Merge pull request #31516 from MicrosoftDocs/main

Main to Live - [OOB publish 04/16 @ 7:45 AM PDT/GMT-7] Modern change management docs for GA

Author: Shipra-M09

microsoft-365/admin/TOC.yml

@@ -96,8 +96,6 @@ items:
           href: whats-new-in-preview.md
         - name: Search in the Microsoft 365 admin center
           href: manage/search-in-the-mac.md
-        - name: Stay on top of changes
-          href: manage/stay-on-top-of-updates.md
         - name: Manage multiple tenants
           href: multi-tenant/manage.md
     - name: Manage users, groups, and passwords
@@ -452,8 +450,26 @@ items:
            href: manage/find-your-partner-or-reseller.md
          - name: Manage Microsoft feedback for your organization
            href: manage/manage-feedback-ms-org.md
-         - name: Set up release options
-           href: manage/release-options-in-office-365.md
+         - name: Change management
+           items: 
+           - name: Overview of modern change management
+             href: manage/plan-for-change-management.md
+           - name: Configure modern release options
+             href: manage/configure-release-options.md
+           - name: Modern release options FAQ
+             href: manage/release-options-faq.md
+           - name: Set up the Standard or Targeted release options
+             href: manage/release-options-in-office-365.md
+           - name: Message center
+             href: manage/message-center.md
+           - name: What's new in Message center
+             href: manage/message-center-updates.md
+           - name: Message center FAQ
+             href: manage/message-center-faq.md
+           - name: Connect Release Communications MCP Server
+             href: manage/mrc-mcp.md
+           - name: Overview of MCP Server for Enterprise
+             href: /graph/mcp-server/overview
          - name: Power BI usage analytics
            items:
            - name: About usage analytics

