check before: 2025-11-01
Product:
Defender, Defender for Office 365, Defender XDR, Stream
Platform:
Online, US Instances, World tenant
Status:
Change type:
Admin impact, Feature update, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is updating its quarantine email preview to enhance clarity, consistency, and security. Changes include retiring plain text view, limiting URL hover previews, and removing some "Load external content" buttons. Rollout begins November 2025, completing by mid-December, with no required user configuration.
Details:
Updated October 23, 2025: We have updated the timelines. Thank you for your patience.
We're improving the email preview experience in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to provide a clearer, more consistent, and secure workflow. These updates are designed to reduce ambiguity, simplify interactions, and reinforce security protections-helping organizations confidently use this feature as part of their protection strategy.
When this will happen:
General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early November 2025 (previously mid-October) and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025 (previously early November).
General Availability (GCC, GCCH, and DoD): Rollout will begin in mid-November 2025 (previously late October) and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025 (previously mid-November).
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
Created:
2025-10-07
updated:
2025-10-24
Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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summary for non-techies**
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Direct effects for Operations**
Email Preview Experience Changes
Retirement of plain text view may lead to confusion among users who rely on this format for clarity, potentially impacting their ability to assess email content effectively.
- roles: Quarantine Administrators, End Users
- references: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-identity/microsoft-defender-for-office-365-enhancing-the-quarantine-email/ba-p/3651230
URL Interaction Limitations
Limiting URL hover previews may cause frustration for users expecting to interact with links, leading to a perception of reduced functionality and potential delays in accessing necessary information.
- roles: Quarantine Administrators, End Users
- references: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-identity/microsoft-defender-for-office-365-enhancing-the-quarantine-email/ba-p/3651230
Configutation Options**
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IT Security**
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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 |
| 2025-10-24 | MC MessageTagNames | Feature update, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, Feature update, User impact, Admin impact |
| 2025-10-24 | MC Summary | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 will enhance the quarantine email preview by retiring plain text view, limiting URL hover previews, and removing some "Load external content" buttons. Rollout starts mid-October 2025 globally, simplifying the interface without requiring configuration changes. Update documentation and inform support teams accordingly. | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is updating its quarantine email preview to enhance clarity, consistency, and security. Changes include retiring plain text view, limiting URL hover previews, and removing some "Load external content" buttons. Rollout begins November 2025, completing by mid-December, with no required user configuration. |
| 2025-10-24 | MC Last Updated | 10/07/2025 01:15:02 | 2025-10-24T00:50:33Z |
| 2025-10-24 | MC Messages | We're improving the email preview experience in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to provide a clearer, more consistent, and secure workflow. These updates are designed to reduce ambiguity, simplify interactions, and reinforce security protections-helping organizations confidently use this feature as part of their protection strategy.
When this will happen: General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in mid-October 2025 and is expected to complete by early November 2025. General Availability (GCC, GCCH, and DoD): Rollout will begin in late October 2025 and is expected to complete by mid-November 2025. | Updated October 23, 2025: We have updated the timelines. Thank you for your patience.
We're improving the email preview experience in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to provide a clearer, more consistent, and secure workflow. These updates are designed to reduce ambiguity, simplify interactions, and reinforce security protections-helping organizations confidently use this feature as part of their protection strategy. When this will happen: General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early November 2025 (previously mid-October) and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025 (previously early November). General Availability (GCC, GCCH, and DoD): Rollout will begin in mid-November 2025 (previously late October) and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025 (previously mid-November). |
| 2025-10-24 | MC Title | Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Enhancing the quarantine email preview experience | (Updated) Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Enhancing the quarantine email preview experience |
| 2025-10-24 | MC End Time | 12/31/2025 09:00:00 | 2026-01-15T09:00:00Z |
Last updated 1 month ago ago
