As we step into April 2025, Microsoft is rolling out a series of significant updates to its Microsoft 365 suite. These Microsoft 365 Updates for April 2025 changes are designed to enhance security, streamline operations, and improve user experience across various platforms. The changes for April follow up on the changes made for March 2025. Here’s a detailed look at what’s new and what’s changing:
Microsoft 365 Updates for April 2025
1. Retirement of MSOnline PowerShell
Starting early April 2025, the MSOnline PowerShell module will begin its phased retirement. This module has been a crucial tool for administrators to manage Microsoft 365 services, but its deprecation marks a significant shift towards more modern and efficient management tools. Users are advised to transition to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to avoid any service interruptions. This SDK offers a more comprehensive and secure way to interact with Microsoft services, ensuring that administrators can continue managing their environments without disruptions.
The retirement timeline for MSOnline PowerShell is as follows:
- Early April 2025: Retirement begins.
- Late May 2025: MSOnline PowerShell will stop working for all tenants and clouds.
2. Azure AD Graph API Retirement
The Azure AD Graph API, which has been in its retirement phase since 2019, will see a critical milestone in April 2025. By April 15, this API will be completely retired, meaning any applications still using it must migrate to the Microsoft Graph API or consider a temporary extension to avoid service disruptions.
Microsoft Graph offers a unified endpoint for accessing Microsoft Entra services and Microsoft 365 services like Teams and Intune. It provides enhanced security, better integration capabilities, and a more comprehensive set of features compared to Azure AD Graph.
3. New Outbound Email Limits
Microsoft is introducing Tenant External Recipient Rate Limits (TERRL) to Exchange Online, which will cap the number of external recipients a tenant can email daily based on the number of purchased email licenses. This change aims to reduce spam and prevent email abuse, ensuring service availability for all users.
The TERRL formula calculates the limit as follows: $$500 \times (\text{Purchased Email Licenses}^{0.7}) + 9500$$. For example, a tenant with a single license will have a limit of approximately 10,000 external recipients over a 20-hour period, while a tenant with 10 licenses will have a limit of about 12,006 recipients.
Enforcement of these new limits begins in April 2025, with a phased rollout. Administrators can track usage via a new report in the Exchange admin center to ensure compliance and plan email strategies accordingly.
4. Email Transfer in Outlook
The updated Outlook for Windows and the web will soon allow users to transfer emails seamlessly between different accounts. This feature, which began rolling out in mid-January 2025, will be fully available by late April 2025. Users will be able to drag and drop emails from an Outlook Data File (.pst) to a mailbox and vice versa, enhancing flexibility and productivity.
Action Items for Microsoft 365 Users and Administrators
Given these updates, here are some key action items for users and administrators:
- Migrate from MSOnline PowerShell to Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK: Ensure all scripts and tools are updated to use the new SDK to avoid service interruptions.
- Migrate Applications from Azure AD Graph API to Microsoft Graph: Update any applications still using Azure AD Graph to Microsoft Graph to maintain functionality beyond April 15, 2025.
- Review and Plan for New Outbound Email Limits: Assess your organization’s email usage and plan accordingly to comply with the new TERRL limits. Consider using mass mailing solutions for bulk communications.
- Utilize New Outlook Features: Take advantage of the enhanced email transfer capabilities in Outlook to streamline email management.
The April 2025 updates for Microsoft 365 are part of Microsoft’s ongoing effort to modernize its services, enhance security, and improve user experience. By understanding and adapting to these changes, users and administrators can ensure a seamless transition and leverage the latest features to boost productivity and efficiency. Whether it’s migrating to new PowerShell tools, updating applications to use Microsoft Graph, or optimizing email strategies, these updates are designed to support a more streamlined and secure Microsoft 365 environment.
What do you think about these new Microsoft 365 updates? Check out the full blog post for more information. Let us know in the comments!
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