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// deadlines · Defender
Application Guard for Office removed from Microsoft 365 AppsDefender · December 2026
Phase 2 fully removes Defender Application Guard for Office with no workaround, starting with Current Channel in early December 2026, then Monthly Enterprise Channel in February 2027 and Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel in July 2027. Files will open in Protected View; rely on Safe Links, Safe Attachments and ASR rules instead.
In short: this takes effect on December 2026 (Microsoft gives this as an approximate date). That's 26 days from when this page was built.
Time left
Countdown to December 2026 (UTC).
What to do
- Read the official notice: Microsoft source ↗.
- Add every Microsoft deadline to your calendar: subscribe to the deadlines calendar.
Other upcoming Defender deadlines
Sources