1. Rejecting Multiple From Addresses Without a Sender Header: Key Update for Exchange Online
Overview
Exchange Online is going to reject emails with multiple From addresses without a Sender header. The change will be effective starting April 15, 2025 as this move is in compliance with RFC 5322. It is expected that this change will prevent impersonation of email headers. The update will impact any email clients or apps that send messages with malformed headers.
Impact
This change primarily affects tenants sending emails with multiple From addresses but no Sender header. Most of these messages are likely to be spam. But, some legit emails may also be impacted. Some emails use on-prem inbound connectors and they are most likely to be impacted. Organizations not going to update email configurations will face Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs) and the error code will be: 550 5.1.20.
Action Needed
Ensure any emails with multiple From addresses include a valid Sender header with a single address to avoid disruptions.
2. Microsoft OneDrive: Removal of the EnableAllOcsiClients Group Policy – What You Need to Know
Overview
Microsoft is removing the EnableAllOcsiClients OneDrive group policy this April. The policy previously allowed organizations to disable coordination between Office and OneDrive for syncing Office docs. This policy removal will enable Office features i.e. autosave, real-time collaboration, version history, conflict resolution, etc. to function properly. This will ensure a smoother file syncing and collaboration.
Impact
After the removal of EnableAllOcsiClients policy, tenants will no longer be able to disable this feature. End users will benefit from the features explained above and automatic conflict merging in Office files.
That said, Office will prompt users to resolve them if conflicts require user input. These features enhance a seamless experience when using OneDrive and Office apps together.
Action Needed
No immediate action is required from admins.
3. Microsoft OneDrive Update: Removal of “EnableHoldTheFile” Group Policy
Overview
Microsoft will remove the “EnableHoldTheFile” group policy from OneDrive. This policy is currently used to manage file conflicts, but now will be replaced with a new experience that will allow users to select file versions to keep when conflicts arise. In case of conflict resolution, users will be asked to either save copies or discard changes.
Impact
After this removal, users will no longer see automatic file copies when conflicts occur. Instead, they will be directly asked to resolve conflicts by selecting file versions. This change will apply to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint files, from this April.
Action Needed
No action required from admins!!
4. Retirement of Skype Interoperability with Microsoft Teams
Overview
Microsoft just announced they are retiring Skype interoperability with Microsoft Teams in May 2025. After this date, Teams users won’t be able to communicate with Skype accounts.
Impact
This update will affect all Teams users currently communicating with Skype. After this Skype interoperability is retired, users will be relying on Teams for their communication. Admins should prepare for this transition and update their internal documentation.
Action Needed
This change will occur automatically. No action required from admins. For more information, refer to this page here.
5. Upcoming Retirement of “Shared with Us” Feature in SharePoint Teams Sites
Overview
Microsoft is going to retire the “Shared with Us” feature in SharePoint Teams sites, starting this April. The feature provided a centralized view of files/folders shared with site members. But they will be phased out by early May 2025. Users can still manage shared content effectively using OneDrive or Microsoft Teams or even email notifications.
Impact
The removal of “Shared with Us” means users won’t be able to access a dedicated view of shared resources in SharePoint Teams sites. However, the transition won’t leave users without options.
Action Needed
No immediate action required!!
6. Fabric Workspace Item Limits: What You Need to Know
Overview
Microsoft will implement a combined limit of 1000 items in each Fabric workspace from late March 2025 as the limit will cover both Fabric and Power BI items. The limit is coming to prevent performance issues and maintain service quality for all users. For tenants not having enabled Fabric, the existing limit of 1000 Power BI items per workspace will still be intact. The rollout will complete by mid-April 2025.
Impact
After limit is reached, users can’t create additional items in a workspace. After any workspace exceeding 1000 items, it will have a 180-day grace period to manage its item count. After the grace period, no new items can be added before the item count is reduced below the limit.
Action Needed
Admins should check item counts per workspace. They should make necessary adjustments to stay in the 1000-item limit. This can be done via the Admin Monitoring workspace.
7. Update Your Firewall for Uninterrupted Access to Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Overview
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is undergoing security and performance enhancements. As a result, your firewall configuration needs to be updated to ensure uninterrupted access. By March 27, admins need to update their firewall rules to allow outbound traffic on port 443 to specific new CDN endpoints and IP addresses. If they fail to do so, this will disrupt access to the service.
Impact
If the firewall rules are not updated, access to the Defender for Cloud Apps could be blocked. This update affects organizations using Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps as admins may lose the ability to access services.
Action Needed
Update your firewall to allow outbound traffic on port 443 to these CDN endpoints by March 27:
- cdn.cloudappsecurity.com
- cdn-discovery.cloudappsecurity.com
That said, make sure that your firewall allows the listed IP addresses for outbound and inbound connections.
8. Introducing Copilot Agents in Outlook: A New Customization Feature
Overview
Microsoft is going to retire the Feed tab from the Outlook mobile apps version. The change is going to take place from May 1, 2025, completing in May 2025. Users will no longer be able to access the Feed option typically seen at the bottom of the screen.
Impact
Users who rely on the Feed tab for content recommendations will need to switch to alternative options. Microsoft suggests using Copilot in Outlook. The options like Files app in Outlook or the Recommended section on M365 offer similar functionality.
Action Needed
No action required!! The change will happen automatically.
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