Updated February 19, 2026: Performance may be slower on some browsers for large basic plans with more than 300 tasks. For best results, please use the latest versions of Edge (144 or higher) or Chrome (144 or higher). Meanwhile, we're also working on an update that we expect to improve performance. [Introduction] In early 2026, a major update of Planner will begin rolling out. This update will introduce several new capabilities. In addition, several features will be retired from Microsoft Planner. These changes will begin rolling out between mid-January 2026 and mid-February 2026. [When this will happen:] Refer to the sections below for details on timing. [How this affects your organization:] Who is affected: All users of Microsoft Planner in your organization, including those using Planner components in Loop, integrations with Viva Goals, and premium Planner plans. What will happen: In
The updated Start menu is gradually rolling out. It brings the “All \[apps\]” section to the top level of the Start menu with new views (category and grid). The size of the Start menu is dynamic to the user's device. Additionally, updated policies now make it easier for you to configure Start. When will this happen: Start menu began gradual rollout in October 2025 to general audiences. The rollout of Start menu to organizations will begin in the second quarter of the calendar year 2026. How this will affect your organization: Devices will begin updating to show the new Start menu. In addition to the existing policies, the following policies give you more control:HideCategoryView: This is a net new policy that can be applied to the updated Start menu design. Turn off the new category view in the "All \[apps\]" section, so devices show the grid view by default. Note: If you already have Hi
[Introduction] To maintain a high-quality and reliable experience for live Captions & Subtitles in the Microsoft 365 PowerPoint app, Microsoft is upgrading the backend service that supports this capability. As part of this improvement, older Office client versions will no longer be supported. Updating to the minimum required PowerPoint version ensures continued accessibility, performance, and reliability. [When this will happen:] Upgrade by the end of September 2026 [How this affects your organization:] Who is affected: Organizations using Microsoft 365 PowerPoint app (Win32 or Mac) Users running PowerPoint versions earlier than: Windows (Win32): 16.0.19426.20218 macOS: 16.103.1207.4 [What will happen:] Users on unsupported versions will lose access to Captions & Subtitles after the listed dates. There is no change for users on supported versions. No changes to default settings or admin
If you are an IT admin with questions about managing and updating Windows, we want to help. Every third Thursday of the month, we host a live chat-based event on the Tech Community called Windows Office Hours. Members of the Windows, Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, Windows Autopatch, and Windows 365 engineering teams will be standing by to answer your questions. We also have experts from FastTrack, the Customer Acceleration Team, and Microsoft public sector teams. Want to attend the February 19 session of Office Hours? Add it to your calendar and select Attend on the event page to let us know you’re coming. There is no video or live meeting component. Simply visit the event page, log in to the Tech Community, and leave your questions in the Comments section. You can also bookmark https://aka.ms/Windows/OfficeHours for upcoming dates (and the ability to add this event to your calenda
Windows 11, version 26H1 is a hardware‑optimized release designed to enable next‑generation silicon developed in partnership with device manufacturers and silicon partners. This release will be available exclusively as a preinstalled experience on select new devices beginning in early 2026. It is not intended as a feature update for existing Windows 11 devices and will not be offered through Windows Update. When will this happen: The first devices with Windows 11, version 26H1 preinstalled will start shipping in early 2026. This release is limited to select new devices only and is not offered as an in‑place update for devices running Windows 11, versions 25H2 or 24H2. How this will affect your organization: Windows 11, version 26H1 is scoped specifically for select new hardware platforms, so it will not be offered through Windows Update for existing devices and will not impact ongoing ro
Secure Boot is a foundational Windows security feature that runs at startup, before Windows load, and helps ensure that only trusted, digitally signed software can execute. After more than 15 years of continuous service, the original Secure Boot certificates are reaching the end of their planned lifecycle and begin expiring in late June 2026. To learn more about Microsoft’s effort to update these certificates, see the blog post Refreshing the root of trust: industry collaboration on Secure Boot certificate updates. To prevent disruption and maintain secure startup across Windows environments, plan for these certificates update following the guidance in the Secure Boot playbook. When this will happen:The 2011 Secure Boot certificates begin expiring in June 2026. What you need to do to prepare:Review the Secure Boot playbook for certificates expiring in 2026 to understand requirements, ti
