Time Ebbing Away Before AzureAD and MSOnline Module Retirement

On January 13, 2025 Microsoft posted what I am sure they hope will be the last notification about retirement details for the MSOnline and AzureAD PowerShell modules. This has been a long-running saga that’s taken almost as long as the effort to eradicate basic authentication for Exchange Online connection protocols.

The original August 2021 announcement that Microsoft intended to retire the two modules set a date of June 30, 2022. Following customer feedback that the date was too aggressive, Microsoft pushed the date out by a year and then by another nine months. The transition to a new Microsoft 365 licensing platform in mid-2024 forced people to take notice when PowerShell cmdlets stopped being able to assign or update licenses. Microsoft has now set what they say is the final schedule for the retirement (Figure 1).

Final Red Flags for MSOnline Module Retirement

The end of support for both modules is March 30, 2025, just eleven weeks away. But the really interesting note here is the temporary outage tests Microsoft plans for the MSOnline module cmdlets starting on January 20, 2025. What this means is that the MSOnline cmdlets will stop working at least twice between January 20 and February 28. The outages will last between three and eight hours and happen at different times during the day.

The two short outages will be followed in March 2025 by a longer outage. Microsoft hasn’t said how long the longer outage will last. What they have said is that the outages are “To ensure that customers are ready for this retirement of MSOnline PowerShell.”

Customers might view the outages in a different light, especially if the outages stop production scripts running. But to be fair to Microsoft, they have been up front and patient as the process for the retirement of the MSOnline and AzureAD modules unfolded since August 2021. The outages are no more than a final red flag warning to tenants. If you ignore the warnings, be prepared for disruption when the MSOnline module retirement finally completes sometime in April 2025. At that point, all the MSOnline cmdlets will stop working permanently.

AzureAD Module Retirement Follows in Third Quarter

To allow customers to focus on upgrading scripts from the older MSOnline module, Microsoft is targeting the third quarter of 2025 for the final retirement of the AzureAD module. Remember, its cmdlets have already lost their license management capability, so scripts used for other purposes such as reporting accounts and groups need to be upgraded now.

Upgrade to Entra PowerShell or the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK

Two upgrade options are available:

• The Entra PowerShell module (still in preview).
• The Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK.

Microsoft built the Entra module from Graph SDK components wrapped up with some tweaks to make it slightly easier to migrate from MSOnline or AzureAD. Although I respect the opinion of those who advocate for the Entra module as the best migration target, I think this approach is a very short-term tactical step. You might end up being able to migrate scripts, but in doing so you’ll miss the opportunity to master the Graph SDK (and also be able to migrate your scripts).

Missing out on the Graph SDK might not sound like such a big deal, especially when the Entra module is available to handle the immediate need to migrate scripts before the old modules stop working. However, mastering the Graph SDK opens up the opportunity to use PowerShell to interact with many other forms of Microsoft 365 data instead of “just Entra ID.” The same techniques learned to interact with users, groups, and devices can be applied to teams, SharePoint Online sites, OneDrive for Business accounts, Exchange mailboxes, Planner plans and tasks, and so on. Understanding how the Microsoft Graph works is the better strategic choice for the longer term.

Whatever choice you make, time is ebbing away. If you need help to migrate, consider investing in a copy of the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook, which includes the Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell eBook (also available separately as an eBook or paperback). The hundreds of practical examples contained in these eBooks include many worked-out solutions for applying the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to solve problems.