As of December 16, Microsoft will retire its Microsoft 365 Companion apps, which have been automatically installing themselves on eligible Windows 11 devices since last year. The news comes after a brief period where admins could opt out or manually install these apps, but ultimately, they’ll be gone for good.
The companion apps – Calendar, People, and Files – were designed to streamline everyday workflows by providing quick access to calendar events, contacts, and files from the Windows 11 taskbar. They also integrated Copilot’s AI assistance to help users complete tasks faster. However, these apps have been causing some headaches for IT admins, as they launched automatically at startup and took up system resources.
According to Microsoft, the companion apps were meant to simplify workflows by reducing the need to switch between applications. But it appears that their usefulness has worn off, and now the company is urging admins to remove them from managed devices in their organization. In a support message, Microsoft notes that these apps will no longer function or be supported after December 16.
The retirement of the companion apps also highlights a broader trend in Microsoft’s approach to software updates. Last year, the company announced plans to begin automatically installing the companion apps on all Windows 11 enterprise devices with the Microsoft 365 desktop client apps by the end of 2025. Now, just over a year later, they’re being discontinued.
Microsoft is also taking this opportunity to remind admins about upcoming changes to its security features. Starting in February 2027, the company will retire SMS-based sign-in methods due to their vulnerability to phishing attacks. As a result, Entra ID users are advised to migrate to more secure authentication methods like passkeys or FIDO2 security keys.
So what does this mean for you? If you’re an IT admin responsible for managing devices in your organization, it’s essential to remove the companion apps from your managed devices by December 16. This will prevent any potential issues caused by their automatic launch at startup and ensure a smoother transition to more secure authentication methods in the future.
It’s also worth noting that this retirement marks another step in Microsoft’s shift towards more streamlined and user-centric software experiences. As AI-powered attacks continue to evolve, it’s crucial for organizations to stay ahead of the curve by validating, deciding, fixing, and re-validating their security strategies at machine speed.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-09-21