Microsoft has confirmed it will discontinue Windows 11 SE, the cut-down edition of its operating system aimed at low-cost laptops for schools. The company said the software will receive no further feature updates after version 24H2 and will stop getting security patches and technical support in October 2026. Introduced in 2021, Windows 11 SE was sold only on budget machines such as Microsoft’s own $249 Surface Laptop SE and models from Acer, Asus, Dell, Dynabook, Fujitsu, HP, JK-IP, Lenovo and Positivo. The system restricted software to administrator-approved apps and emphasised web-based tools in an effort to blunt the rise of Google’s ChromeOS in classrooms. The move extends a pattern of aborted ChromeOS rivals from Microsoft—including Windows 10 S and the cancelled Windows 10X—and shifts the company’s education strategy back to the full version of Windows 11. Microsoft is advising schools to migrate devices to other Windows 11 editions before support for Windows 11 SE expires.