Thought Leadership
The Microsoft 365 companion apps Calendar, People, and Files will be discontinued on December 16, 2026, and will no longer function after that date.
Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue the so-called Microsoft 365 Companion Apps Calendar, People, and Files as of December 16, 2026. Administrators have been requested to remove the applications from managed devices within their organization by this date.
The apps integrated into the Windows 11 taskbar incorporate Copilot for contextual AI assistance and help find people within an organization, access Microsoft 365 as well as locally stored files, and manage personal schedules. According to Microsoft Support, after installation, the apps launch automatically by default upon device startup so users can retrieve contacts, files, and appointments without delay.
First Automatically Installed, Now Shut Down
The current announcement follows a notification from Microsoft in October 2025 stating that the companion apps were to be automatically set up on all Windows 11 enterprise devices with installed Microsoft 365 desktop apps by the end of December 2025. Roughly one year after the start of this automatic distribution, Microsoft now stated in an update to the Microsoft 365 Message Center:
“We are retiring the companion apps; they will no longer function and will no longer be supported after December 16, 2026. We recommend administrators remove the apps from devices in their tenant by this date.”
— Microsoft
What Admins and Users Should Do Now
Since last Friday, Microsoft no longer installs the companion apps via updates to the Microsoft 365 apps. Administrators were previously able to disable the automatic installation via device configuration settings in the Apps Admin Center, while individual users could turn off the automatic startup through the respective app’s settings. For devices that are not centrally managed, Microsoft is now asking administrators and users to uninstall the apps independently.
On the same day, Microsoft also reminded administrators to migrate Entra ID user accounts to phishing-resistant authentication methods such as passkeys, QR code login, or FIDO2 security keys. The background to this is the planned deprecation of SMS-based first-factor authentication starting February 2027, which could otherwise lead to login issues.
(Editorial Team)
