November – December 2026
Microsoft admin roadmap
What changes for your tenant, who is affected and what to check before the next rollout or deadline.
Sources checked .
November 2026
2 and 9 Nov
Phased rollout
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
More Chat features get fair-use limits
This affects users without a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. Rollout began on 2 November for organisations with up to 2,000 Microsoft 365 seats and on 9 November for larger organisations. A user who reaches a limit sees when they can try again.
Admin check. Brief the help desk on the in-app notice. Microsoft manages these limits. Check your Message center for MC1536158 or MC1536163 before changing your licence request guidance.
Microsoft Partner Center announcement4 Nov
Public preview
Microsoft Entra ID
Conditional Access policy plans enter preview
Entra ID P1 and P2 customers can group rules under a shared scope and assign an owner to a plan. Existing Conditional Access policies can run alongside the pilot.
Admin check. In Entra ID → Conditional Access → Policy plans (preview), model one set of related rules in report-only mode. Check emergency access exclusions and compare the rule results in sign-in logs.
Microsoft Entra preview announcement10 Nov
End of servicing
Windows 11
Security updates end for 23H2 Enterprise and Education
10 November is the final scheduled security update for these two Windows 11 editions on version 23H2. Check the edition as well as the version when identifying affected devices.
Admin check. Filter your device inventory for 23H2 Enterprise and Education. Give each remaining device an upgrade owner and verify the new version after its next check-in.
Windows release health for version 23H2During Nov
Enrollment change
Microsoft 365 admin center
Targeted release enrollment closes to changes
Microsoft is closing edits to Targeted release membership in November. Existing members stay enrolled until the programme retires in January 2027.
Admin check. Identify your pilot users. Review their Standard or Deferred release preference, and decide who needs early access through Frontier. Confirm when the new settings appear in your tenant.
Microsoft’s Targeted release transition guide
December 2026
From Dec
Module change
Exchange Online PowerShell
New module releases drop the -Credential parameter
Microsoft’s change applies to Exchange Online PowerShell versions released from December onward. Scripts that pass -Credential to Connect-ExchangeOnline or Connect-IPPSSession need a new authentication method before upgrading the module.
Admin check. Search scheduled jobs and runbooks for both commands. Test interactive sign-in for admins, managed identity for Azure jobs or certificate-based app-only authentication for unattended jobs outside Azure.
Exchange Team guidance for PowerShell administratorsBy 16 Dec
Retirement
Microsoft 365 Apps and Intune
Remove the Calendar, People and Files companion apps
Microsoft is retiring these three Windows companion apps by 16 December. Calendar events, contacts and files remain available through their Microsoft 365 services.
Admin check. Check for Required and Available assignments in Intune. Stop redeployment, uninstall the companion package on managed devices and verify removal in inventory. Direct staff to Outlook, Teams or Windows Search.
Microsoft’s removal instructionsEnd of Dec
Default change
Exchange Online
SMTP AUTH Basic authentication switches off by default
Microsoft plans to disable Basic authentication for SMTP AUTH by default in existing tenants at the end of December. Administrators can still re-enable it if needed. Microsoft expects to announce the final removal date in the second half of 2027.
Admin check. List printers, applications and scheduled jobs that submit mail with a username and password. Test an OAuth-capable sender or a supported relay option and confirm delivery before switching the production sender.
Exchange Team SMTP AUTH timeline