microsoft-365/admin/manage/audience-based-model-expanded.png

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+---
+title: "Configure modern release options for Microsoft 365"
+ms.author: mabond
+author: mkbond007
+manager: dansimp
+ms.date: 04/15/2026
+ms.reviewer: pamelaar
+audience: Admin
+ms.topic: how-to
+ms.service: microsoft-365-business
+ms.localizationpriority: medium
+ms.collection:
+- Tier2
+- M365-subscription-management
+- Adm_O365
+- Adm_TOC
+ms.custom:
+search.appverid: MET150
+description: "Learn how to set up frontier, standard, and deferred for new features in Microsoft 365."
+appliesto: 
+- Microsoft 365 Copilot
+- Microsoft 365 admin center
+---
+
+# Configure modern release options for Microsoft 365 features
+
+Microsoft 365 delivers updates continuously, enabling organizations to adopt new capabilities without large, infrequent upgrades. To help IT admins manage this pace of change, Microsoft 365 introduces a new three-tier audience-based release model—**Frontier, Standard, and Deferred**—that balances broad adoption and organizational readiness.
+
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> The modern release options of standard and deferred will initially apply to Microsoft 365 Copilot updates that have been identified as a major change and deferred capable in the Message center. We’ll expand this approach across all Microsoft 365 services over time. For release information for Microsoft 365 apps, see [Overview of update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps](/deployoffice/overview-update-channels).
+
+With **Standard release**, your organization receives new features as soon as they’re generally available (GA). Standard release is the default option and should be the primary release channel for most customers. Microsoft thoroughly tests and validates all features and services before we release them. Your organization is configured as standard release by default.
+
+If you have additional validation requirements, your organization might want to consider **Deferred release** for all or some users. Features available in deferred release are major Microsoft 365 releases and are considered "deferred-capable," meaning admins will have 30 days to prepare for the release after broad release in standard begins. After 30 days, generally available Microsoft 365 features appear to your users. You can see which features are deferred-capable in the Message center.
+
+For pre-release availability, the [Microsoft Frontier program](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot/frontier-program) provides early access to innovative and emerging AI capabilities in Microsoft 365 before those features reach general availability.
+
+You can use these new release options so you can align feature delivery with your organization’s readiness, governance requirements, and overall change management strategy.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> Currently, the modern release options of standard and deferred release channels aren’t available for GCC, GCC High, and DoD cloud environments. Check this article for updates regarding future support.
+
+## How release validation works
+
+Microsoft feature teams validate each new release first, followed by the Microsoft 365 feature team, and then that feature rolls out to all of Microsoft. At each release phase, Microsoft collects feedback and further validates quality by monitoring key usage metrics before it goes to the public. This series of progressive validations helps make sure the worldwide rollout to general availability (standard release) is as robust as possible.
+
+As shown in the following figure, you can now use a modern, audience-based release model that includes the Frontier program, Standard release, and Deferred release as release options.
+
+:::image type="content" source="../../media/audience-based-release-model.png" lightbox="../../media/audience-based-model-expanded.png" alt-text="Figure displaying audience-based release audiences for Microsoft 365.":::
+
+For a comparison of release options, see the following table:
+
+| Release audience | Primary purpose | Feature readiness | Key considerations for IT admins |
+| ----------------- | ----------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
+| Frontier program | Early experimentation and feedback | Pre-GA, not fully supported | Frontier features are pre-release, subject to change, and not governed by GA SLAs. IT admins can control which users have access to which Frontier features and agents. |
+| Standard release<br/>(default) | Default GA rollout | Fully supported GA features | Features are supported, communicated through Message Center and release notes, and expected to remain available under standard lifecycle policies. Recommended for most organizations. |
+| Deferred release | Delayed GA for additional preparation | Fully supported GA features (delayed) | Same functionality as standard release, with timing delayed for 30 days after standard GA for major features to organizations with additional validation requirements. |
+
+For significant updates, Microsoft first notifies you through the [Microsoft 365 Roadmap](https://products.office.com/business/office-365-roadmap). Before rollout, Microsoft notifies you through the <a href="https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=2070717" target="_blank">Microsoft 365 Message center</a>.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> If your organization is using targeted release for other Microsoft 365 services, you can continue to do so as we drive towards our converged release strategy. We recommend configuring release preferences for frontier, standard, and deferred audiences to align with the new release model as Microsoft begins delivering an increasing number of major features through it over time. Use the Microsoft Message Center to keep up with new products and services using this audience-based release model.
+>
+> For more information about targeted release for other Microsoft 365 services, see [Configure standard and targeted release](release-options-in-office-365.md).
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+You must have one of the following roles in Microsoft 365 admin center to configure standard and deferred release options:
+
+- Office Apps Admin
+- Security Admin
+- AI Admin
+
+## Release option best practices
+
+We recommend that you use the release options in the following ways to balance early access with organizational readiness:
+
+- To get the latest Microsoft 365 improvements as soon as they reach general availability, enroll your organization in standard release. Optionally, assign business-critical users to deferred release to give them more time to prepare for major changes.
+- If you need extra time to validate deferred-capable features before broad rollout, use deferred release. Assign a subset of IT pros or power users to standard release to evaluate new features for privacy and compliance readiness.
+- Plan release phases around user impact and readiness, not individual feature controls, to help manage risk and set clear expectations for users.
+- Align your release configuration with your change management and support readiness, including documentation, training, and help desk preparation.
+- Review and adjust audience assignments over time as your organization’s readiness and change tolerance evolve.
+
+## Configure release options in Microsoft 365 admin center
+
+By default, use standard release for Microsoft 365 service updates. This option meets the needs of most customers. To better manage your organization’s readiness and testing needs, you can change the default release selection at any time in the Microsoft 365 admin center. It can take up to 24 hours for the following changes to take effect in Microsoft 365.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> Currently, Deferred release option only supports Microsoft 365 Copilot-related features. For information on which features are Deferred-capable, check Message Center posts. We'll update this documentation as more features are supported.
+
+To assign users to the Deferred release audience, follow these steps:
+
+1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
+1. In the left navigation, expand **Copilot** and select **Settings**.
+
+    :::image type="content" source="../../media/copilot-settings-admin-center.png" lightbox="../../media/copilot-settings-admin-center-expanded.png" alt-text="Screenshot of Copilot settings in Microsoft 365 admin center.":::
+
+1. Under the **All Settings** tab, select **Copilot release preferences: General Availability**.
+1. Choose either **Standard Release** or **Deferred Release**.
+1. Add any user exceptions. You can add up to 100 user exceptions to Standard release or Deferred release.
+    - If you want to only assign a specific user to deferred release, select **Standard Release**, search for the user, and select their name.
+
+      :::image type="content" source="../../media/audience-release-options-deferred.png" alt-text="Screenshot of standard release in Microsoft 365 admin center.":::
+
+    - If you want to only assign a specific user to standard release, select **Deferred Release**, search for the user, and select their name.
+
+      :::image type="content" source="../../media/audience-release-options-deferred.png" alt-text="Screenshot of deferred release in Microsoft 365 admin center.":::
+
+1. Select **Save**.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> If you move users from standard release to deferred release, they might lose access to features that aren't available yet in standard release.
+
+## Related articles
+
+[Modern change management for Microsoft 365 - Overview](plan-for-change-management.md)
+
+[Get started with the Microsoft Release Communications MCP Server](mrc-mcp.md)
+
+[Overview of Microsoft MCP Server for Enterprise](/graph/mcp-server/overview)
+
+[What's new in Message center](message-center-updates.md)
+
+[Set up the standard or targeted release options for Microsoft 365](release-options-in-office-365.md)

