ago, respectively.

According to Statcounter, Windows 7 still has about 2.5 percent of the market share, while Windows XP holds 0.22 percent. With about 1 billion Windows computers worldwide, that means about 25 million Windows 7 devices and 2.2 million XP systems still in use. Despite the risks, users have good reasons to stick with older versions.

Legacy applications often don't work on Windows 10 or 11. Many small and medium-sized businesses and industries still rely on XP or 7 because their specialized software and hardware, scanners, printers, and other devices, don't work properly on newer systems. Some privacy-conscious users run XP in a virtual machine, which allows them to safely use older applications without exposing the main system. While this doesn't eliminate all risks, antivirus protection and careful practices reduce the risk.

Transitioning to modern systems requires financial resources and time. Migrating decades of data from legacy software is often nearly impossible without manual input, which is slow, expensive, and error-prone. For many, spending hundreds or thousands of euros on new hardware and software is impractical, especially in lower-income countries.

Windows 7 and XP usage are both declining. In January 2023, Windows 7 had 9.55 percent and XP had 0.45 percent. By January 2024, the numbers had fallen to 3.05 percent and 0.57 percent, respectively. The decline is due to the replacement of old hardware, but at a slower pace than expected.

XP and 7 will not disappear overnight, of course. Many systems are not connected to the Internet and are used for tasks such as printing, billing or manufacturing processes where security risks are minimal. For these users, upgrading is unnecessary, so XP and 7 will remain until there is a compelling reason to switch.