Microsoft will begin disabling Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online starting October 2026. From that point, applications that rely on EWS will stop working unless Microsoft 365 admins manually enable EWS in their tenants and define an AppID Allow List. The complete shutdown of EWS is planned for April 2027.
Microsoft’s recommended successor to EWS for accessing Exchange Online data and other Microsoft 365 services is Microsoft Graph – a modern API designed for growing cloud environments. EWS will continue to be fully supported in on-premises Exchange Server environments.
While the retirement of EWS has been known for some time, transitioning from EWS to Microsoft Graph depends on Microsoft providing equivalent Graph functionality. Many of the Graph API capabilities required to support existing EWS-based scenarios have only recently become available or are still under development. We have been working closely with Microsoft and gradually transitioning affected CodeTwo products and features as the necessary Graph components become available.
Read on to learn which CodeTwo products currently use EWS and what limitations may apply until Microsoft confirms support for all EWS-based scenarios in Graph.
Which CodeTwo products use EWS today?
Some CodeTwo products for Microsoft 365 still rely on EWS to connect to Exchange Online and provide certain features. We’re already working on Microsoft Graph support to ensure uninterrupted operation after EWS retirement. Moving to Microsoft Graph will also improve security, reliability, and future compatibility.
We will update this article as Graph-enabled versions of our software become available. Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible and keep you informed every step of the way.
Use the links below to learn how EWS retirement affects specific CodeTwo products:
- The Sent Items Update feature in CodeTwo email signature software
- CodeTwo migration software
- CodeTwo backup software
Important: Until the new versions are released, make sure EWS remains enabled in your Microsoft 365 tenant (as described in this section) to ensure your CodeTwo products continue to work.
EWS retirement vs CodeTwo email signature software
Related products: CodeTwo Email Signatures 365, CodeTwo Email Signatures On-prem (hybrid deployments only)
The retirement of Exchange Web Services doesn’t affect adding CodeTwo signatures to emails.
The only feature in our email signature solutions that currently uses EWS is Sent Items Update, responsible for updating emails in the Sent Items folder with the signature that was added in the cloud (after the email was sent). We’re already migrating the Sent Items Update app to the Graph API to preserve 100% of its current functionality. We will update this article and notify customers when the Graph-based version becomes available.
Important: For CodeTwo Email Signatures On-prem, the above applies only to hybrid Exchange environments. If you’re using the product with a stand-alone on-premises Exchange Server, Sent Items Update will continue to use EWS.
EWS retirement vs CodeTwo migration tools
Related products: CodeTwo Office 365 Migration, CodeTwo Exchange Migration
CodeTwo migration tools currently use EWS to connect to Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online) and on-premises Exchange and perform migration jobs. We’re already working on support for the Graph API, and once the transition is complete, all interactions with Exchange Online will use the new API instead of EWS.
We’re working closely with Microsoft to ensure the Graph API supports all migration scenarios currently available through EWS. However, at the time of writing, Microsoft has not yet confirmed support for:
- Public folders
- Archive mailboxes
- IMAP servers (access to emails)
As a result, migrations involving public folders and archive mailboxes to or from Microsoft 365, as well as IMAP to Microsoft 365 migrations, may be limited or unavailable after April 2027. We will update this article as soon as Microsoft provides more information.
If you plan to migrate public folders, archive mailboxes, or emails from IMAP servers such as Google Workspace, Zimbra, and other platforms, consider completing those migrations before April 2027. See also: EWS retirement is near – migrate public folders with CodeTwo
Important: Public folder and archive mailbox migrations between on-premises Exchange environments, as well as IMAP to on-premises Exchange migrations, will not be affected.
EWS retirement vs CodeTwo backup software
Related product: CodeTwo Backup for Office 365
CodeTwo backup software currently relies on EWS to connect to Exchange Online. We’re working on support for the Graph API to ensure backup and restore operations continue to work after EWS retirement.
However, Microsoft has not yet confirmed support for the following resources:
- Public folders
- Archive mailboxes
As a result, support for these resources after April 2027 remains uncertain. We’ll update this article as soon as more information becomes available.
How to ensure CodeTwo software works before Graph versions are released
Microsoft will begin disabling EWS tenant by tenant starting in October 2026. However, we have already observed cases where EWS access was disabled in some tenants as part of Microsoft’s scream tests.
Until Graph-enabled versions of the affected CodeTwo products are released, make sure EWS remains enabled in your Microsoft 365 tenant. Currently, PowerShell is the only way to view and modify your organization’s EWS configuration.
Check whether EWS is enabled
- Connect to your Exchange Online organization with PowerShell (see this article for instructions).
- Use the following cmdlet to check if EWS is enabled organization-wide:
Get-OrganizationConfig | select EWSEnabledIf the result is False or you don’t get any value (Null), as shown below, continue to the next section.
Important: The Null value is treated as True until September 2026. Starting October 1, 2026, Microsoft will automatically treat the Null value as False. So, to avoid disruptions, set the value to True (enable EWS).
Enable EWS for the organization
- To enable EWS across your organization, run the following cmdlet (you need to be your organization’s Microsoft 365 global admin or Exchange admin to be able to do this):
Set-OrganizationConfig -EwsEnabled:$true- To verify the configuration, run the following command again:
Get-OrganizationConfig | select EWSEnabledThe result should now be as shown below:
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