Microsoft is killing its failed ChromeOS competitor, Windows 11 SE

Microsoft is ending support for its ChromeOS competitor Windows 11 SE. The company will officially stop providing "software updates, technical assistance and security fixes" in October 2026, according to an updated support document spotted by NeoWin.

When it was announced in 2021, Windows 11 SE was pitched as a simplified, lightweight version of Microsoft's operating system for the classroom. Chromebooks and ChromeOS devices are widely used in schools around the world, so it made sense that Microsoft would want to offer something competitive. Windows 11 SE, and the Surface Laptop SE that launched alongside it, were the company's latest attempt to do just that.

Clearly the plan didn't work, as evidenced by Microsoft's decision to shutdown Windows 11 SE just five years later. The operating system was available on other low-cost devices, but it doesn't appear that it acquired nearly the same-sized audience as ...