Microsoft’s finally putting OWA Light out to pasture. The stripped-down version of Outlook Web App will be disabled in an Exchange Server update coming in August 2026.
OWA Light has been around for roughly two decades. It was designed for the old web — when Internet Explorer 6 was still a thing and people accessed email on dial-up connections. It offered faster login times and worked in locked-down browser modes like kiosks.
But it came with serious tradeoffs. No weekly or monthly calendar views. No shared mailboxes or calendars. No importing or exporting messages. Couldn’t even create or modify tasks.
Microsoft deprecated OWA Light back in August 2024. Now they’re actually pulling the trigger. The Exchange Team says it’s about reducing legacy surface area and simplifying engineering. Modern browsers are more capable and consistent now. Network conditions have improved. The security landscape has shifted.
Once the update hits, users won’t be able to choose or get redirected to OWA Light anymore. Everyone moves to the full Outlook on the web experience.
Admins don’t have to wait. You can block OWA Light right now with PowerShell. Run Set-OwaMailboxPolicy -OwaLightEnabled $false to disable it per mailbox policy. Or use Set-OwaVirtualDirectory -LogonPageLightSelectionEnabled $false to remove the selection menu from the login page entirely.
Full documentation is available on Microsoft’s Set-OwaMailboxPolicy and Set-OwaVirtualDirectory pages.
