Microsoft will kill Office Online Server next year, creating a headache for anyone using on-premises Office web applications and the beleaguered holdouts sticking with Skype for Business Server.

The retirement is scheduled for December 31, 2026. After this, there won’t be any more security fixes, updates, or technical support from Microsoft. “This change is part of our ongoing commitment to modernising productivity experiences and focusing on cloud-first solutions,” the company said.

Office Online Server provides browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for customers who want to keep things on-prem without having to roll out the full desktop applications. Microsoft’s solution is to move to Microsoft 365, its decidedly off-premises version of its applications. The company said it is “focusing its browser-based Office app investments on Office for the Web to deliver secure, collaborative, and feature-rich experiences through Microsoft 365.”

Other than migrating to another platform when the vendor pulls the plug, affected customers have few options.

The announcement will also hit several customers running SharePoint Server SE or Exchange Server SE. While those products remain supported, Office Online Server integration will go away. The company suggested Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and Office LTSC 2024 as alternatives for viewing and editing documents hosted on those servers.

Skype for Business customers will also lose some key features related to PowerPoint. Presenter notes and high-fidelity PowerPoint rendering will go away. In-meeting annotations, which allow meeting participants to write directly to slides without altering the original file, will no longer be available, and embedded video playback will run at lower fidelity. Features like whiteboards, polls, and app sharing shouldn’t be affected.

Microsoft’s solution is a move to Teams, which the company says “offers modern meeting experiences.”

Office Online Server launched in 2016 and is the successor to Office Web Apps Server 2013. At the time, Microsoft said it “recognises that many organisations still value running server products on-premises for a variety of reasons.”

“With OOS [Office Online Server], you get the same functionality we offer with Office Online in your own datacenter.”

There is currently no successor for Office Online Server. Few users may know it exists, but the fact that it is retiring is going to hurt those who prefer to keep data and processing on-premises without touching Office LTSC 2024.

The European Commission (EC) has agreed to commitments proposed by Microsoft to address antitrust concerns related to the integration of Teams with its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites.

These measures will be legally binding under EU antitrust laws.

The commission’s investigation focused on Microsoft’s practice of bundling Teams with widely used productivity applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

This practice raised concerns about potential anticompetitive behaviour by limiting opportunities for rival communication and collaboration tools.

To resolve these issues, Microsoft will provide versions of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without Teams at a reduced price. Customers, including those with long-term licenses, will have the option to switch to these new versions.

The company will also enhance interoperability between competing products and Microsoft services, alongside improving data portability from Teams to other platforms.

Additionally, Microsoft will modify its licensing and pricing structures in line with these commitments while ensuring customer needs are met. From 1 November 2025, customers can choose between product suites with or without Teams globally.

The EC’s investigation, launched in July 2023, preliminarily found concerns about Microsoft’s integration of Teams since April 2019.

This practice might breach Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union by restricting competition within the European Economic Area market for software-as-a-service productivity applications.

A market test conducted between May and June 2025 assessed Microsoft’s commitments. Based on the feedback, Microsoft agreed to increase the price difference between packages with and without Teams by 50% for certain business segments.

The tech giant also committed to prominently advertising both options.

EC clean, just, and competitive transition executive vice-president Teresa Ribera said: “Organisations big and small across Europe and around the world rely heavily on videoconferencing, chat and collaboration tools, especially since the coronavirus pandemic.

“With today’s decision, we make binding for seven years or more Microsoft’s commitments to put an end to its tying practices that may be preventing rivals from effectively competing with Teams.”

This agreement follows complaints from Slack Technologies and alfaview regarding Microsoft’s alleged competitive conduct. Both entities retracted their complaints following Microsoft’s proposed commitments.

Under EU antitrust regulations, companies can offer commitments during investigations to address concerns without concluding an infringement.

Non-compliance could lead to substantial fines or daily penalties based on global turnover.

Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s northernmost state, has confirmed it will be phasing out Microsoft office software tools (including Teams, Word, Excel and Outlook) in its public offices in a bid to reduce its reliance on US tech giants.

The region is now seeking open source alternatives, with the likes of LibreOffice, Open-Xchange and Linux being broadly adopted.

To date, an estimated 30,000 public employees have already turned their backs on Microsoft’s products, with a further 30,000 teachers set to follow suit.

The move means Schleswig-Holstein has become the first German state, and one of the first in Europe, to fully phase out Microsoft products in public administration, however it marks a growing trend across the continent as administrations seek to support local and sovereign options, gain digital independence and tackle the dominance of US tech giants – a topic that has been central to numerous EU antitrust investigations in recent years.

Set to affect almost all government departments in the state, the transition started in 2023. A full switch for civil servants, police and judges is expected by the end of this year.

Possibly one of the biggest changeovers to have happened, the transition extends far beyond switching Microsoft Office for LibreOffice.

Outlook is to be replaced by Open-Xchange, Microsoft Teams will be phased out for an open source German platform, and even the entire operating system – Windows – will be switched out for Linux-based OSs.

Besides seeking geographical independence, Schleswig-Holstein’s approach can also be seen as a reaction to geopolitical instability, such as President Trump’s return to office and subsequent EU-US tensions.

By betting on open source software (OSS), the German state could avoid expensive licensing fees tied to Microsoft’s products (one of the pertinent antitrust cases to have been led by the European Commission), potentially saving tens of millions of euros in the long term.

Neighbouring Danish cities, like Copenhagen and Aarhus, are also reportedly exploring Microsoft alternatives, however such a change could come at a cost.

For example, the state risks running into potential interoperability issues by adopting solutions from a range of providers, while workers could need full retraining and support during the transition.

However, desires to cut ties are evident. Speaking with AFP (via France24), digitalisation minister Dirk Schroedter concluded: “We’re done with Teams!”

“The geopolitical developments of the past few months have strengthened interest in the path that we’ve taken,” Schroedter added.