MC1189663 – M365 Change Digest

One-line summary

External access tokens for actionable messages retire on March 31, 2026; switch integrations to Microsoft Entra authentication to maintain functionality and improve security.

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Details

Summary

External access tokens for actionable messages will be retired by March 31, 2026, requiring organizations to switch to Microsoft Entra authentication. This change enhances security and compliance. Organizations should review and update their actionable message integrations before the deadline to avoid failures.

Body (from Message Center)

[Introduction]

We’re retiring the use of external access tokens for actionable messages and transitioning to Microsoft Entra-based authentication. This update enhances security and aligns with modern identity standards, providing a more robust and compliant experience for actionable messages.

[When this will happen]

This change takes effect on March 31, 2026. After this date, external access tokens will no longer be supported.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

Organizations using actionable messages that currently rely on external access tokens.

What will happen:

Actionable messages that depend on external access tokens will fail after March 31, 2026.
All integrations and workflows using actionable messages must adopt Microsoft Entra authentication.
This change improves security posture by leveraging Entra’s identity and access management capabilities.

[What you can do to prepare]

Review all actionable message implementations in your organization.
Update integrations to use Microsoft Entra authentication before March 31, 2026.

Learn more:

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Raw JSON (for debugging)

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    "ai_actions": [
      "Review actionable message implementations",
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    ],
    "ai_master_tags": [
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    "ai_model": "gpt-4.1",
    "ai_summary": "External access tokens for actionable messages retire on March 31, 2026; switch integrations to Microsoft Entra authentication to maintain functionality and improve security.",
    "ai_topics": [
      "Microsoft 365 Apps",
      "Outlook",
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    ],
    "category": "planForChange",
    "details_map": {
      "Summary": "External access tokens for actionable messages will be retired by March 31, 2026, requiring organizations to switch to Microsoft Entra authentication. This change enhances security and compliance. Organizations should review and update their actionable message integrations before the deadline to avoid failures."
    },
    "id": "MC1189663",
    "importance": 5,
    "is_major_change": true,
    "last_modified": "2025-11-25T00:06:04Z",
    "ms_products": [
      "Microsoft 365 Apps"
    ],
    "platforms": null,
    "roadmap_ids": [],
    "services": [
      "Microsoft 365 apps"
    ],
    "severity": "normal",
    "tags": [
      "Admin impact",
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    ],
    "title": "Retirement of external access token for actionable messages \u2013 moving to Microsoft Entra authentication"
  }
}