Microsoft is ending support for its ChromeOS competitor, Windows 11 SE. The company will officially stop providing “software updates, technical assistance, and security patches” in October 2026, according to an updated support document spotted by NeoWin.
When Windows 11 SE was announced in 2021, it was positioned as a simplified, lightweight version of Microsoft’s classroom operating system. Chromebooks and ChromeOS devices are widely used in schools around the world, so it makes sense that Microsoft would want to offer something competitive. Windows 11 SE and the Surface Laptop SE that came with it were the company’s latest attempt to do just that.
Obviously, the plan didn’t work, as evidenced by Microsoft’s decision to discontinue Windows 11 SE after only five years. The operating system was available on other low-cost devices, but it doesn’t seem to have gained nearly the same audience as ChromeOS. If it had, Microsoft probably wouldn’t have abandoned it so unceremoniously.
Windows 11 SE is not Microsoft’s first attempt to release a more efficient version of Windows, although it seemed to be the most well-thought-out. For example, the company has also tried Windows 10 S (which lives on as “S Mode” in Windows 11) and the never-launched Windows 10X, an optimized version of Windows for dual-screen devices.
While Windows 11 SE devices will continue to work after Microsoft’s shutdown in October 2026, the company recommends “upgrading to a device that supports a different version of Windows 11 to ensure continued support and security.”
