The new Message Trace in Exchange Online is generally available, replacing the legacy version. Legacy cmdlets retire September 1, 2025; Reporting Web Service support ends February 28, 2026. The new trace offers improved features and PowerShell cmdlets. Transition and update scripts by August 31, 2025.

Starting October 1, 2025, A records for new Accepted Domains will be provisioned under mx.microsoft to support DNSSEC adoption. Automation relying on mail.protection.outlook.com must update to use the List serviceConfigurationRecords Graph API for MX records. DNS resolution will fallback if DNSSEC is not enabled.

The Search-MailboxAuditLog and New-MailboxAuditLogSearch cmdlets will retire by December 2025. After March 1, 2025, mailbox audit logs become read-only. Organizations must transition to the Search-UnifiedAuditLog cmdlet for audit access, with migration support available from June 2025.

Outlook Newsletters, enabling users to create recurring internal email updates, moves to General Availability in mid-2025 with default opt-out activation. Admins can control access via Set-OwaMailboxPolicy cmdlet. Organizations should review policies and prepare support teams for this new communication feature.

Starting October 6, 2025, the ‘Mobile devices’ settings page in Outlook Web Access and new Outlook will be removed by November 6, 2025. Users must manage devices via Microsoft Intune, the My Account portal, or native iOS/Android tools. No admin action is required; inform users and update documentation.

Starting October 1, 2025, A records for new Accepted Domains will be provisioned under mx.microsoft to support DNSSEC adoption. Automation relying on mail.protection.outlook.com must update to use the List serviceConfigurationRecords Graph API for MX records. DNS resolution will fallback if DNSSEC is not enabled.

Starting April 15, 2025, messages with multiple From addresses without a Sender header will be rejected in Exchange Online to comply with RFC 5322. The rollout for GCC High and DOD is delayed to October 7, 2025. Tenants sending high volumes of such emails are opted out temporarily.

Exchange Online will retire Basic Auth for Client Submission (SMTP AUTH) starting March 1, 2026, with full rejection by April 30, 2026. Customers must switch to OAuth or other alternatives. The SMTP AUTH Clients Submission Report now includes an Authentication Protocol column to assist in this transition.

The Monitor action in the Safe attachments policy for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection will be retired from early July 2025 to late August 2025. Organizations using the Monitor action will have it automatically changed to Block. The only remaining actions will be Off, Block, and Dynamic delivery.

Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online will be deprecated on October 1, 2026. Developers are advised to migrate to Microsoft Graph, which offers more modern features. EWS will still receive security updates but no new features. The deprecation does not affect Exchange Server or other Microsoft products.

The behavior of the EWSEnabled switch in Exchange Online is changing. Starting April 1, 2025, EWS will only be allowed if both the organization-level and user-level EWSEnabled flags are true. This change aims to improve policy enforcement consistency. Check the blog for more details: [The way to control EWS usage in Exchange Online is changing](https://aka.ms/EWSEnabledChange).

Microsoft Exchange Online will enable admins to assign the SMTP.SendAsApp role to applications via App RBAC, allowing group-based or scoped mailbox access. This replaces manual per-mailbox permissions, simplifying OAuth SMTP client onboarding. Rollout begins November 2025, with no end-user impact. Prepare by planning group-based access and updating documentation.

Users of New Outlook for Windows will soon be able to set custom account descriptions to better identify multiple accounts. The feature rolls out from late February 2025 (Targeted Release) to late September 2025 (General Availability) with no admin action required.

Microsoft Outlook for Windows will allow adding file attachments to emails while offline, with rollout from late October 2025 to January 2026. Emails with attachments will send automatically upon reconnection. The feature follows current offline policy settings and can be managed via the OWAMailboxPolicy-OfflineEnabledWin policy.

Starting July 2025, Outlook will let users save meetings with attendees as drafts, marked with “[Draft]” on the calendar. This feature, available by default on mobile, allows more flexible event planning. No admin action is needed, but user communication and training updates are recommended.

The update to Microsoft Defender and Exchange Online quarantine will allow users to view and restore temporarily deleted messages via a new filter and restore option. The release has been delayed, no configuration is needed, and permanently deleted messages remain inaccessible. Users should be informed and documentation updated.

Starting December 2024, Teams and Outlook will have a unified contact experience for Entra ID accounts, syncing contacts and edits across both apps. Migration began in January 2024, with completion expected by September 2025. Organizations should update documentation and advise users to back up contacts if needed.

In new Outlook for Windows and web, single-clicking an empty calendar slot now allows inline appointment creation instead of a quick compose pop-up. Double-click behavior remains unchanged. Rollout starts October 2025, requires no admin action, and aims to improve user experience.

