Summary
- Exchange Online’s Change Optics report is now generally available in the Exchange Admin Center for worldwide tenants.
- The report helps administrators identify mail traffic that may be affected by upcoming Exchange Online transport changes before enforcement occurs.
- At GA, it includes scenarios for onmicrosoft.com external traffic (OMC) and Direct Send traffic (DRS).
- No action is required, but admins should use the report to review future change-related scenarios and update mail flow guidance as needed.
Primary Service: Exchange
Admin Impact: Low
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 26 Oct 2026
Release End: 26 Oct 2026
Services: Exchange
Category: Stay informed
Tags: Admin Action, Feature Update
History
10/26/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Following the public preview announced in MC1301802, the Change Optics report for Exchange Online is now generally available for worldwide tenants. The report helps Exchange administrators identify email traffic that may be affected by upcoming service changes so they can investigate and remediate potential issues before enforcement occurs.
Learn more: The Change Optics report is now generally available in Exchange Online
Rollout Schedule
General Availability (Worldwide): The report is available now.
Impact on Your Organization
The Change Optics report is available in the Exchange Admin Center under Reports > Mail flow > Change Optics Report. The report displays a sample set of messages matching characteristics expected to be affected by Exchange Online transport changes. At GA, the report includes:
- OMC (Onmicrosoft.com external traffic): Identifies onmicrosoft.com traffic sent externally so organizations can investigate and reduce usage affected by onmicrosoft.com throttling.
- DRS (Direct Send traffic): Identifies Direct Send traffic received by your tenant, helping administrators identify legitimate senders before enabling Reject Direct Send.
Since Public Preview, we’ve made improvements to the report thanks to the feedback received.
Action Required/Recommendations
No action is required. Exchange administrators may want to:
- Review the Change Optics Report when future Message Center communications reference a Change Optics scenario.
- Use the OMC scenario to identify and reduce onmicrosoft.com external email usage.
- Use the DRS scenario to identify Direct Send traffic and prepare for enabling Reject Direct Send where appropriate.
- Update internal mail flow operational guidance to incorporate Change Optics as part of change preparation.
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.