Microsoft Ends Garage Program, Shuts Down 15 Workspaces

Microsoft is shutting down Microsoft Garage after 17 years, ending an innovation program that allowed employees to experiment with new ideas and develop their own projects. The company will begin closing Garage workspaces across 15 locations worldwide on October 23, 2026.

According to an internal FAQ obtained by GeekWire, Microsoft believes innovation and experimentation have become part of everyday work across its teams, making a separate program unnecessary.

Microsoft Garage helped create several popular apps

Launched in 2009, Microsoft Garage gave employees access to company resources, equipment, and expertise to develop experimental projects outside their regular responsibilities.

Over the years, the program helped produce several applications, including Microsoft Journal, Arrow Launcher, Word Flow, and Plumbago. Arrow Launcher eventually evolved into Microsoft Launcher for Android.

The initiative also organized Microsoft’s Global Hackathon, which attracted 11,000 participants from 80 countries during its first major event in 2014.

Microsoft is closing Garage spaces and changing its Hackathon

Microsoft will begin shutting down Garage workspaces on October 23, including its flagship location in Redmond. Employees cannot take equipment or materials from these facilities.

The company also plans to reimagine its Global Hackathon, although it has not provided details about the event’s future format.

Microsoft says it is “reinventing how we foster innovation, learning, and experimentation” while maintaining that a builder mindset remains central to its culture.

However, the decision has reportedly frustrated some employees. According to GeekWire, discussions on the anonymous workplace platform Blind show criticism of the shutdown, with employees questioning Microsoft’s spending priorities as the company continues investing heavily in AI.

In other Microsoft news, the company recently shared a fix for Exchange Online apps affected by EWS changes, introduced a new Teams Efficiency Mode that improves startup performance by 20%, and announced new Entra ID telephony providers ahead of its 2027 SMS retirement.