Outlook for Web will add a "Get diagnostics" option under the Help tab by late October 2025, enabling users to send diagnostic data to Microsoft Support. The feature is enabled by default, manageable by admins via cloud policy, and aims to streamline support and troubleshooting.

Microsoft Outlook Mobile (iOS/Android) will roll out unified, profile-enriched contacts with automatic duplicate management from mid-July to early October 2025. This improves contact views with organizational info, hides duplicates, requires no admin action, and users should update to the latest app version.

Offline support in the new Outlook for Windows will allow users to create, edit, and delete single calendar events without internet. Rollout begins late September 2025, completing by mid-December. Recurring events offline are not supported. Controlled by the OWA mailbox policy setting OfflineEnabledWin.

The new Microsoft Outlook for Windows will update the People Hub with unified, enriched contact profiles and auto-hidden duplicates. Rollout is underway, completing mid-September 2025 for targeted release and mid-November 2025 worldwide. No admin action is needed; users should be notified and use the new Outlook to access these features.

The new Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Web will support creating, saving, and reusing email templates, including importing .oft files. Rollout starts September 2025, with templates accessible across devices and enabled by default, requiring no admin setup. Users can manage templates from the compose window and settings.

Microsoft will throttle outbound emails sent from default onmicrosoft.com domains starting mid-October 2025, limiting to 100 messages per organization per 24 hours. This encourages use of custom domains. Internal emails remain unaffected. Admins should switch to custom domains and update related configurations accordingly.

The new Message Trace in Exchange Online is generally available, replacing the legacy version. Legacy cmdlets retire September 1, 2025; Reporting Web Service support ends February 28, 2026. The new trace offers improved features and PowerShell cmdlets. Transition and update scripts by August 31, 2025.

The new Outlook for Windows will allow opening and saving classic email attachments offline, starting mid-May 2025 rollout. This requires enabling offline mode and attachment syncing in settings and depends on the existing OWAMailboxPolicy OfflineEnabledWin configuration. OneDrive and SharePoint links still need internet access.

Exchange Online PowerShell cmdlets will update certain database property formats starting October 2025 to improve performance and consistency. The change affects only Exchange Online, not on-premises. No action is required, but review scripts parsing these values for compatibility.

Outlook will add a visual indicator on profile cards to identify external email participants, enhancing security and reducing accidental data sharing. This feature, enabled by default, will roll out worldwide from mid to late September 2025. No preparation is needed, but user communication is recommended.

Microsoft is migrating the Cloud Voicemail service to new infrastructure from mid-August to late September 2025. Tenants who allowlist specific IPs for Cloud Voicemail may face connectivity issues. If problems occur, users should contact Microsoft support for assistance.

The Send button in Outlook mobile (iOS and Android) will move from the bottom toolbar to the top header in the compose view to reduce accidental sends. This change, rolling out from September 2025 to March 2026, is enabled by default and does not affect desktop or web clients.

Microsoft Outlook will roll out a Copilot chat feature to summarize email threads with one click, available to users with Copilot chat pinned, even without a Copilot license. Deployment starts late August 2025, is on by default, and admins can manage access via policies and Entra ID groups.

Microsoft Outlook for Android will move conversation actions from the top right to a customizable toolbar at the bottom of the reading pane, rolling out from July to early September 2025. This change improves consistency and requires no admin action, but user notification is recommended.

Outlook for Windows will introduce a new Account Manager in October 2025, displaying profile pictures, enabling account management and switching (if allowed), and providing quick access to Microsoft account details. The feature is on by default and requires no admin action.

Microsoft is releasing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing for Exchange Online to route inbound emails based on user location, ensuring data residency compliance. Rolling out from October to December 2025, it requires Multi-Geo licenses and may impact Purview policies. Admins must prepare domain configurations and permissions accordingly.

Microsoft Outlook for Windows and web will soon let users type text to jump to messages in the list based on sorting (e.g., sender, date, category). Rolling out late May to August 2025, this feature is on by default and requires no admin action. Users should be informed accordingly.

Starting early June 2025, Outlook on iOS and Android will allow users to create, rename, move, delete, and reorder folders easily via the Edit icon in the sidebar, with drag-and-drop support. The rollout requires no admin action but user notification is recommended.

Outlook's Draft with Copilot feature will be available in late June 2025 for Public Preview and late July 2025 for General Availability. This feature allows users to improve email drafts by highlighting sections and using Copilot to iterate on the text. No preparation is needed.

