Microsoft 365 will retire Targeted Release in January 2027

Microsoft 365 will retire Targeted Release in January 2027

7 October 2026: Microsoft is retiring Targeted Release, the Microsoft 365 setting that lets selected users and tenants see new features ahead of everyone else. Message Center post MC1490899 says that from January 2027 Targeted Release assignments will no longer be used to deliver Microsoft 365 features.

Not yet independently verified. Single source: the merill.net archive of the Microsoft 365 Message Center post. We have not read the original in the admin center, and Microsoft can still revise the dates. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

Two earlier dates matter more to administrators. Microsoft asks tenants to review their release preferences now and enrol users in one of the replacements where needed. In November 2026, changes to Targeted Release enrolment are disabled, so the assignments an organisation holds at that point are the ones it is left with until the retirement.

There are three replacement options:

• Frontier, which gives preview access to features before general availability
• Standard release, which delivers updates at general availability
• Deferred release, which delivers major updates about 30 days after Standard release

The post lists Teams, Outlook, SharePoint Online, OneDrive and Exchange Online components among the affected services, and it addresses any organisation with users or tenants enrolled in Targeted Release.

Microsoft's suggested steps before November are to identify who is currently on Targeted Release in the Microsoft 365 admin center, decide whether each group belongs on Standard or Deferred release, consider Frontier for people who need early previews, and tell the teams concerned about the change.

Organisations that used Targeted Release as a pilot ring for change management will need a new way to get early sight of updates, and Frontier is the only option Microsoft offers for that. The post gives no date for any further change to Frontier or Deferred release.

Related on TrustList:

• Edge retires its legacy Windows sign-in from early November 2026

Sources

• Microsoft 365 Message Center archive (merill.net): MC1490899 Microsoft 365: Targeted Release retirement, 7 October 2026