Microsoft 365 Brings High Volume Email To Exchange Online For Internal Mass Mail

Exchange keeps evolving, and Microsoft now plans to drop the PowerShell Credential parameter in favor of MFA-based sign-in. Alongside that shift, Microsoft 365 also prepares a new option for organizations that need to send a lot of internal email without hitting the usual Exchange Online limits.

High-volume email targets internal mass communication

Microsoft 365 is introducing High Volume Email (HVE) to support large-scale internal communication under message ID MC1243552. Microsoft currently offers the feature in Public Preview, and it expects General Availability in March.

Microsoft will also offer HVE for free during a promotional period that runs until May. After that window ends, Microsoft plans to move HVE to a transaction-based pricing model.

Why Microsoft added HVE to Exchange Online

Exchange Online enforces multiple sending limits, including recipient rate limits, recipient limits, and message rate limits. Those guardrails work for normal mail flow, but they can get in the way for organizations that run internal mass-mailing, operational updates, or automated internal notifications at scale.

HVE aims to cover those internal scenarios that exceed standard Exchange limits. Microsoft also positions HVE as a fit for business applications and devices that need to generate large volumes of internal messages.

Where admins will manage HVE and track usage

After an admin enables HVE, the Exchange admin center will show a dedicated High Volume Email page under Mail flow. From there, admins can create and manage Mail User accounts configured specifically for HVE.

Microsoft also plans a new High Volume Email report inside the Exchange admin center under Reports > Mail flow. That report should help administrators monitor usage as they ramp up internal sending through the new flow.

HVE works as an opt-in feature, and it does not change the default email sending limits for normal mail flow. Microsoft says organizations do not need to prepare anything ahead of time, but teams may want to refresh internal documentation that outlines email sending policies and the approved paths for high-volume internal mail.

Microsoft is also tightening email access rules through Intune for devices that fail compliance checks, and it has warned users about a recent OAuth phishing exploit.

Via Neowin