Microsoft is rolling out a name pronunciation feature on profile cards in Teams and Outlook to promote inclusivity. Admins must enable it by toggling the feature ON; otherwise, existing recordings will be deleted. Rollout began November 2024, with full availability expected by August 2025. Users can record and listen to name pronunciations.

The Search-MailboxAuditLog and New-MailboxAuditLogSearch cmdlets will retire by December 2025. After March 1, 2025, mailbox audit logs become read-only. Organizations must transition to the Search-UnifiedAuditLog cmdlet for audit access, with migration support available from June 2025.

Starting mid-September to late October 2025, new Outlook for Windows will allow sharing local Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files via right-click Share in File Explorer. This replaces the old Outlook sharing method and requires no admin action, though user notification is recommended.

The new Microsoft Outlook for Windows will allow users to drag and drop emails and files as attachments between personal or enterprise accounts, starting mid-August 2025 for Targeted Release and mid-October 2025 for General Availability. This requires the ItemsToOtherAccountsEnabled setting in OwaMailboxPolicy.

New Microsoft Outlook for Windows desktop will support an admin setting to define S/MIME signature inheritance in replies, rolling out from late July to late August 2025. The setting, NoSignOnReply, can be configured to inherit or not inherit S/MIME signatures. This change does not apply to Outlook for Web. No admin action is required before rollout.

Outlook Newsletters, enabling users to create recurring internal email updates, moves to General Availability in mid-2025 with default opt-out activation. Admins can control access via Set-OwaMailboxPolicy cmdlet. Organizations should review policies and prepare support teams for this new communication feature.

To enhance security, the `Get-FederationInformation` cmdlet in Exchange Online will now only return domain information explicitly passed as a parameter. This update, affecting scripts and tools, will roll out from late June 2025 to late August 2025. Review and update any automation accordingly. More details are available in the official blog post.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is introducing Mail Bombing Detection to protect against email bombing attacks. This feature will be available worldwide from late June to early July 2025. It will automatically identify and block such attacks, sending them to the Junk folder without manual configuration. Inform your security team and update documentation accordingly.

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web will move hover actions to the Sender/From column to save space and reduce mouse travel. Rollout starts mid-July 2025 for Targeted Release and mid-September 2025 for General Availability. No admin action required; notify users and update documentation.

New Microsoft Outlook for Windows will soon allow users to export and schedule exports of entire mailboxes or specific folders to .pst files. The rollout begins in July 2025 for targeted release and will complete by October 2025 for GCC. Review the OutlookDataFile mailbox policy to ensure alignment with organizational needs.

Exchange Online's External Recipient Rate Limit (ERR) enforcement is delayed to April 2026 for new/trial tenants and October 2026 for existing tenants. The limit is 2000 external recipients within 24 hours, as a sublimit of the 10000 recipient rate limit. The change does not apply to DoD, GCC, or GCC High organizations.

Microsoft Exchange Online introduces a new "Reject Direct Send" parameter to block unwanted Direct Send traffic. Public Preview is available now, with General Availability in September 2025. Admins can enable this feature using PowerShell. Review configurations and notify users. Learn more [here](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/introducing-more-control-over-direct-send-in-exchange-online/4408790).

Microsoft Outlook for iOS/Android introduces a new priority view highlighting important emails and those needing replies, available from late June 2025 to late December 2025. A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required. Users can enable this feature in Outlook settings and customize the view. No admin action is needed.

Microsoft Outlook for iOS will update conversation actions, moving them from the top right to the bottom of the screen, allowing users to customize their order and placement. This rollout starts in early June 2025 and completes by early January 2026. No admin action is required, but user notification is recommended.

Outlook Newsletters will be available in the new Outlook for Windows and Web, allowing users to create, distribute, and track internal email newsletters. Public Preview starts mid-February 2025, with General Availability in August 2025. Access is controlled via OwaMailboxPolicy, and additional configuration is required for user access.

Shared mailboxes in the new Microsoft Outlook for Windows desktop will be displayed like accounts with a "Shared" icon. The rollout starts in May 2025 and completes by July 2025. The "Shared with me" section will be removed, and no admin action is required. Notify users and update documentation.

Microsoft Outlook is introducing a "Shared with me" page in Settings for managing shared email accounts and folders. This feature will roll out from mid-May 2025 to early August 2025, depending on the release schedule. Users can view, add, and remove shared mailboxes and folders, enhancing permission visibility. No admin action is required.

Disable add-in user reporting buttons in Microsoft Outlook as the built-in Report button is now generally available across all platforms. The Report Message and Report Phishing add-ins are in maintenance mode and will not receive improvements. Review your configuration and notify users of this change.