check before: 2025-08-01
Product:
eDiscovery, Exchange, Microsoft 365 admin center, Purview, Purview Communication Compliance, Purview Data Loss Prevention
Platform:
Mac, Multi-Geo, Online, Web, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Status:
Launched
Change type:
Admin impact, New feature, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Multi-Geo In-Region Routing for Exchange Online allows routing inbound emails to specific geo-regions per accepted domain, with rollout starting October 2025. Disabled by default, it may affect Purview policies and requires Multi-Geo licenses. Admins should prepare by reviewing domains, permissions, and configurations.
Details:
Updated October 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction]
Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) enables customers to control the routing of inbound emails. Using IRR, customers can set the geo-region that inbound mail should be routed to for specific Accepted Domains.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245.
[When this will happen:]
Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by end of October 2025.
General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 (previously early December) and expect to complete by late December 2025.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
General Availability, Preview
Created:
2025-07-11
updated:
2025-11-12
Public Preview Start Date
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Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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MS Preperations
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MS Urgency
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MS workload name
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linked item details
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summary for non-techies**
Microsoft's Multi-Geo In-Region Routing for Exchange Online allows organizations to route inbound emails directly to specific regional offices, ensuring compliance with local data regulations, and requires correct domain setup, appropriate licenses, and alignment of Data Loss Prevention and retention policies.
Direct effects for Operations**
Email Routing Compliance
Changes in email routing may lead to non-compliance with data protection regulations if emails are not stored in the correct geo-region as per legal requirements.
- roles: Compliance Officer, IT Administrator
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started
" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started
Impact on Purview Policies
Existing Purview policies such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP) may not function as intended if not reviewed and adjusted to align with the new regional routing behavior.
- roles: Compliance Officer, IT Administrator
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/configure-multi-geo-inregion-routing-preview?view=o365-worldwide
User Experience Disruption
Users may experience delays or issues in email delivery if their accepted domains are not properly configured for the new routing, leading to potential disruptions in communication.
- roles: End User, IT Support
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=410245
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
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Potentional Risks**
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Data Protection**
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IT Security**
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Hypothetical Work Council Statement**
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DPIA Draft**
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explanation for non-techies**
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** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2025-11-12 | MC Messages | Updated October 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by end of October 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 (previously early December) and expect to complete by late December 2025. | Updated October 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) enables customers to control the routing of inbound emails. Using IRR, customers can set the geo-region that inbound mail should be routed to for specific Accepted Domains. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by end of October 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 (previously early December) and expect to complete by late December 2025. |
| 2025-11-12 | MC How Affect | In-Region Routing (IRR) is disabled by default. If you do not plan to use this feature, no action is required.
For domains where you choose to enable IRR, the feature allows you to route inbound emails to accepted domains associated with specific geo-regions. When these domains are aligned with users located in the same geo-region, emails are fully processed and stored within the recipient's region. This ensures that data remains within the user's Preferred Data Location (PDL), supporting stronger data sovereignty and compliance with regional regulations. If your organization uses Microsoft Purview capabilities such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), retention policies, or eDiscovery, you may need to review and adjust those policies to ensure they align with the new regional routing behavior. | In-Region Routing (IRR) is disabled by default. If you do not plan to use this feature, no action is required.
For domains where you choose to enable IRR, the feature allows you to route inbound emails to accepted domains associated with specific geo-regions. When these domains are aligned with users located in the same geo-region, emails are fully processed and stored within the recipient's region. If your organization uses Microsoft Purview capabilities such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), retention policies, or eDiscovery, you may need to review and adjust those policies to ensure they align with the new regional routing behavior. |
| 2025-11-12 | MC Last Updated | 10/30/2025 17:19:31 | 2025-11-12T19:23:39Z |
| 2025-11-12 | MC Summary | Microsoft Exchange Online will introduce Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) in October 2025, enabling inbound emails to be routed and stored within users' regional data locations to meet compliance. IRR is disabled by default; admins must configure accepted domains and review related policies and licensing. | Multi-Geo In-Region Routing for Exchange Online allows routing inbound emails to specific geo-regions per accepted domain, with rollout starting October 2025. Disabled by default, it may affect Purview policies and requires Multi-Geo licenses. Admins should prepare by reviewing domains, permissions, and configurations. |
| 2025-10-30 | MC Messages | Updated August 8, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by end of October 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early December 2025 and expect to complete by late December 2025. | Updated October 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by end of October 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 (previously early December) and expect to complete by late December 2025. |
| 2025-10-30 | MC Last Updated | 08/08/2025 23:50:25 | 2025-10-30T17:19:31Z |
