Microsoft has announced its intention to disable and ultimately remove the Outlook Web Access (OWA) Light client from Exchange Server in an upcoming update, projected for August 2026. The company stated that the decision aims to reduce legacy surface area, streamline engineering efforts, and allow for continued improvements to the standard Outlook on the web experience.
OWA Light, a simplified version of the Outlook Web App, was originally introduced approximately two decades ago. Its purpose was to provide a functional web interface for users with older web browsers or systems that did not support Internet Explorer 6 or later. At the time of its release, Microsoft highlighted OWA Light's cleaner interface, faster logon times over low-bandwidth connections, and compatibility with locked-down browser environments such as kiosks.
However, OWA Light offers a significantly restricted feature set compared to the full-featured standard OWA client. Notable limitations include the absence of weekly or monthly calendar views, inability to access shared mailboxes or calendars, no functionality for importing or exporting messages or contacts, and the inability to create or modify tasks or notes.
Microsoft officially deprecated OWA Light on August 19, 2024. The company cited significant advancements in web browser capabilities, improved network conditions for many users, and an evolving security landscape as key reasons for the retirement. The Exchange Team emphasized that the modern Outlook on the web experience is now the primary focus for development.
Following the planned August 2026 update, users will no longer have the option to select or be redirected to OWA Light and will instead be directed to the modern Outlook on the web experience.
For administrators who wish to disable OWA Light immediately, Microsoft provides specific PowerShell commands. The `Set-OwaMailboxPolicy -OwaLightEnabled $false` command can be used to block OWA Light for mailboxes, while `Set-OwaVirtualDirectory -LogonPageLightSelectionEnabled $false` will disable the OWA Light selection option on the logon page. Further details and documentation are available for these commands.
