check before: 2023-10-06
Product:
Exchange, Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Graph, Outlook, Teams
Platform:
Developer, Mac, Online, Web, World tenant
Status:
Change type:
Admin impact, Retirement, Updated message
Links:
Details:
Summary:
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.
Details:
Updated April 18, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.
In 2018, we announced that we were no longer making feature updates to Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online, and we advised developers to move to Microsoft Graph.
In September 2023, we announced that on October 1, 2026, we will start blocking EWS requests to Exchange Online.
We are now less than 18 months from October 1, 2026. We have made progress on closing several parity gaps with more changes in development to be released in the coming quarters. Please refer to Deprecation of Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online for up-to-date guidance and roadmap information.
If you haven't already, start the process of working with your application development organization and your application vendors to migrate active EWS applications on your tenant to the Graph API.
[When this will happen:]
October 1, 2026
Change Category:
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Scope:
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Release Phase:
Created:
2023-09-22
updated:
2025-04-19
Task Type
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Docu to Check
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS How does it affect me
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS Preperations
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS Urgency
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS workload name
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS Blog Link
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
summary for non-techies**
Microsoft will stop adding new features to Exchange Web Services (EWS) by October 1, 2026, and is encouraging businesses to transition to Microsoft Graph, which offers advanced features and improved performance, requiring applications reliant on EWS to be updated accordingly.
Direct effects for Operations**
Deprecation of EWS
If EWS is deprecated without proper migration, applications relying on EWS will fail to function, leading to disruptions in email services and workflows.
- roles: Developers, IT Administrators
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-ews-exchange-online
User Experience Degradation
Users may experience interruptions in email access and functionality if applications are not migrated to Microsoft Graph, leading to frustration and decreased productivity.
- roles: End Users, Support Staff
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-ews-exchange-online
Increased Support Tickets
Failure to prepare for the EWS deprecation may result in a surge of support tickets from users facing issues, overwhelming IT support resources.
- roles: Support Staff, IT Administrators
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-ews-exchange-online
Loss of Functionality
Certain features available in EWS may not be fully replicated in Microsoft Graph, leading to potential loss of functionality for applications that are not updated.
- roles: Developers, End Users
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-ews-exchange-online
Security Risks
Continuing to use deprecated EWS may expose the organization to security vulnerabilities as it will not receive new features or enhancements beyond security updates.
- roles: IT Administrators, Security Officers
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/lifecycle/policies/modern
Configutation Options**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
Potentional Risks**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
IT Security**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
explanation for non-techies**
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
a free basic plan is required to see more details. Sign up here
A cloudsocut.one plan is required to see all the changed details. If you are already a customer, choose login.
If you are new to cloudscout.one please choose a plan.
change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2025-04-19 | MC prepare | https://learn.microsoft.com/graph/whats-new-overview
https://learn.microsoft.com/lifecycle/policies/modern https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/upcoming-changes-to-exchange-web-services-ews-api-for-office-365/ba-p/608055 mailto:EWSandPFfeedback@microsoft.com | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-ews-exchange-online
https://learn.microsoft.com/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-online/deprecation-of-ews-exchange-online https://learn.microsoft.com/lifecycle/policies/modern https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/admin/activity-reports/ews-usage?view=o365-worldwide https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/security-related-updates-in-exchange-online/4303525 https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/upcoming-changes-to-exchange-web-services-ews-api-for-office-365/ba-p/608055 |
| 2025-04-19 | MC MessageTagNames | Admin impact, Retirement | Updated message, Admin impact, Retirement |
| 2025-04-19 | MC Summary | 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. | |
| 2025-04-19 | MC Last Updated | 09/22/2023 00:25:02 | 2025-04-18T20:33:52Z |
| 2025-04-19 | MC Messages | In 2018, we announced that we were no longer making feature updates to Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online, and we advised developers to move to Microsoft Graph.
Today, we are announcing that on October 1, 2026, we will start blocking EWS requests from non-Microsoft apps to Exchange Online. [When this will happen:] October 1, 2026 | Updated April 18, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.
In 2018, we announced that we were no longer making feature updates to Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online, and we advised developers to move to Microsoft Graph. In September 2023, we announced that on October 1, 2026, we will start blocking EWS requests to Exchange Online. We are now less than 18 months from October 1, 2026. We have made progress on closing several parity gaps with more changes in development to be released in the coming quarters. Please refer to Deprecation of Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online for up-to-date guidance and roadmap information. If you haven't already, start the process of working with your application development organization and your application vendors to migrate active EWS applications on your tenant to the Graph API. [When this will happen:] October 1, 2026 |
| 2025-04-19 | MC Title | Retirement of Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online | (Updated) Retirement of Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online |
| 2025-04-19 | MC How Affect | While the EWS components of the service will continue to receive security updates and certain non-security updates, product design and features will remain unchanged. This change also applies to the EWS SDKs for Java and .NET, as well.
