Microsoft says it will retire OWA Light, the lightweight Outlook Web Access (OWA) client for Exchange Server, in a forthcoming update expected in August 2026. In communications shared this week, Microsoft states that the company plans to disable and remove the OWA Light experience from Exchange Server, after which users will no longer be able to select or be redirected to OWA Light and instead should use the modern Outlook on the web experience.
Microsoft introduced OWA Light roughly two decades ago as an alternative to OWA Premium, targeting environments where older web browsers were in use or where systems did not meet requirements for the full OWA experience. Microsoft previously described OWA Light as offering a simplified interface and faster sign-in for limited-bandwidth connections, including compatibility with locked-down browser modes such as kiosks.
The Register notes the planned change follows years of deprecation. Microsoft deprecated OWA Light as of August 19, 2024, and has now reiterated plans to remove it from Exchange Server in the next major window. Microsoft says retiring the legacy client is intended to reduce the attack surface and simplify engineering work focused on the primary web experience used by customers.
