Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online will shut down in 2026
Only EWS In Exchange Online will be retired.
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Key notes
- EWS in Exchange Online will be retired on October 1, 2026.
- It will still be available to use until then, but Microsoft recommends you should migrate to Graph.
- Users think that it's not time for EWS to be retired yet.
Microsoft just announced that the Exchange Web Services in Exchange Online will be fully retired by 2026, according to the Redmond company’s latest blog post.
The Exchange Web Services are no longer getting updates since 2018 when Microsoft announced that developers should move to Microsoft Graph, but it seems that the services will be deprecated entirely now.
Microsoft also announced that starting 1 October 2026, it will start blocking EWS requests from non-Microsoft apps to Exchange Online, as well.
However, this only affects the EWS in Exchange Online. Any other EWS will still get updates from Microsoft.
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.
Microsoft
The Exchange Web Services retirement on Exchange Online: What do to next
One natural step would be to start using Microsoft Graph, and Microsoft itself recommends it. If you do, however, Microsoft released a list of all the gaps between the two platforms. But Microsoft is working to provide an updated timeline to each gap and most possibly an alternative to them.
- Access to Archive MailboxesÂ
- Folder Associated Information / User ConfigurationÂ
- Exchange Online ManagementÂ
- Access to Public FoldersÂ
The list is not exhaustive, as there are other gaps, but those listed above are the most reported by developers.
If you’re not yet keen to switch to Microsoft Graph, you can still use EWS in Exchange Online, until 2026, and Microsoft will provide you with regular communications as the Exchange Web Services retirement deadline gets closer.
However, according to Microsoft, switching to Graph will allow you to use the latest features and functionalities when accessing Exchange Online data.
Some users agree that it is not yet time for EWS to go, and Microsoft hasn’t really addressed the gaps that we mentioned earlier.
Those same gaps have been repeatedly brought by the community/ISVs since the original “deprecation” notice, yet 5 years later we’ve seen zero movement on that front. Are you actually going to address them?
It’s a very early decision for EWS to retire.
What do you think about the Exchange Web Services Retirement? Is it still to early for it, or is it time to migrate to Microsoft Graph?
