The almost unknown little brother of Windows 11 will be "unplugged" in October 2026.
While everyone is familiar with Windows 11, Microsoft's flagship operating system, there are probably far fewer of you who have heard of the "little brother", Windows 11 SE. Announced on November 9, 2021, just a few weeks after the release of Windows 11, this rather special edition of Windows has been designed for entry-level devices sold under contracts with schools and colleges. In this case, it's a sort of successor to Windows 10 S and, more importantly, a competitor to ChromeOS. Microsoft summed up its philosophy in three main principles: a simplified and secure experience for students where privacy is a priority, the ability for an IT administrator to remotely manage Windows 11 SE devices thanks to Intune Education and, as we said, its design for low-cost devices.
Microsoft discontinues support for Windows 11 SE © Microsoft
The fact remains that, four years after the announcement of this operating system designed to conquer mainly classrooms in the United States, the results are so poor that Microsoft has simply decided to cut short the experiment. The online documentation for Windows 11 SE has recently been updated with a new introductory paragraph. This paragraph, which you can see in the screenshot above, leaves little doubt as to the future of Windows 11 SE. The latest version - 24H2 - of the operating system will not be replaced, and from October 2026, Microsoft will cease all support for the OS. Of course, there will be no new features and no bug fixes, but more importantly, there will be no security patches whatsoever. Microsoft has never managed to dislodge ChromeOS, and the discontinuation of Windows 11 SE sounds like an admission of impotence.