The February 2026 security update is now available for all supported versions of Windows. We recommend that you install these updates promptly. For more information about the contents of this update, see the release notes, which are easily accessible from the Windows 11 update history page. To learn more about the different types of monthly quality updates, see Windows monthly updates explained. Highlights for the Windows 11, version 25H2 update: This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5074109 (released January 13, 2026), KB5077744 (released January 17, 2026), and KB5078127 (released January 24, 2026). This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. This update addresses an issue that determines device eligibility for the full-screen gaming experience. This update addresses an issue that
11:30 am PT update: Microsoft Store and Windows Update services have been restored. Some IT administrators may continue to experience residual latency affecting Windows Server update operations, including the Windows Server sync API. This Server‑specific issue is being addressed separately. If you experience this latency, please contact Microsoft Support for business. 8:34 am PT post:A power outage at a datacenter is impacting customers’ ability to complete operations in the Microsoft Store and Windows Update. As a result, some users may experience failures or timeouts when installing or updating Microsoft Store apps, or when downloading Windows updates. Although power has been restored, service recovery is still in progress. Storage services are gradually returning online, and some customer impact may continue while recovery completes. Microsoft is actively working to restore full-servi
Windows is moving toward a more secure authentication model by phasing out New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) in favor of stronger, Kerberos‑based alternatives. This transition is taking a three-phased approach, leading toward disabling NTLM by default in upcoming Windows releases. With each phase come new capabilities so that your organization has the tools, visibility, and compatibility support needed. When will this happen: NTLM has been deprecated since June 2024. Today, enhanced auditing is available as part of Phase 1 toward NTLM disablement. In the second half of 2026, new tools will be available to Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11, version 24H2 and later: IAKerb, Local KDC, upgrade to negotiate Kerberos. With the next version of Windows Server and its corresponding client version, NTLM will be disabled by default. Additional support for handling NTLM-only cases will be built in.
[Introduction] We're updating the timeline and process for the retirement of Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online. As previously announced, EWS will be retired in favor of Microsoft Graph, which offers improved security, modern authentication, and broader capability support. A phased disablement begins October 1, 2026, with permanent shutdown starting April 1, 2027. [When this will happen:] Phased EWS disablement begins: October 1, 2026 Full and permanent EWS retirement: April 1, 2027 EWS App AllowList feature availability: Coming soon (before retirement milestones) [How this affects your organization:] Who is affected: Organizations using custom or vendor applications that rely on EWS Workflows involving mail, calendar, or integrations that use EWS This change only impacts Exchange Online; Exchange Server (on-premises) is not affected What will happen: Beginning October 1, 202
Catch up on important changes and evolving standards that will help strengthen the security of the Windows ecosystem across client, cloud, and server with Windows news you can use for January 2026. Learn about new tools to help with Secure Boot certificate updates and a new command-line tool for Windows app developers. Explore features and enhancements that will start gradually rolling out in February, which include improvements to Cross-Device Resume, Narrator, Voice Access, MIDI support, and the Settings home page. When will this happen:Some improvements summarized in this monthly recap are already available, while others are rolling out gradually. What you need to do to prepare:Read January’s recap, which includes links to resources to help you start benefiting from the latest improvements. Additional information:To keep up with new capabilities and features as they are announced, fol
If you’re looking for prescriptive guidance help you confidently configure, manage, and support Windows across your organization, mark your calendars for Microsoft Technical Takeoff 2026. Taking place on the first four Mondays in March, this free event offers technical deep dives, AMAs, and feedback sessions—all supported by live Q&A with the teams behind the features. Sessions will cover the latest Windows 11 security features, Windows 365 business‑continuity improvements, Secure Boot certificate updates, Windows Autopatch reporting, and onboarding experiences that help users get productive faster. You’ll also see deep dives on NTLM removal, hotpatch updates, resiliency, and other real‑world scenarios designed to help you deploy, secure, troubleshoot, and optimize Windows at scale. When will this happen:Sessions will take place from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific Time on March 2, 9, 16, an