Build 2021: Windows 10 now on more than one billion devices

Windows 10
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has revealed that Windows 10 is now live on over a billion devices worldwide.

Opening this year's Microsoft Build 2021 conference, Nadella proudly declared that Windows 10 is now running on 1.3 billion devices - from laptops, to tablets, and desktop computers.

With many users expecting Windows 10 Sun Valley update to be confirmed at this week's Build, it was hinted from Nadella in the opening keynote.

One billion start menus

"I’ve been self hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows," Nadella told attendees. 

"Our promise to you is this - we will create more opportunities for every Windows developer today, and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications. We look forward to sharing more very soon."

Windows 10 has been a resurgence of the platform after the chequered past of Windows 8 and Windows RT over the past decade, thanks mainly to the guidance of Nadella and his team.

With the demise of Windows Phone and the rise of ARM in many devices, even Microsoft's own Surface tablets, Windows 10 is now looking like the service that the company has been aiming it to be since its release in 2015.

Rumors suggest a complete overhaul of the user interface of Windows as we know it, alongside modernized icons and a fresh color scheme across the operating system.

It may be sooner rather than later that we see more about what Sun Valley will entail.

Daryl Baxter
Software & Downloads Writer

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider'. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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