| 2025-10-30 | MC prepare | Ensure that admins have the necessary permissions to manage accepted domains and access to either Exchange Online PowerShell or to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Review your domain configurations and identify users located in secondary geo-regions. Prepare to configure accepted domains with the new geo-region property. Review the licensing terms, as Multi-Geo licenses will be indefinitely required to use In-Region Routing: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started Review the documentation for configuring the feature: Configure Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (In Preview) - Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Learn" We value your feedback and want to hear from you if you have any questions or concerns. Please comment or contact us through the M365 Admin Center if you need any assistance. [Compliance considerations:] Does the change alter how existing user data is processed, stored, or accessed? - Yes. Emails are stored in-region based on domain configuration. Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any Purview capabilities? - Maybe. Depends on how DLP or retention policies are scoped by region. Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities? - Maybe. Regional routing may affect reporting granularity. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/multi-geo-region-routing?view=o365-worldwide https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=410245 | Ensure that admins have the necessary permissions to manage accepted domains and access to either Exchange Online PowerShell or to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Review your domain configurations and identify users located in secondary geo-regions. Prepare to configure accepted domains with the new geo-region property. Review the licensing terms, as Multi-Geo licenses will be indefinitely required to use In-Region Routing: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started Review the documentation for configuring the feature: Configure Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (In Preview) - Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Learn" We value your feedback and want to hear from you if you have any questions or concerns. Please comment or contact us through the M365 Admin Center if you need any assistance. [Compliance considerations:] Does the change alter how existing user data is processed, stored, or accessed? - Yes. Emails are stored in-region based on domain configuration. Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any Purview capabilities? - Maybe. Depends on how DLP or retention policies are scoped by region. Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities? - Maybe. Regional routing may affect reporting granularity. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/enterprise/configure-multi-geo-inregion-routing-preview?view=o365-worldwide https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=410245 |
| 2025-10-30 | MC Summary | 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 Exchange Online will introduce Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) in October 2025, enabling inbound emails to be routed and stored within users' regional data locations to meet compliance. IRR is disabled by default; admins must configure accepted domains and review related policies and licensing. |
| 2025-08-09 | MC Last Updated | 07/31/2025 20:53:30 | 2025-08-08T23:50:25Z |
| 2025-08-09 | MC Messages | Updated July 31, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early August 2025 and expect to complete by end of August 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by late October 2025. | Updated August 8, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by end of October 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early December 2025 and expect to complete by late December 2025. |
| 2025-08-09 | MC End Time | 11/30/2025 09:00:00 | 2026-01-30T09:00:00Z |
| 2025-08-09 | MC Summary | 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 August to October 2025, it requires Multi-Geo licenses and may impact Purview policies. Admins must prepare domain configurations and permissions accordingly. | 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. |
| 2025-08-01 | MC prepare | Ensure that admins have the necessary permissions to manage accepted domains and access to either Exchange Online PowerShell or to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Review your domain configurations and identify users located in secondary geo-regions. Prepare to configure accepted domains with the new geo-region property. Review the documentation for configuring the feature: Microsoft 365 Multi-Geo | Learn We value your feedback and want to hear from you if you have any questions or concerns. Please comment or contact us through the M365 Admin Center if you need any assistance. [Compliance considerations:] Does the change alter how existing user data is processed, stored, or accessed? - Yes. Emails are stored in-region based on domain configuration. Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any Purview capabilities? - Maybe. Depends on how DLP or retention policies are scoped by region. Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities? - Maybe. Regional routing may affect reporting granularity. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=410245 | Ensure that admins have the necessary permissions to manage accepted domains and access to either Exchange Online PowerShell or to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Review your domain configurations and identify users located in secondary geo-regions. Prepare to configure accepted domains with the new geo-region property. Review the licensing terms, as Multi-Geo licenses will be indefinitely required to use In-Region Routing: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started Review the documentation for configuring the feature: Configure Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (In Preview) - Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Learn" We value your feedback and want to hear from you if you have any questions or concerns. Please comment or contact us through the M365 Admin Center if you need any assistance. [Compliance considerations:] Does the change alter how existing user data is processed, stored, or accessed? - Yes. Emails are stored in-region based on domain configuration. Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any Purview capabilities? - Maybe. Depends on how DLP or retention policies are scoped by region. Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities? - Maybe. Regional routing may affect reporting granularity. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#getting-started https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-multi-geo?view=o365-worldwide#licensing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/multi-geo-region-routing?view=o365-worldwide https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=410245 |
| 2025-08-01 | MC Summary | Microsoft Exchange Online is introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) to help organizations meet regional data residency requirements by routing inbound emails to user-specific geo-regions. Public preview starts in August 2025, with general availability in October 2025. IRR is disabled by default and may require policy adjustments for compliance. | 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 August to October 2025, it requires Multi-Geo licenses and may impact Purview policies. Admins must prepare domain configurations and permissions accordingly. |
| 2025-08-01 | MC Last Updated | 07/11/2025 01:34:16 | 2025-07-31T20:53:30Z |
| 2025-08-01 | MC Messages | [Introduction]
We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early August 2025 and expect to complete by end of August 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by late October 2025. | Updated July 31, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing (IRR) for Exchange Online, a new capability that helps organizations meet regional data residency requirements by allowing inbound email routing to be aligned with user locations. With IRR, admins can configure accepted domains to route messages directly to a designated geo-region, ensuring that email data is processed and stored entirely within the recipient's region-even if it differs from the tenant's primary location. This helps organizations meet compliance requirements without compromising email delivery performance. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410245. [When this will happen:] Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early August 2025 and expect to complete by end of August 2025. General Availability (Worldwide): We expect to begin rolling out in early October 2025 and expect to complete by late October 2025. |
| 2025-08-01 | MC Title | Microsoft Exchange Online | Releasing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing | (Updated) Microsoft Exchange Online | Releasing Multi-Geo In-Region Routing |
| 2025-08-01 | MC MessageTagNames | New feature, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, New feature, User impact, Admin impact |
Last updated 3 weeks ago ago
