.png)
3 months ago
2
Microsoft is discontinuing support for its Windows 11 SE variant meant to compete with ChromeOS in the education space, leaving schools that chose Microsoft over Google in the lurch just four years after the cloud-based Windows variant was released.
Microsoft didn't formally announce the end of Windows 11 SE, instead it simply updating both the SE product overview page and FAQ this week to inform customers that support for Windows 11 SE would be ending in October 2026.
"Microsoft will not release a feature update after Windows 11 SE, version 24H2," Redmond noted in the updates. "While your device will continue to work, we recommend transitioning to a device that supports another edition of Windows 11 to ensure continued support and security."
Note that's 24H2, not 25 - in other words, Windows 11 SE has already seen its last feature update, and now it's the slow walk toward sunset.
For those unfamiliar with Windows 11 SE, the stripped down, cloud-based and centrally managed Windows 11 variant came out in 2021. It was designed with a look and feel akin to Google's ChromeOS, which powers the education-dominating Chromebook. Microsoft also premiered a budget-priced $250 Surface SE laptop to go along with the SE OS, with the aim to sell the devices to schools by the cartful.
Microsoft didn't state whether the Surface SE laptop was being discontinued as well, although based on the recommendation for affected users to transition to new hardware, it doesn't look like it'll remain a priority. Microsoft does not support OS upgrades or switches on the Surface SE.
- Google's 10-year Chromebook lifeline leaves old laptops headed for silicon cemetery
- Please, FOSS world, we need something like ChromeOS
- 4 in 5 Chromebooks sold to US students in Q2 as demand rises
- Google Indonesia tangled up in $600 million Chromebook corruption probe
We reached out to Microsoft with questions about the decision to kill this relatively young and narrowly focused Windows variant, but didn't immediately hear back.
With the end of Windows 11 SE, it appears Microsoft has shifted tactics in the education market: Instead of trying products that could compete with Chromebooks, Redmond is trying to convince schools that the full version of Windows 11 is great for educational uses and is definitely what they want.
Making inroads in the education space may be tough for Microsoft, with Chromebooks being dominant in the space thanks to easy management and low hardware prices. That said, educators have been noticing in recent years that cheap Chromebooks aren't able to take the abuse that children dole out on them, forcing frequent replacement spending that can add up across hundreds or thousands of devices. ®
