Manage devices running Windows 11 SE
Windows 11 SE is a cloud-first operating system that's optimized for use in classrooms, grades K-8. Much like Intune for Education, Windows SE 11 prioritizes productivity, student privacy, and learning. It offers the power and reliability of Windows 11, with a simplified design that's optimized for low-cost devices.
You can use Intune for Education to set up and remotely manage devices running Windows SE 11. Intune for Education provides nearly the same enrollment and configuration experience for Windows SE 11 as it does for Windows 10/11 devices. This article describes what to expect when managing Windows 11 SE devices and highlights differences from Windows 10/11 device management.
Enrollment
Intune for Education supports the same enrollment process for all Windows devices. The only difference is that when you create a provisioning package with the Set up School PCs app, you must select Windows 11 SE as the operating system.
Windows Autopilot
You can use Windows Autopilot to set up Windows 11 SE devices in your organization.
Manual Autopilot-registration is supported. However, you can't use Microsoft Configuration Manager or Windows PowerShell to capture hardware hashes from devices running Windows 11 SE.
We recommend working with an OEM, partner, or device reseller to register devices. For more information about how to set up Autopilot and Autopilot deployment profiles on school devices, see Set up devices with Autopilot.
Device settings
Most Windows device settings in Intune for Education that are supported on Windows 10 and Windows 11 are also supported on Windows 11 SE. Support differs for the following settings:
| Setting | Windows 10/11 | Windows SE | Docs link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Edition to upgrade to | ✔️ | ❌ Upgrade via product key is not supported. |
For more information, see Intune for Education upgrade settings |
| Apply custom Start menu layout | ✔️ | ❌ The default layout is already optimized for school use. You can customize the layout using the ConfigureStartPins policy in Microsoft Intune. |
For more information, see Intune for Education Start menu settings. |
| Silently move Windows Known Folders to OneDrive | ✔️ | ✔️ Intune for Education automatically enables this setting on Windows 11 SE devices. |
For more information, see Intune for Education OneDrive and Storage settings. |
App deployment
To install apps on enrolled devices running Windows 11 SE, prepare and add the apps to Microsoft Intune as Win32 apps. You can continue to assign and manage Win32 apps in Microsoft Intune, or return to Intune for Education to assign apps. For more information about how to prepare an app, see Prepare Win32 app content for upload. Once you have the app's installation package in .intunewin format, add the Win32 app in Microsoft Intune.
For more information about managing devices and apps for Windows 11 SE, see Overview of Windows 11 SE in the Windows for Education documentation.
Next steps
Set up devices running Windows 11 SE in Intune for Education. For setup options and steps, see: