Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 21-02-2026

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. This feature will now be included as part of another update referenced in MC796790. Administrators will gain the ability to manage Microsoft 365 certified SaaS applications through org-wide settings for third-party apps. No changes will be applied to tenant-wide settings unless initiated by an administrator. Thank you for your patience.

This feature will empower administrators to manage the availability of trusted Microsoft Teams apps based on rules, for enhanced security. Admins will be able to manage Microsoft 365 certified apps in the Teams admin center through a new control in Org-wide settings. You can further customize the availability of these apps based on permissions accessed and publisher names. The system automatically checks the Microsoft 365 certified apps that meet all the conditions you specify and makes those apps available.  

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 485712.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early April (previously mid-March) and expect to complete by late April 2026 (previously end of March).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout, you cannot manage at bulk the availability of Microsoft 365 certified apps. They are only controlled by third-party app tenant settings.

After this rollout, you can manage Microsoft 365 certified apps availability from org-wide settings in the Teams admin center at Manage apps > Actions > Org-wide app settings > Microsoft 365 certified apps. 

You can configure additional criteria from the Customize availability option:

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before or after the rollout. Review your current configuration to assess the impact on your organization. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation. This new control will be disabled by default.

Learn more: Manage org-wide app settings in Manage your apps in the Microsoft Teams admin center – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn (will be updated before rollout)

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Disclaimer: The original message center post was published on August 1, 2025. We previously stated that this is a new feature when it is an expanded capability of the existing feature memory in Copilot. This expanded capability requires new processing of users’ data, which is outlined below. We have edited the content below for accuracy and clarity. Thank you to the customers who provided feedback over the past few weeks. We have adjusted our roadmap to address your needs and concerns. 

Starting September 1, 2025, Microsoft 365 Copilot will start remembering key highlights from your person-to-person communications in chats, emails, and meetings. Initially these memories will be used to improve the quality of Copilot responses to people-related questions. These memories are private to the user. This feature is available to Copilot-licensed enterprise users.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 499153

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

We’re excited to announce that we are making Copilot Chat available as a side-by-side experience in Teams. This will help users access the power of M365 and Web data in addition to current capabilities of Copilot in Chats, Channels, Calling, and Meeting. On Teams desktop (Windows and Mac) and web, users can open Copilot Chat from the Copilot icon located on the top right corner in these surfaces. Copilot Chat will be available in Teams for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. 

This change is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 501107

Screenshot: Copilot Chat in Teams (Windows desktop) for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. UI elements subject to change. 

[When this will happen:]

Chats, Channels, and Post Meeting + Calling Recaps:

• Public Preview: Rollout of this change starts in early October and completes in the weeks following.
• General Availability: Rollout of this change starts mid-November and completes in the weeks following.

In-Meeting and in-Calls:

• Public Preview: Rollout of this change starts in early December and completes in the weeks following.
• General Availability: Rollout of this change starts mid-January and completes by early March 2026. 

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license using Teams on Windows desktop, Mac desktop, or web (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari).

What will happen:

• You can now create new Copilot Chat sessions or access other sessions within any conversation window. When you reopen Copilot Chat, it will always default back to the latest used session that was within the conversation window.
• Upon completion of the migration, all prior Copilot history will not be migrated into the new Copilot Chat experience. However, you can still access prior history by clicking on the More Options menu (…) located on the top right corner of your conversation window. An entry point to access history will be available within the More Options menu (…) of channel thread summaries as well. Within the menu, you find and select the View Copilot history option to access prior history.
• In-Meeting: A new in‑meeting control lets users stop Teams from processing spoken audio during a meeting. When this control is on, Teams stops processing spoken audio — including transcription and recording — and Copilot will not use or reference anything said during this time. If Facilitator is active, it will also be turned off. Users will also be prevented from restarting recording, transcription, or Facilitator while this control is in effect.
• After the meeting: Copilot and Facilitator will only have access to recordings or transcripts from periods when audio processing was active.

Supported Platforms

Web 

• Chrome 
• Edge 
• Firefox 
• Safari 

Desktop 

• Windows 
• Mac 

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required. However, you may choose to update internal documentation that shows Copilot in Teams with updated screenshots and capabilities.

[Compliance considerations:]

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

We are introducing Copilot-powered summaries and insights as a landing page within Copilot Notebooks. This feature is designed to help users quickly gain an understanding of the references in their notebooks.

The feature will initially be available in the web experience (Preview and General Availability), with mobile availability (iOS and Android) planned for a future release.

A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to use this feature.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 512430.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Rollout begins in mid-November 2025 and is expected to complete by early December 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins early February 2026 (previously January) and is expected to complete by mid-March 2026 (previously February).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of Copilot Notebooks with eligible licenses.

What will happen:

• Users will see summaries and insights as the default landing page in Copilot Notebooks:

 

• The landing page is powered by a fine-tuned prompt for Copilot.
• This feature is enabled by default.
• Existing Copilot Notebooks admin controls will continue to apply.
• No changes to user workflow unless customized by admin.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No action is required to enable the feature. However, to ensure users can access it:

• Confirm that your organization has Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses assigned to intended users.
• Review your Microsoft 365 licensing documentation or contact your Microsoft account representative to verify eligibility.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

To improve collaboration and streamline meeting workflows, Microsoft Teams is introducing the ability to consult and merge Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) callers into active meetings—even when those callers are behind auto-attendants or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems that require Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) navigation. This enhancement allows users to reach subject matter experts via dial-in and seamlessly bring them into the broader conversation.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 518218.

• Targeted Release: Rolling out early April 2026 (previously early March), expected to complete by mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March).
• General Availability:  Rolling out mid-April 2026 (previously late March), expected to complete by late April 2026 (previously early April).

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users who initiate or manage meetings with PSTN participants. Administrators overseeing Teams meeting policies and call configurations.
• What will happen:
  • Users can consult with PSTN or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) participants via the Participants panel.
  • A new interface will allow users to access a dialpad to navigate IVR systems and auto-attendants using DTMF tones.
  • Once the external party is reached, users can merge them into the ongoing meeting.
  • No changes to existing administrator policies; feature is enabled by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No administrator action is required for this rollout.
• If your organization uses custom training or helpdesk documentation, consider updating it to reflect this new capability.
• Before rollout, we will update this post with new documentation.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

With this release, users can discover and add SharePoint agents directly within Microsoft Teams chats on Desktop and Mac. Agents can be added via the Add Agents and Bots option in the chat roster dropdown, which opens the in-context store for discovery and selection. This enables users to quickly bring SharePoint agents into conversations to support collaboration.

Additionally, SharePoint agents are available in the Teams Store under the Agents category, making them easier to find and deploy across Teams experiences.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 515465.

[When this will happen]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out in early April 2026 (previously early March) and expected to complete in mid-April 2026 (previously early March).
• General Availability: Rolling out in mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March) and expected to complete by end of April 2026 (previously end of March).

[How this affects your organization]

• Who is affected: All users of Microsoft Teams on Desktop and Mac.
• What will happen:
  • Users will be able to discover and add SharePoint agents from the in-context store in Teams chats.
  • SharePoint agents will be available in the Teams Store under the Agents category.
  • Agents can be added via the Add Agents and Bots option in the chat roster dropdown.
  • No admin action is required; the feature is enabled by default.
  • Existing policies are respected; no changes to admin controls are needed.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Ensure that intended users have E3 or E5 (with Teams) licensing, and one of the following options: 
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot license OR
  • Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) separately setup for SharePoint agents on MAC.

• Inform helpdesk staff in case users have questions about accessing or using SharePoint agents.
• Share this update with users to highlight new collaboration opportunities.
• Update internal documentation if you maintain guidance on Teams agents or bots.

Learn more: Share an agent from SharePoint in Teams | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing the Restart Event feature in Microsoft Teams Events to improve resiliency for live events. This feature lets organizers restart a live event that encounters an unrecoverable failure, minimizing disruption and ensuring continuity for Town Halls and other large meetings.  

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 523214.  

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in early January 2026 and expect to complete by end of March 2026 (previously late January).
• General Availability (GCC and GCCH): We will begin rolling out in late January 2026 and expect to complete by end of March 2026 (previously early February).
• General Availability (DoD): We will begin rolling out in early February 2026 and expect to complete by end of March 2026 (previously early February).

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: Organizers and admins managing Microsoft Teams live events.  

What will happen:  

• Organizers will see a new Restart Event button in the Teams UI for live events.  
• The feature is enabled by default; no admin configuration is required.  
• Attendees may experience a brief interruption while the event restarts but can rejoin seamlessly.  
• No impact on existing policies or tenant-level settings.  

[What you can do to prepare]

• Communicate this new capability to event organizers and support teams.  
• Update internal training and documentation for large event management.  
• No policy or tenant-level changes are needed.

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Express voice enrollment in Microsoft Teams makes registering your voice profile quick and seamless. A voice profile enables features such as voice isolation, speaker recognition, identification in meeting rooms, improved transcripts, and enhanced meeting recaps and insights powered by Microsoft 365 Copilot. If you haven’t enrolled, you’ll receive an in-product prompt to opt in and enroll simply by speaking during a meeting. Admins can enable or disable this feature for their organization.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 537269.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rollout begins early April 2026 (previously early March) and is expected to complete by mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March).
• General Availability: Rollout begins mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March) and is expected to complete by end of April 2026 (previously end of March).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected:

• All enterprise Microsoft Teams customers except Education (EDU) tenants.

What will happen:

• A new voice enrollment experience will be available in Teams.
• Users will receive an in-product prompt to enroll their voice profile by speaking during a meeting.
• The feature will be ON by default for enterprise tenants.
• EDU tenants are excluded from this rollout.
• If your organization previously disabled voice enrollment policies, this feature will not apply.
• Admins can manage this setting using new PowerShell cmdlets under the PassiveVoiceEnroll configuration in the csTeamsAIPolicy policy.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review your organization’s Teams AI policy settings before rollout.
• If you want to disable this feature, update the PassiveVoiceEnroll configuration using PowerShell.
• Communicate this change to your helpdesk and end users as needed.
• Update internal documentation to reflect this new capability.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified; review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing Viva Engage communities in Microsoft Teams to make it easier for employees to connect, share, and learn across your organization. This new experience brings discoverable, asynchronous conversations and leadership engagement into Teams—helping employees explore ideas and perspectives beyond project-based collaboration.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 513274.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): April 2026 (previously March) to May 2026 (previously April)

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users with access to Viva Engage.

What will happen:

• This feature is available to all Microsoft Teams customers with a standard Microsoft 365 and Teams license and access to Viva Engage. No additional Teams license is required.
• Communities will appear in Teams navigation:
  • Unified view: New section in the Chat app.
  • Split view: New section in the Chats and Channels app.
• Existing Viva Engage community memberships will sync into Teams.
• Favorited communities in Engage will appear in Teams favorites.
• Notifications for announcements and mentions will surface in Teams Activity feed and deep link to the new experience.
• Rich engagement features include:
  • Posting discussions, questions, praise, polls, and announcements (admins only).
  • Reactions, delegated posting (requires setup in Viva Engage), and scoped search.
  • Event participation: ask questions, upvote, view live or replay.
• Admins can manage community settings, membership, and roles directly in Teams.
• Default setting: ON for all tenants.

[What you can do to prepare]

• No immediate action required unless you want to disable this feature.
  • Sign in to the Teams admin center with your admin credentials.
  • In the left-rail menu, select Settings & policies.
  • Select either Global (Org-wide default) settings or Custom policies for users & groups.
  • Scroll to the Messaging section and select Messaging.
  • On the Messaging settings page, find the Viva Engage section.
  • To enable the feature, switch on the Viva Engage experiences in Teams toggle.
  • Choose Save.
• Ensure prerequisites:
  • Viva Engage IPs and URLs are not blocked.
  • Sign-ins for Viva Engage are enabled in Microsoft Entra ID.
  • Users have Microsoft 365 and Teams licenses.
• Consider sharing best practices and customization options with users.
• Coordinate with Viva Engage admins for internal change communications.

Learn more:  

• Getting started with Viva Engage Communities in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support
• Manage Viva Engage experiences in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams | Micosoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Today, admins must manually review trust and compliance information for Teams apps and agents to determine whether they meet their organization’s security, privacy, and compliance requirements. To make this process more scalable and consistent, Teams will introduce a centralized evaluation experience. Admins will define their organization’s trust requirements once, and the system will generate a score and detailed evaluation report for each app and agent based on those requirements. This will help organizations make faster, more consistent approval decisions.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 532720.

[When this will happen]

Targeted release/Preview: We will begin rollout in late February 2026 and expect to complete by the end of March 2026.
General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): We will begin rollout in early May 2026 (previously late February) and expect to complete by the end of May 2026 (previously end of February).

[How this will affect your organization]

Who is affected: Admins who manage apps and agents in the Teams admin center.

What will happen:

• A new evaluation score settings tab will appear in Teams admin center > Teams apps.
• Admins will be able to configure approval requirements—such as GDPR compliance, SOC 2 certification, and data residency—one time for their organization.
• The system will automatically calculate an evaluation score for each app and agent based on how many requirements are met.
• A new evaluation score column will appear in Teams admin center > Teams apps > Manage apps, with options to sort and filter by score.
• A detailed evaluation report will be available on the App details page, providing requirement-by-requirement detail.
• This feature will not change app enablement or blocking behavior and will not modify any underlying metadata.
• The feature will be enabled by default and will not require admin action to activate.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required. This feature will be available automatically in the Teams admin center.

Admins may choose to review their approval workflows once the feature becomes available.

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We are expanding AI-powered audio overview capabilities in Microsoft Viva Connections and SharePoint. This update introduces support for additional languages in the Viva Connections news reader experience and brings AI-generated audio summaries to SharePoint site pages and news posts when the SharePoint Knowledge agent is enabled. These enhancements provide greater accessibility and help users stay informed in the way that best fits their work style.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 535423.

[When this will happen] 

• Targeted Release (Worldwide): We began rolling out in mid-January 2026 and expect to complete by the end of January 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, and DoD): We will begin rollout in early Feb 2026 and expect to complete in late February 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: 

• Users licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot who read News in Viva Connections (Teams desktop or mobile).
• Users viewing SharePoint site pages or news posts when the SharePoint Knowledge agent is enabled on that site.

What will happen: 

• Non-DoD users in Viva Connections can listen to AI-generated audio briefings of the top 10 personalized news items in their profile or device language.
• Non-DoD users viewing SharePoint pages or news posts can listen to AI-generated audio summaries of the article in the site or page language when Knowledge agent is enabled.
• The feature is on by default; no admin action or configuration is required.
• Existing SharePoint and Viva Connections admin settings continue to apply.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required. This update will automatically apply as part of the standard service rollout.

You may choose to:

• Inform users about the new audio experiences.
• Update internal guidance related to Viva Connections or SharePoint News.

Learn more:

• The Copilot powered news summary | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn
• Generate audio overviews with AI | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 19, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

Introduction

We’re changing how Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file attachments open in Outlook for iOS. For iPad users only, these files will open directly in the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint apps when they are installed, instead of using the in-app previewer.

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, DoD): We will begin rolling this out in early to mid-February 2026 and expect to complete the rollout by late March 2026.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected:

• Users on iPad devices running Outlook who have the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint apps installed.

What will happen:

• iPad users will find that Word, Excel, and PowerPoint attachments open directly in the corresponding app.
• Users without the Office apps installed will continue to use the in-app previewer.
• No admin configuration is required.

What you can do to prepare:

• No action is required.
• You may choose to notify iPad users or update internal help documentation.

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We are introducing a redesigned Meet app in Microsoft Teams that delivers a new, unified Events experience. This update modernizes how users create, discover, and manage events—bringing webinars, town halls, and custom events into a single streamlined workflow. Users will continue to access their current Meetings and Audio recap experiences without any disruption.

Screenshot 1: Discover experience for attendees showing Events happening now and upcoming ​

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, and Teams for the web and is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 547834.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out late February 2026 (previously early February) and expect to complete by mid-March 2026 (previously mid-February).
• General Availability: We will begin rolling out early April 2026 and expect to complete by late April 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected:

• All users who currently use the Meet app in Microsoft Teams.
• Applicable across all Teams clients where the Meet app is available.

What will happen:

• Users will see the redesigned Meet app with a modernized, unified Events experience.
• A centralized Events hub to create, edit, and track events.

Screenshot 2: Manage all your events in different stages



• Simplified scheduling for custom events, webinars, and town halls using templates. 

Screenshot 3: New simplified scheduling form



• Custom events created using Create from scratch will automatically honor the appropriate policy set—Town hall policies for broadcast‑type events and Webinar policies for collaborative events.
• Ability to schedule events using shared and delegate mailboxes.
• Event landing pages with Q&A and Polls.
• Seamless upgrade path for current Webinars and Town halls.
• A redesigned Events home to help users discover and revisit events.

Screenshot 4: Event landing page for Attendees to engage before or after event



• Meetings and Audio recap remain accessible via a continuity banner.
• No impact on existing events.
• No changes to admin controls.
• Classic Meet remains available during preview and general availability.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No administrative action is required.

• Review and update internal training and communication materials.
• Inform event organizers of the upcoming unified Events experience.
• Encourage users to pin the Meet app in Teams.
• Share training resources within your organization.

Before rollout, we will update this post with new documentation.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re improving meet now channel meetings in Microsoft Teams by reducing automatic meeting updates in channel conversations. This change helps keep channels cleaner and focused on real user replies, while meeting details remain accessible when you open the meeting thread.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out mid-March 2026, expected to complete by early April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out early April 2026, expected to complete by mid-April 2026.
• General Availability (GCC, GCCHigh, DoD): Rolling out late April 2026, expected to complete by mid-May 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users participating in meet now channel meetings.

What will happen:

• Channel conversations will show fewer automatic meeting messages.
  • Only a single “Meeting started” message will appear when a Meet now meeting begins.
  • Other automatic updates (such as meeting end or recording updates) will appear inside the meeting thread, not as additional channel messages.
• Reply counts will reflect people’s replies, not automatic system messages.
• Meeting details, join options, and recaps remain available by opening the meeting thread.
• No admin configuration changes are required; the feature is enabled by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required. This update will roll out automatically.
• Optional: Communicate this change to helpdesk staff to reduce potential confusion.
• For more information on channel meetings, visit: Meetings in Teams.

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing automatic local backups in OneNote for iOS to improve notebook resilience and provide a self‑service recovery option that aligns with the backup experience already available on Windows and macOS. This update helps users recover notebooks independently while giving organizations control through existing Intune app protection policies.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH and DoD): Rollout will begin in mid-March 2026 and is expected to complete by mid-April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All organizations with users who run OneNote for iOS.
• Applies to Commercial, GCC, GCC High, and DoD tenants that receive the standard OneNote for iOS app.

What will happen

• OneNote for iOS will automatically create local backups of notebooks.
• Backups will be stored in a user‑accessible location in the Files app on iOS.
• Users will be able to recover notebooks using these backups by transferring the backup file to a Windows PC or Mac (iOS does not support opening notebook files directly).
• The feature will be on by default unless restricted through existing Intune app protection policies.
• The feature will respect your organization’s existing data protection settings. No new policy configuration will be required.
• If the Intune Send org data to other apps setting is not set to All apps, OneNote local backups will be automatically disabled for managed users.

[What you can do to prepare]

If you want to manage or restrict this capability:

• Review your existing Intune app protection policies:
  • Send org data to other apps (parent policy)
  • Save copies of org data (child policy)
  • Allow user to save copies to selected services (child policy), with location validation set to Other.
• If Send org data to other apps is set to anything other than All apps, no action is required—backups will remain disabled automatically.
• If your organization has no Intune app protection policies configured, backups will be enabled by default.
• Update internal documentation or helpdesk materials if you describe OneNote backup and recovery behavior.
• Share the following user note internally if needed:
  • “Notebook recovery from iOS requires transferring the backup file to a Windows PC or Mac.“

Learn more: 

• Create and deploy app protection policies | Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn
• Data protection – iOS/iPadOS app protection policy settings | Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

[Introduction]

Starting April 1, 2026, Microsoft Places licensing will move from a user-based model to a space-based model. This change will align licensing with how organizations manage physical workspaces and will make core Places experiences more broadly available. Most users will gain access to Places Finder and the Places app, while advanced capabilities such as desk reservations, auto-release policies, and space-based analytics will require a Shared Space license.

Customers with an active Teams Premium subscription will be able to continue using existing Places premium capabilities through the remainder of their current subscription term. After renewal, these capabilities will be included in Shared Space licensing.

[When this will happen]

• General availability (Worldwide): April 1, 2026
• On this date, organizations will be able to acquire space-based licenses for Microsoft Places.

[How this will affect your organization]

Who is affected

Organizations that use Microsoft Places, including:

• Users who interact with Places experiences.
• Admins who will configure or manage Places resources (desks, desk pools, and rooms).

What will happen

• Places Finder and the Places app will be available across most user licenses; Teams Premium will no longer be required for these capabilities.
• Licensing for Microsoft Places will transition from a user-based model to a space-based model.
• Advanced Places functionality will require a Shared Space license, including:
  • Desk reservation support
  • Auto‑release policies for desks and rooms
  • Space‑based analytics
• Users will be able to reserve individual desks only if those desks are covered by a Shared Space license.
• Desks that are configured as bookable but not covered by a Shared Space license will appear as unavailable to users.
• Auto-release policies for desks and rooms will be enforced only when the space is covered by a Shared Space license.
• Admins will still be able to configure auto-release policies, but these policies will not take effect unless the related spaces are licensed with a Shared Space license.
• Analytics for desks and rooms will be available only for spaces that are covered by a Shared Space license.
• Organizations with Teams Premium will be able to continue using existing Places premium capabilities through the current subscription term. After renewal, applicable Places premium capabilities will require Shared Space licensing.

