Microsoft says 300 million devices use Windows 10

Microsoft says 300 million devices are running Windows 10, keeping the company on track to meet its goal of 1 billion users of the new operating system by 2018.

The tally includes primarily personal computers, but also some Windows smartphones and Xbox One game consoles.

Microsoft spurred adoption of its software by making Windows 10 free to most personal users of Windows 7 and Windows 8, the two previous editions. Businesses have to pay full freight.

Yusuf Mehdi, who leads Windows marketing, said in a blog post that the free update offer will have an end date: July 29, the anniversary of the software’s initial release. After that, Windows 10’s home variant will cost $119.

In its prior update, at the company’s developer show in March, Microsoft said 270 million devices were using the operating system.