Starting in November, Microsoft will also unlock preview features for Teams, the new Outlook for Windows, OneDrive and SharePoint through its Frontier program. Until now, enrolled accounts only received Copilot innovations and agents before the official launch. According to the entry in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, the expansion applies worldwide and to Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android. Microsoft no longer requires a Copilot license for enrollment.
What changes with Frontier?
Frontier is Microsoft's program for features that are not yet generally available. Which new features for Teams, Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint will arrive first is still unclear. Everything is controlled through a single setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Accounts that are already enrolled in Frontier stay enrolled and automatically receive the new preview features.
The product license remains mandatory, however: Teams innovations only appear in accounts with a Teams license, and Copilot innovations still only with a Copilot license. It can take up to three hours after switching it on until the features appear, Microsoft writes on the help page for Frontier.
Frontier only affects organizational accounts that are managed through the admin center, that is, business and education accounts. Personal subscriptions such as Microsoft 365 Single or Family are left out. In Germany, the expansion applies without restriction; only the US government clouds are excluded. In which languages the preview features will appear remains unclear.
What happens to targeted release?
At the same time, Microsoft is overhauling update management. Through targeted release, selected accounts received finished features earlier than the rest of the organization. Starting in November, accounts can no longer be added, removed or changed there, and in January 2027 Microsoft will discontinue the option. After that, two tiers remain for finished features: the standard release, which delivers new features at the official launch, and the delayed release, which follows about 30 days later.
Frontier and targeted release: the dates
Microsoft is overhauling update management for organizational accounts in Microsoft 365
- October 28, 2026Microsoft announces the expansion of Frontier
- November 2026Preview features for Teams, Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint
- November 2026Accounts in targeted release can no longer be changed
- January 2027Microsoft discontinues targeted release
Frontier features are preview versions and may change or be removed again
Sources: Microsoft 365 Roadmap, Microsoft Learn
From January 2027, accounts in targeted release will automatically switch to the standard or delayed release that the organization has set. With Frontier, admins have to enroll these accounts themselves. The change applies to the admin center, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint Online, Outlook on the web, the new Outlook for Windows and Office on the web. The update channels of the Office apps on the computer, the Windows updates and the Microsoft 365 Insider program remain unchanged.
What this means for you
If you manage the Microsoft 365 of your office or agency yourself, it's best to check now how Frontier is configured: in the admin center under Copilot, Settings, the "View all" tab, search for "Frontier". If it already says "All users" there for the Copilot agents, the whole team will get unfinished Teams and Outlook features starting in November. For a small team, a test account under "Specific users and groups" is usually enough.
It's best not to run any customer data through this test account. The usual support agreements do not apply to Frontier features, some may be subject to a fee, and these features do not meet the ISO 27001, 27002 and 27018 standards. If a customer contract requires certified tools, Frontier remains off-limits for customer projects.
If you have been using targeted release so far, switch the accounts over by January. Microsoft advises: If targeted release was running for everyone, you switch to the standard release. If only individual test accounts were enrolled, you set the organization to the delayed release and enroll the test accounts in the standard release; this way the test accounts see new features about 30 days before everyone else. What Microsoft 365 includes and how the subscriptions differ is explained in the lesson on Microsoft 365 in the Copilot course.
Microsoft announced the expansion on October 28, 2026 in the message center for admins and added it to the roadmap on October 30, 2026.
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