- Microsoft has said that Windows 11 see will run out of support in October 2026
- This brings an end to this alternative spin on Windows 11
- However, Surface Laptop See owners were previously promised a longer time frame for support for their devices
Microsoft has announced that it will fall support for Windows 11 Look at just over a year, leaving buyers of low costs running this spin on its operating system in LURCH – and admits defeat with this latest initiative to go on Google’s Chromebooks.
If you are not familiar with Windows 11 SE, it was designed as a (kind of) lightweight version of the desktop operating system. It was pre -installed on affordable laptops that were priced to do well in the education sector and tried to take a piece of the cake that Chromebooks dominate (see apparently stood for students or school edition).
Windows Central reports that Microsoft via its Learn Portal via its Learn, Windows 11 SE support will be closed in October 2026.
The company said: “Microsoft will not release a feature update after Windows 11 See, Version 24H2. Support for Windows 11 See – including software updates, technical assistance and security fixes – ends in October 2026. While your device continues to work, we recommend switching to a device that supports another edition of Windows 11 to ensure continued support and security.”
So you won’t get Windows 11 25H2 later in the year on your SE device if you own a – Version 24h2 is as far down the line as you get and all updates will cease full stops in just over a year.
Analysis: Silly ending to a student edition?
Microsoft has been trying to take on Google’s Chromebooks for a long time now, including endeavors like Windows 10X – which badly wrong and ended up being preserved before it even arrived. Windows 11 SE was the latest effort that came late in 2021, and it was shown by Microsoft in his Surface Laptop SE. As we observed in our review of this machine, however, there was a problem here – the level of performance of the laptop was pretty bad.
The simple truth about Windows 11 SE is that although it should be a streamlined operating system for cheap devices, this variant of desktop was still too unmanageable. There just wasn’t enough emphasis on cropping Windows 11 so it worked better.
In fact, much of the driving force from Windows 11 See about simplifying the computer experience for students – the interface and locking the system for only admin -approved apps, plus cloud services – rather than actually streamlining the operating system so that it ran well on less hardware. And let’s be honest, the latter was the whole point, really, at least in terms of making affordable laptops to compete with cheap chrome books (which actually runs very smoothly despite their low cost).
So all in all, it’s not surprising to see Microsoft closes this effort this way. What is Surprisingly, however, how owners of Windows 11 see machines, such as Surface Laptop SE, has now been left in LURCH by this announcement that support is being killed in a year.
As Neowin, who also picked up on this move, points out, Surface Laptop has a end date (for firmware and drivers) on January 11, 2028. But with Microsoft, who has now revealed that Windows 11 see not continues beyond October 2026, it is to cut this support window (word game that is not calculated) cards with over a year.
In fact, those who own a surface -bearable SE, who thought they were good for a few more years, have now been told that they will be a year shorter on support. If Microsoft promised support for this showcase laptop for 2028, why not extend the support to the dedicated us, it also runs to that date? Strong arms to move early does hardly seem fair here.
It seems to be a weird decision to make, and someone who won’t love Microsoft for some people. When it comes to Microsoft’s next big shot on taking on Chromebooks – if there is one – in the education sector, they can remember what has happened here and be less confidence in new ideas from the software giant.
For those who have a laptop running Windows 11 SE, and now has to plan to switch away before from the operating system, perhaps to another taste of Windows 11, this is possible, albeit something problematic in some reported cases. When you go for this Reddit thread, if you run in trouble in this endeavor, try trying to turn off Secure Boot in the Laptop Bios to get a work installation of Windows 11 Home or Pro on a SE machine (you can apparently turn off the feature back on).
