Microsoft pops legacy Exchange public folders on the chopping block
(2025/07/29)
- Reference: 1753790407
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/29/microsoft_exchange_public_folders/
- Source link:
The clock is ticking for administrators pondering a migration path to Exchange Online from an elderly version of Microsoft's email server. Support for public folder migrations from Exchange Server 2010 and older is set for deprecation.
[1]Microsoft will block public folder migrations from October 1, including any already in process. As such, a customer planning a migration will need to complete it by then or face an abrupt plug-pulling, which would be less than ideal if it happened midway through.
Once the axe falls on migration services for older versions of Exchange Server, customers will need to migrate public folders to a newer version first, from where they can then migrate to Exchange Online.
[2]
Yes, that sounds like a bit of a hassle to us too. An alternative might be to rethink a company's messaging requirements.
[3]
[4]
As for why Microsoft is doing this, it said: "We are deprecating support for public folder migrations from Exchange Server 2010 and older versions to Exchange Online to reduce reliance on older systems and improve long-term service reliability."
Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that support for Exchange Server 2010 only [5]ended in 2020 , so ending Microsoft's migration tools feels a bit premature, even considering the [6]dominance of Exchange Online .
[7]
[8]In 2020 , as support finally came to an end, there were still plenty of Exchange 2010 servers out in the wild. Earlier versions were also still ticking over. Exchange was, after all, tricky to upgrade and migrate from, and for many enterprises, the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra also carried weight.
Exchange Server has been the [9]subject of multiple attacks over the years, with zero-day flaws being actively exploited. The situation [10]was so bad that it took until 2025 for Microsoft to finally release a subscription-only version of Exchange.
[11]Microsoft bolts Copilot Mode onto Edge to chase AI-browser crowd
[12]Microsoft spotlights Apple bug patched in March as SharePoint exploits continue
[13]Microsoft used staff in China to help babysit US govt cloud services, report says
[14]Windows 11 is a minefield of micro-aggressions in the shipping lane of progress
Even Microsoft's preferred option for customers, Exchange Online, is not immune to the odd fault, and has [15]fallen over on occasion , making administrators perhaps think twice about migrating.
However, the end for Microsoft's public folder migration tools for older versions of Exchange Server indicates that time is running short if Exchange Online is the preferred destination.
Whatever an administrator decides, sticking with that aging server hardware is no longer a viable option. Microsoft said: "We do not encourage customers to use those long unsupported versions of Exchange in any way."
[16]
"Long unsupported" = "Five years ago." ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/deprecation-of-native-public-folder-migrations-to-service-from-very-old-versions/4437202
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/exchange-server-2010
[6] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1230573/microsoft-on-premise-vs-cloud-exchange-mailboxes/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/02/exchange2010_servers_exposed/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/30/exchange_server_zero_day/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/06/next_exchange_server_due_2025/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/microsoft_edge_copilot_mode/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/microsoft_spots_apple_bug/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/microsoft_china_staffers_us_govt_cloud/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/windows_11_is_a_minefield/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/02/microsoft_teams_exchange_apac_outage/
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
[1]Microsoft will block public folder migrations from October 1, including any already in process. As such, a customer planning a migration will need to complete it by then or face an abrupt plug-pulling, which would be less than ideal if it happened midway through.
Once the axe falls on migration services for older versions of Exchange Server, customers will need to migrate public folders to a newer version first, from where they can then migrate to Exchange Online.
[2]
Yes, that sounds like a bit of a hassle to us too. An alternative might be to rethink a company's messaging requirements.
[3]
[4]
As for why Microsoft is doing this, it said: "We are deprecating support for public folder migrations from Exchange Server 2010 and older versions to Exchange Online to reduce reliance on older systems and improve long-term service reliability."
Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that support for Exchange Server 2010 only [5]ended in 2020 , so ending Microsoft's migration tools feels a bit premature, even considering the [6]dominance of Exchange Online .
[7]
[8]In 2020 , as support finally came to an end, there were still plenty of Exchange 2010 servers out in the wild. Earlier versions were also still ticking over. Exchange was, after all, tricky to upgrade and migrate from, and for many enterprises, the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra also carried weight.
Exchange Server has been the [9]subject of multiple attacks over the years, with zero-day flaws being actively exploited. The situation [10]was so bad that it took until 2025 for Microsoft to finally release a subscription-only version of Exchange.
[11]Microsoft bolts Copilot Mode onto Edge to chase AI-browser crowd
[12]Microsoft spotlights Apple bug patched in March as SharePoint exploits continue
[13]Microsoft used staff in China to help babysit US govt cloud services, report says
[14]Windows 11 is a minefield of micro-aggressions in the shipping lane of progress
Even Microsoft's preferred option for customers, Exchange Online, is not immune to the odd fault, and has [15]fallen over on occasion , making administrators perhaps think twice about migrating.
However, the end for Microsoft's public folder migration tools for older versions of Exchange Server indicates that time is running short if Exchange Online is the preferred destination.
Whatever an administrator decides, sticking with that aging server hardware is no longer a viable option. Microsoft said: "We do not encourage customers to use those long unsupported versions of Exchange in any way."
[16]
"Long unsupported" = "Five years ago." ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/deprecation-of-native-public-folder-migrations-to-service-from-very-old-versions/4437202
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/exchange-server-2010
[6] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1230573/microsoft-on-premise-vs-cloud-exchange-mailboxes/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/02/exchange2010_servers_exposed/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/30/exchange_server_zero_day/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/06/next_exchange_server_due_2025/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/microsoft_edge_copilot_mode/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/microsoft_spots_apple_bug/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/microsoft_china_staffers_us_govt_cloud/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/windows_11_is_a_minefield/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/02/microsoft_teams_exchange_apac_outage/
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIjwG9yrcYQB0dTHxTcYMQAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: A long-lived failure...
GDM
Exchange Public Folders - and their almost complete failure to deliver what the market wanted
Although a lot of places did manage to get them to do useful things. Sort of. They were at least simple enough that users could have a fair stab at understanding and using them.
Having failed with PFs the first time, they tried again with SharePoint and managed an almost complete failure to deliver what the market wanted, but bigger! With even more things that were difficult to use or manage in any way you might actually want.
Cruachan
Here we go again, they tried to pull the plug on PFs once before (2007 IIRC) and had to restore them with a Service Pack after much outrage from customers.
Always my least favourite part of an Exchange migration, because they're always full of legacy crap but no one will ever say it's legacy crap and can be deleted
williamyf
Long Unsupported = half the support lifetime of the software.
A long-lived failure...
After the major SharePoint issues at the tail end of last week, I noticed that some coverage came with a brief explanation of what SharePoint is. Apparently many of the youth of today have been blessed with not having to use it. Lucky sods!
But at no point did anyone explain why SharePoint came to be. Which is how I ended up writing (and then throwing away) a lengthy reminisce about the origins of SharePoint and the death of the entire Groupware market.
Exchange Public Folders - and their almost complete failure to deliver what the market wanted - were central to the early part of that history.
I'm still amused that they live on. They're by far the longest-lived of Microsoft's failures, having debuted in 1996. That's almost 30 years of the world looking at Public Folders and collectively responding "Thanks, but no thanks"...
Sadly my insane ramblings were a bit too lengthy for use even at this august forum. Still it's quite the coincidence that I find myself thinking about them again within seven days.