Microsoft Retires Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel in Office Customization Tools Starting Today

Microsoft has announced that it is retiring the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel option from the Office Customization Tool and Configuration Manager between April 6 and April 11, 2026.

In a Microsoft 365 Admin Center message, first spotted by Neowin, the company confirms that existing deployment configurations will remain unaffected. However, any new setups will now require either the Current Channel or the Monthly Enterprise Channel.

The change affects organizations using the Office Customization Tool in the Microsoft 365 admin center or the Office 365 Client Management experience in Configuration Manager. Starting today (April 6), Semi-Annual Enterprise will no longer appear as a selectable option for new deployments. That said, current configurations using this channel will continue to function without interruption.

Microsoft says the retirement is part of its ongoing effort to simplify update channel management for Microsoft 365 apps. The company is focusing investment on Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel, which deliver more frequent feature and security updates. Admins don’t need to take any immediate action, though notifying relevant teams and updating internal documentation is recommended.

Existing deployments will keep their Semi-Annual Enterprise settings, but any new configurations must select from the remaining channels. You can find more information about the aforementioned changes in M365 Admin Center under Message ID MC1249427 and MC1249428.