Microsoft regularly implements changes to its education licenses that will impact license structure, storage capacities, features, and access to the Office suite at George Mason. To help prepare for changes, ITS analyzes the current environment to better understand the impact and will update this page as new information becomes available.
Important things to note:
- Many of the changes implemented by Microsoft are done on a rolling basis and are not applied to all accounts in our environment at the same time, but rather over weeks to months
- Some changes are applied to specific license types and not all users
- Microsoft frequently releases services and features into our environment that ITS may reconfigure for a better user experience and improved
Upcoming Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | Anonymous Links that are generated in OneDrive will automatically expire after 180 days |
| July 1, 2025 | MS Teams (Classic) will be deprecated and no longer available for use |
| April 2026 | Users will be required to switch from Classic Outlook to the new Modern Outlook. The new Modern Outlook is available now for preview with an option to revert |
Anonymous Links
Anonymous links in OneDrive, also known as “Anyone links,” allow users to share files and folders without requiring the recipient to sign in. These links can be accessed by anyone who has the link, making them convenient for sharing with external users or large groups, but can cause security problems. This change will enhance security by placing a default expiration of 180 days on anonymous links. Once the link expires, a new link will need to be generated. The expiration on these public links can be set to less than 180 days.
MS Teams (Classic)
The new Teams desktop client is reimagined from the ground up with performance in mind, providing a faster, simpler, and more flexible experience. The new Teams client installs and loads faster, letting you launch the app and join meetings more quickly, giving you more time to focus on business tasks. The new Teams ensures more efficient use of device resources. You can lower memory and disk usage with a Teams app optimized for your device.
Using New MS Teams
Managed systems can get a copy of the new Teams via Software Center (Windows) or Mason Self-Service (Mac).
Follow these steps to switch to the new MS Teams on your PC:
- Open MS Teams and launch the desktop app on your Windows device
- Look for the “Try the new Teams” toggle or banner at the top of your MS Teams window
- Enable the toggle or follow the banner instructions
- Installation: The new Teams will start downloading and installing in the background
- Restart: Your Teams app will likely close and restart to open the new Teams
Follow these steps to switch to the new MS Teams on your Mac:
- Open MS Teams on your Mac
- Select your profile picture in the top right corner
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu
- Select Switch to the new Teams
Note: If you don’t see the option to switch, ensure your app is operating on the latest version. You can check for updates by selecting Help > Check for updates.
Outlook Classic
To help provide a smooth transition and allow users to become more familiar with the new version of Outlook, you can run the new Outlook and Outlook Classic side-by-side.
Completed Changes
- May 2025: SharePoint Workspaces storage quota set at 100GB for newly generated workspaces
- March 2025: MS Teams (Classic) removed from managed systems
- July 2024: A1 Plus license retired
- February 2024: OneDrive storage for A1 users decreased from 1 TB to 100 GB
Get Support
If you require assistance or have questions, contact ITS Support at 703-993-8870 or its.gmu.edu/chat.