Upcoming changes to the Microsoft Places licensing model
Microsoft Places transitions to space-based licensing in April 2026. The new Teams Shared Space license replaces the Places Enhanced service plan previously included in Teams Premium.
Licensing
Extended Service Term (EST) now applies to new and renewed Microsoft Cloud subscriptions
Microsoft has activated the new Extended Service Term (EST) for cloud subscriptions purchased or renewed directly from Microsoft, effective 9 February. For customers purchasing through Microsoft Partners, the change will now take effect in May 2026.
Price updates for Microsoft Cloud products – February 2026
Microsoft updated prices for Swiss franc (CHF), Danish krone (DKK), Euro (EUR), Norwegian krone (NOK), and Swedish krona (SEK) due to exchange rate adjustments. As usual, I ran my report to compare previous prices with the updated ones.
SharePoint and OneDrive for Business standalone plans will be retired
Microsoft has announced the upcoming retirement of standalone SharePoint and OneDrive for Business plans. Organizations should review the timeline and plan a transition to Microsoft 365 suites or alternative storage options.
Microsoft is updating Loop Workspaces licensing requirements, making it a core Microsoft 365 service
Loop Workspaces will become a core Microsoft 365 service. The Microsoft Loop service plan requirement will be removed, extending access to more licenses. Admins should review their Office Cloud Policy.
Microsoft replaces the 90-day subscription grace period with a new paid Extended Service Term
Microsoft is retiring the free 90-day grace period for expired cloud subscriptions and introducing a paid Extended Service Term (EST).
Microsoft cancels licensing enforcement for Loop Workspaces indefinitely
Microsoft has canceled the planned licensing enforcement for Loop Workspaces indefinitely. Users can continue to create and manage Loop Workspaces without an assigned Loop service plan, unless an admin policy restricts them.
Licensing updates for Microsoft Cloud products – December 2025
Microsoft introduced several new licenses, changes to Dataverse storage, and fresh promotions for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business starting 1 December 2025.
Updated licensing experience in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Microsoft is rolling out an updated licensing experience in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, offering clearer visibility into license assignments and improved tools for identifying and resolving licensing issues.
Licensing updates for Microsoft Cloud products – November 2025
Microsoft republished its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Enterprise licenses with Teams and retired Power Platform and Dynamics 365 SKUs. Microsoft still offers a free Office 365 E3 Developer license, and my monthly update now also includes a table of Microsoft cloud product promotions.