Microsoft to Retire Windows 11 Microsoft 365 Companion Apps in December 2026
Microsoft will retire its Microsoft 365 companion apps for Calendar, People, and Files on December 16, 2026. The company is urging administrators to remove the apps from managed devices in their organizations.
The announcement follows Microsoft’s October 2025 decision to begin automatically installing the Microsoft 365 desktop client on all Windows 11 enterprise devices by the end of December 2025.
The Microsoft 365 companion apps integrate Copilot for contextual AI assistance. From the Windows 11 taskbar, users can locate people in their organization, access files stored in Microsoft 365 and locally, and manage their schedules using Microsoft 365 Calendar.
According to Microsoft support documentation, the companion apps launch automatically at startup by default. This allows users to “quickly search for contacts, find files, and check schedules without delay” and ensures that “relevant results appear as soon as users open the app.”
IT administrators can opt out of automatic installation through device configuration settings in the App Admin Center. Users can also disable autostart from each app’s settings dialog by turning off the startup option.
Microsoft 365 companion apps will stop working in 2026
Nearly a year after Microsoft began automatically deploying the apps to compatible devices, the company announced that the Microsoft 365 companion apps will reach end of support and stop functioning on December 16, 2026.
“Microsoft 365 companion apps (Calendar, People, Files) are taskbar-integrated apps designed to streamline daily workflows, helping users stay focused, reduce context switching, and complete tasks faster,” Microsoft said in a Microsoft 365 Message Center update.
“We are deprecating the companion app and it will no longer be functional or supported after December 16, 2026. We encourage admins to remove the app from devices in their tenants by this date.”
Microsoft also stopped installing the companion apps through Microsoft 365 Apps updates on Friday. Although the apps were automatically installed on compatible systems, Microsoft is asking administrators and users of unmanaged devices to uninstall them manually.
Microsoft urges Entra ID users to move away from SMS sign-in
Microsoft also reminded administrators on Friday to migrate Entra ID users to phishing-resistant authentication methods, including passkeys, QR code authentication, and FIDO2 security keys. The move is intended to help organizations avoid sign-in disruptions after Microsoft retires SMS first-factor sign-in beginning in February 2027.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com