Microsoft 365 Home: support for (new) personalized Outlook email addresses will be removed

Microsoft is sending out emails to Outlook customers right now that informs them that support for personalized email addresses on Outlook.com is ending at the end of November 2023.

Existing Outlook customers who have set up custom email addresses won't have the option taken away from them. These email addresses will continue to work after November 2023 just like before. New custom email addresses can't be added to Outlook.com anymore after November 30, 2023.

Microsoft launched Outlook Premium in 2016 as a subscription service. Customers could sign-up for it to get some benefits, including an ad-free experience and a custom email address. Outlook Premium was dropped in favor of Office 365. Office itself is now becoming Microsoft 365.

Up until now, Microsoft 365 Family or Personal customers could set up a personalized email address that is associated with the Outlook.com mailbox. The feature was limited to domains managed by the domain registrar and hosting provider GoDaddy.

Microsoft is removing the personalized email address feature from Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions. The email that Microsoft is sending out provides the following information about the change:

Microsoft is committed to improving your Microsoft 365 subscription. As a result, we occasionally make changes to your features and benefits. This email provides details on two apps we have recently added to your subscription, one feature we plan to remove next year, and an update to your cloud storage.

Personalized email addresses in Outlook.com

Starting November 30, 2023, you will no longer be able to associate a new personalized email address (e.g. [email protected]) with your Outlook.com mailbox. If you already have a personalized email address set up, you will not be impacted by this change, and you can continue using it without any disruption in service. After November 30, 2023, if you choose to remove your existing personalized email address, you will be unable to add it back.

To sum it up. Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers may assign personalized email addresses with their Outlook.com mailbox until November 2023. The feature is removed on November 30, 2023 and the option to assign a personalized email address is no longer available at the time. Existing personalized email addresses continue to work, but when they are removed, they can't be added back again.

It is interesting that Microsoft begins its email with the claim that it is committed to improving the subscription. Microsoft 365 Home customers have a year left to set up a personalized email address. Microsoft has not yet announced the change on the Microsoft 365 website. The "Get a personalized email address in Microsoft 365" support page makes no mention of the change yet.

Many email services support custom email addresses, including Fastmail, Proton Mail or Tutanota. Tutanota's Premium plan, for example, supports 1 custom email address. It is available for €12 per year. Storage is limited to 1GB, but it can be expanded.

Now You: do you use custom email addresses? If so, at which provider? (via Big Tech Wire, Twitter)

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