News

What is happening? Microsoft is retiring Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online. EWS is an older technology used by some email clients, applications, and automated processes to access mailbox data. Microsoft is directing customers to migrate to Microsoft Graph, which is the supported replacement platform.

What is changing? Microsoft has confirmed that EWS retirement will occur in phases:

• Beginning October 1, 2026, Microsoft will start disabling EWS for organizations that have not taken action to manage EWS access.
• On April 1, 2027, EWS will be permanently disabled in Exchange Online and will no longer be available. Microsoft has stated that no extensions or exceptions will be granted beyond this date.

What is the impact? If you use a third-party email application, automated process, or business application that connects to Exchange Online using EWS, that solution must eventually be updated, replaced, or migrated to Microsoft Graph before April 1, 2027. Examples may include:

• Third-party email clients
• Departmental applications
• Automated mailbox processing tools
• Vendor applications that interact with Exchange Online

What is happening? The University of Waterloo is renewing our Adobe ETLA for Acrobat Pro and Creative Cloud studio. Beginning on September 8, 2026, Adobe users will see a pop-up message indicating that the license will be expiring. Please disregard the message as the license will continue to work, as usual.

What do I need to do? No action is required. The pop-up can be disregarded and will go away once our Adobe ETLA has been renewed. 

What is happening? The University of Waterloo is renewing our campus-wide license to MATLAB and Simulink. Beginning early to mid September, MATLAB users may see a popup message indicating that the license is due for renewal.

What do I need to do? For most users, no action is required. The popup will go away and stop appearing in a few days.

What is happening? Microsoft is ending support for Microsoft Publisher. Subscription versions of Publisher will no longer work after October 2026, at which time Publisher will be removed from managed Academic Support Unit Windows computers.

When is this happening? October 2026

What do I need to do? Review all Publisher files that are still needed and proactively convert them to PDF or Word before October 2026. After Publisher is removed, the files will not be easily viewable/editable.

Additional resources and support:

• Find an alternative application for your current uses of Microsoft Publisher: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, LibreOffice Draw are potential options.
• See the following for conversion instructions and alternative options: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 | Microsoft Support

The computer lab in PHY-342 will be closed for renovations the week of April 6th and will reopen Monday, April 13th.  Please use the computer lab in C2-160 during this time.

Microsoft Teams: site owners will now receive an email notification if no activity is detected across their SharePoint site over a six-month period (previously 14 months). Inactivity emails will be sent to site owners once a month from noreplySharePoint@uwaterloo.ca. Site owners should continue to evaluate whether the site is required or if the site should be deleted and chose the appropriate action within the email. Learn more about inactive SharePoint sites and site owner responsibilities.

SharePoint/Teams: sites now require a minimum of two active site owners. Site management guidelines outline the rationale for this change and the responsibilities of site owners. An email message will be sent to existing site owners/site admins/managers or previous site owners (if this information is available) if a site does not currently meet the new site management guidelines.  Please ensure your site has at least two site owners as soon as possible. Learn more about adding additional site owners.

The R: drive is moving to an upgraded platform on Friday, March 13th at 5pm.  Nexus computers will automatically handle the change, but if you have a macOS or non-Nexus Windows computer, you'll need to take action to update your drive mapping after that date.  Head over to our website for instructions on how to map the R: drive on your computer.

The University is implementing a 90-day retention policy for Microsoft Teams Chat messages starting August 19th, meaning private 1:1 chats, group chats, meeting chats, and chats with yourself will be automatically deleted 90 days after being sent or received. This change does not affect Channel posts or shared files, and aligns with the University policy to manage information risk. You can use the UW Teams Message Export Tool to save a copy of your exchanges. 

IST will be discontinuing the existing SPSS licence due to relatively low usage starting in January 2026.

Faculty, researchers, and students can purchase SPSS from one of the following sources:

• StudentDiscounts.com – SPSS Student and Teacher Discounts on Gradpack
• University of Waterloo | Academic Software Discounts (OnTheHub)
• Other vendor options from IBM are listed at: Gradpack and Faculty Packs - IBM SPSS Statistics
• Note: Some faculties are exploring Download JASP - JASP - Free and User-Friendly Statistical Software as an alternative

IST is providing Information Sessions and IT Professional Development (ITPD) training courses for employees through the Spring term to learn more about the Microsoft 365 storage and platform changes. Please visit the IST Events page and the ITPD course brochure for session links. You can also view our page, Microsoft 365 Data Storage Changes - Information Sessions, Training, and Support for more details about the topics, dates, and times offered. 

Additional resources and support:

Please visit the M365 storage quotas and information page to learn more. If you would like assistance with managing your storage, please contact Science Computing or IST.