Microsoft scraps Exchange Online spam clamp after customers cry foul

Microsoft has backed away from planned changes to Exchange Online after customers objected to limits designed to curb outbound email abuse.

In its cancellation announcement, Microsoft said: "Customers have shared that this limit creates significant operational challenges, especially given the limited capabilities of bulk sending offerings available today.

"Your feedback matters, and we're committed to solutions that balance security and usability without causing unnecessary disruption."

The plan, announced in 2024, would impose daily restrictions to Exchange Online. New tenants' cloud-hosted mailboxes would face an external recipient rate (ERR) limit of 2,000 recipients per 24 hours, applied per user/mailbox to "help reduce unfair usage and abuse of Exchange Online resources."

The restrictions also aimed to curb spam flowing from compromised Exchange Online accounts.

The original blueprint targeted newly created tenants starting January 1, 2025, with existing tenants' cloud-hosted mailboxes facing limits between July and December 2025. As customers ...