New Update Microsoft to Retire the Calendar, People, and Files Microsoft 365 Companion Apps in December

lokamoka820

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Microsoft is urging administrators to have the Calendar, People, and Files Microsoft 365 companion apps removed from managed devices, as stated in an update to the Microsoft 365 message center, with the company announcing that it will be phasing out these apps on December 16, 2026; after that date the apps will no longer work or be supported.

This action follows around a year after Microsoft had started automatically installing the apps on Windows 11 enterprise devices, and the company has also ceased installing them via Microsoft 365 Apps updates.

The applications incorporated Copilot and were fixed to the Windows 11 taskbar.
Because the apps stop functioning after December 16, admins and users should act before then:
  1. The administrators must have the Calendar, People, and Files companion apps removed from the managed devices in their tenant by December 16, 2026.
  2. Users should remove the apps themselves in the case of unmanaged devices, since Microsoft won't automatically remove them.
  3. It should be noted that there will be no new installations since Microsoft has stopped the installation of the apps via the Microsoft 365 Apps updates.
 
I never used them, I won’t miss them. And honestly, this just shows how many of these ideas arrive more from corporate impulse than real user need. When a feature doesn’t add anything, it ends up as another icon that never earned its place… and another one we have to remove ourselves. 🗑️🔧