Windows 10 is finally -- officially -- on 1 billion devices

When Microsoft was preparing to launch Windows 10 back in 2015 it famously stated that it expected over 1 billion devices to be running the new OS within 2-3 years. For a variety of reasons -- most notably the dismal failure of its mobile aspirations -- that never happened.

But the OS has been gaining share at a steady rate, and today the software giant announces that Windows 10 has, five years later, finally hit the coveted 1 billion milestone.

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If you’re thinking didn’t this happen a while ago? The answer is no. Back in January, an Italian website reported that Windows 10 had crossed a billion active installs globally, but there was no actual announcement from Microsoft.

Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President, Modern Life, Search & Devices, Microsoft, makes things official with a new post in which he says:

Today we’re delighted to announce that over one billion people have chosen Windows 10 across 200 countries resulting in more than one billion active Windows 10 devices. We couldn’t be more grateful to our customers, partners and employees for helping us get here.

Understandably, he uses the announcement to crow about Windows 10, and all the things you can do with it, while not mentioning the many headaches recent updates have been causing users. He does state that the Insider Program now has 17.8 million members though, and finishes the announcement stating:

Reaching a billion people with Windows 10 is just the beginning. We will invest in Windows not only within Windows 10 for PCs but also across many other Windows editions, serving diverse customer needs including Windows IoT, Windows 10 Teams edition for Surface Hub, Windows Server, Windows Mixed Reality on HoloLens, Windows 10 in S mode, Windows 10X and more.

We are inspired by the ways you use Windows 10, and we look forward to seeing how you continue to use these billion devices in new and exciting ways to power the world.