Despite this announcement, EWS is still available and supported for use in production environments. But we strongly suggest migrating to Microsoft Graph to access Exchange Online data and gain access to the latest features and functionality. Today's announcement and the retirement of EWS apply only to Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online (all environments); there are no changes to EWS in Exchange Server. Further, the changes in Exchange Online do not affect Outlook for Windows or Mac, Teams, or any other Microsoft product. Migrating Applications to Microsoft Graph We know there are several feature gaps between EWS and Microsoft Graph, and though the list below is not exhaustive, these are the gaps most frequently reported to us by developers: Access to Archive Mailboxes - We are working on delivering access to archive mailboxes via Microsoft Graph and will provide an updated timeline in the coming months. Folder Associated Information / User Configuration - We are working on these features and will provide an updated timeline in the coming months. Exchange Online Management - We are investigating solutions for this and will provide an updated timeline in the coming months. Access to Public Folders - We are reviewing the need to provide third-party app access to Exchange Online public folders via the Graph API and are interested in hearing from customers and partners who build solutions that use public folders, other than backup and restore solutions. If you are willing to share details on how you use EWS with public folders, we'd love to hear from you, and you can reach us at EWSandPFfeedback@microsoft.com. We know there are other gaps not listed above, and we continue to work on closing them, but it's possible some functionality will not make it to Microsoft Graph. We encourage you to provide feedback to us, keep a close eye on the What's new in Microsoft Graph page, and explore alternatives for functionality or features not available in Microsoft Graph. Next Steps The retirement of these APIs follows our Modern Lifecycle Policy. We understand changes like this may cause some inconvenience, but we are confident it will ensure more secure, reliable, and performant experiences. We will publish regular communications as we progress towards this deadline to aid affected tenants in identifying EWS usage. We encourage all customers to monitor Message Center and this blog for related content. Thank you in advance for updating and opening your apps to a wider range of useful and intelligent features on Microsoft Graph. We are extremely excited about the growing opportunities that Microsoft Graph offers to developers, and we remain fully committed to our journey to empower developers to access Microsoft 365 data with the most modern features and tools. | While the EWS components of the service will continue to receive security updates and certain non-security updates, product design and features will remain unchanged. This change also applies to the EWS SDKs for Java and .NET, as well.
Despite this announcement, EWS is still available and supported for use in production environments. But we strongly suggest migrating to Microsoft Graph to access Exchange Online data and gain access to the latest features and functionality. Today's update and the retirement of EWS apply only to Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online (all environments); there are no changes to EWS in Exchange Server. Further, the changes in Exchange Online do not affect Outlook for Windows or Mac, Teams, or any other Microsoft product. In our original blog post, we said this change would affect only third-party (non-Microsoft) applications. We have expanded our effort and are now also removing EWS dependencies from Microsoft apps and services, and we're going to complete that work well before October 2026. We intend to do this as quickly as possible without affecting the quality of service or product. There may be applications running on your tenant created by your organization or 3rd parties that use EWS. We recommend reviewing your application portfolio now to get an understanding of which apps need to be updated by your organization and which applications require updates from vendors. It is important to get started with this effort as soon as possible as the Graph API patterns are quite different from EWS. Equivalent Graph API operations may exhibit subtle differences that affect your use cases and application designs in unanticipated ways. Migrating Applications to Microsoft Graph We know there are several feature gaps between EWS and Microsoft Graph, and though the list below is not exhaustive, these are the gaps most frequently reported to us by developers: Access to Archive Mailboxes - We are working on delivering access to archive mailboxes via Microsoft Graph and will provide an updated timeline in the coming months. Folder Associated Information / User Configuration - We are working on these features and will provide an updated timeline in the coming months. Exchange Online Management - We are investigating solutions for this and will provide an updated timeline in the coming months. Access to Public Folders - After evaluating the usage of public folders, we have decided to restrict programmatic access to public folders to supported Outlook clients only, and for bulk import/export purposes. We will not provide APIs for programmatically creating, reading, updating and deleting public folders after October 2026 (also see Security Related Updates in Exchange Online). We know there are other gaps not listed above, and we continue to work on closing them, but it's possible some functionality will not make it to Microsoft Graph. We encourage you to refer to Deprecation of Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online for up-to-date guidance and roadmap information. Next Steps The retirement of these APIs follows our Modern Lifecycle Policy. We understand changes like this may cause some inconvenience, but we are confident it will ensure more secure, reliable, and performant experiences. We will publish regular communications as we progress towards this deadline to aid affected tenants in identifying EWS usage. We encourage all customers to monitor Message Center and the Exchange Blog and Deprecation of Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online for related content. Thank you in advance for updating and opening your apps to a wider range of useful and intelligent features on Microsoft Graph. We are extremely excited about the growing opportunities that Microsoft Graph offers to developers, and we remain fully committed to our journey to empower developers to access Microsoft 365 data with the most modern features and tools. |
Last updated 2 months ago
