Microsoft Is Retiring Calendar, People, and Files Companion Apps in December

Microsoft is retiring its Microsoft 365 Calendar, People, and Files companion apps on December 16, 2026, just over a year after their broader rollout to enterprise Windows 11 devices.

According to Microsoft 365 Message Center update MC1474111, the three apps will stop working after that date, and Microsoft will no longer support them.

Microsoft has already stopped installing the companion apps through Microsoft 365 Apps updates. The company is also asking administrators to remove them from managed devices before December 16.

Microsoft 365 companion apps are being discontinued

Calendar, People, and Files were designed to provide quick access to Microsoft 365 services directly from the Windows taskbar.

Calendar gives users access to their Microsoft 365 schedules, while People surfaces organizational contacts. Files provides access to local and Microsoft 365 documents.

The apps also integrate Copilot to provide contextual assistance based on the information available inside each companion app.

By default, the apps could launch automatically when users signed in. Users could disable this behavior through the “Start app minimized when you log in” option in each app’s settings.

Administrators could also opt out of automatic installation through Device Configuration settings in the Microsoft 365 Apps Admin Center.

Microsoft has not announced a replacement

Microsoft began automatically deploying the companion apps to compatible enterprise Windows 11 devices roughly a year ago.

The company has not announced replacement apps as part of the retirement notice. For now, Microsoft is simply advising organizations to uninstall Calendar, People, and Files before support ends on December 16, 2026.

In other news, LibreOffice chart compatibility issues and Windows Admin Center 2610 changes are also making headlines.

Also, Microsoft Teams calling issues are affecting some users.

Via BleepingComputer