[What you need to do to prepare]

• Review your organization’s desk, desk-pool, and room configurations and identify which spaces will require a Shared Space license.
• Ensure that the following spaces are covered by Shared Space licenses:
  • Desks that will need to support reservations.
  • Spaces that will use auto-release policies.
  • Spaces that will require space-based analytics.
• If your organization has Teams Premium, plan for Places premium capabilities to move to Shared Space licensing after your next renewal date.
• Update internal documentation and help desk scripts to reflect:
  • That some desks may appear unavailable if they are not covered by a Shared Space license.
  • That auto-release policies and analytics will only apply to licensed spaces.

Learn more: 

• Licensing updates extend access to advanced capabilities in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Places | Microsoft Teams Blog
• Microsoft Places overview | Microsoft Places | Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

• Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016: October 13, 2026
• Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB: October 13, 2026
• Windows Server 2016: January 12, 2027

Updated February 19, 2026: After further review, this has been delayed. A new Message Center post will be published closer to the updated release date. It will still correspond to the existing Roadmap ID 421611.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

View and monitor Loop usage in the tenant through existing Microsoft 365 admin usage dashboards.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 421611.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will communicate via Message center when the rollout date is getting closer.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Once available, administrators can view and monitor Loop usage in the tenant through the existing Microsoft 365 admin usage dashboards.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

There is nothing you need to do to prepare. These changes will roll to your tenant automatically.

Updated February 20, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Microsoft is updating the opt‑out phase start date for new Outlook for Windows in Enterprise environments from April 2026 to March 2027.

[When this will happen:]

• The opt‑out phase for Enterprise environments will now begin in March 2027 (previously April 2026), providing organizations with 12 months of lead time to prepare. 
• GCC High and DoD timelines will be communicated separately at a later date.

Why is there a change to the timeline?

We’re seeing strong and accelerating adoption of new Outlook as organizations progress on timelines that match their readiness. At the same time, we continue to invest heavily in expanding capabilities and addressing feedback from customers who want to go further with new Outlook. To ensure organizations have the time they need to prepare—and to fully realize the value of ongoing innovation—we’re extending the opt-out timeline and providing 12 months of lead time as we continue delivering key features and improvements.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Microsoft 365 administrators managing Outlook for Windows.
• Users of classic Outlook for Windows.
• Organizations that previously disabled the new Outlook toggle or have not yet begun migration planning.

What will happen:

• Migrated users will receive in‑app onboarding prompts and can switch back to classic Outlook if needed.
• Existing policies that disable or limit access to new Outlook will remain in effect.
• Admins can continue using Admin‑controlled migration to move users in a staged, reversible manner ahead of time.
• Users will not be migrated if one or more of the following is true:
  • You have opted out users using the Policy of automatic migration
  • New Outlook toggle is hidden via policy
  • Perpetual license is in use
  • On premise account

[What you can do to prepare:]

Prepare your organization for the opt-out phase that will begin March 2027. Evaluate and use the Admin-controlled migration policy to the stage and schedule that is right for your organization.

Take preparatory steps to:

• Assess feature and web add-in readiness.
• Conduct any needed pilots.
• Build a timeline that works for your organization.
• Re-enable the toggle if previously disabled and enable the Admin-controlled migration policy to move forward.

Be sure to communicate with your users about what to expect, and leverage Microsoft’s adoption resources to make the experience smooth.

Resources and Support:

Microsoft is committed to helping you manage this transition effectively. Refer to the following resources for detailed guidance and tools:

• Adoption Kit: A downloadable kit with checklists, project planning templates, user communication examples, and FAQs to support your rollout. New Microsoft Outlook for Windows – Microsoft Adoption.
• Tips for new users: Start new users in new Outlook | Microsoft Learn.
• Control installation and use: If you have previously disabled the new Outlook toggle via policy and now want to roll out new Outlook. Control installation and use of new Outlook | Microsoft Learn.
• Policy for Admin-controlled migration: This policy allows you to toggle users into new Outlook in a controlled manner, with in-app prompts that ease users into the new experience over successive Outlook launches. Users who are moved by policy will be presented with a user-friendly onboarding experience and will have the option to switch back to classic Outlook. Microsoft recommends starting with new users in your organizations and those piloting and using Copilot as early target audiences. Policy for Admin-Controlled Migration to new Outlook for Windows | Microsoft Learn; User-facing article.

[Compliance considerations]