microsoft-365/admin/manage/configure-release-options.md

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---
+title: "Frequently asked questions about Message center"
+ms.author: mabond
+author: mkbond007
+manager: dansimp
+ms.date: 04/15/2026
+ms.reviewer: brimcg
+audience: Admin
+ms.topic: how-to
+ms.service: microsoft-365-business
+ms.localizationpriority: medium
+search.appverid: MET150
+ms.collection:
+- Tier2
+- M365-subscription-management
+- Adm_O365
+ms.custom:
+- AdminSurgePortfolio
+- okr_smb
+- AdminTemplateSet
+description: "Get answers to frequently asked questions about Microsoft 365 Message center."
+---
+
+# Frequently asked questions about Message center
+
+This article provides answers to frequently asked questions that IT admins might have about Message center in Microsoft 365. For more information about Message center, see [Manage continuous change in Microsoft 365](plan-for-change-management.md) and [Track new and changed features in the Microsoft 365 Message center](message-center.md).
+
+## Who can view posts in Message center?
+
+Most users assigned any admin role in Microsoft 365 can view Message center posts. [Here's a list](message-center.md#admin-roles-that-dont-have-access-to-the-message-center) of admin roles that don't have access to the Message center. You can also assign the Message center reader role to users who should be able to read and share Message center posts without having any other admin privileges.
+
+## Is Message center the only way Microsoft communicates changes about Microsoft 365?
+
+No, but Message center is the primary way we communicate the timing of individual changes in Microsoft 365. For more information, see [Stay on top of Microsoft 365 changes](stay-on-top-of-updates.md).
+
+## How can I see Message center posts in my language?
+
+Message center posts are written in English. You can control whether, by default, posts are shown in English or are automatically machine-translated to your preferred language. You can also select to machine-translate posts to any language we support. For more information, see [Language translation for Message center posts](language-translation-for-message-center-posts.md).
+
+## Can I preview changes or features before they're rolled-out to my organization?
+
+Some changes and new features can be previewed by opting in to the Targeted release program. To opt in, from the Microsoft admin center, go to **Settings** > **Org settings** > **Organization profile** > **Release preferences**. You might need to select **Show all** at the bottom of the left navigation pane in Microsoft admin center to see **Settings**. You can choose Targeted release for your entire organization, or just for selected users. For more information about Targeted release, see [Standard or Targeted release options in Microsoft 365](release-options-in-office-365.md).
+
+## Can I find out the exact date a change is available in my organization?
+
+Unfortunately, we can't tell you the exact date a change is made to your organization. In our Message center post, we give as much information as we can on the timing of the release, based on our confidence level. We're working on improvements to get better with that level of detail.
+
+## Are these messages specific to my organization?
+
+We do our best to make sure that you only see Message center posts that affect your organization. The Microsoft 365 Roadmap includes all of the features we're currently working on and rolling out, but not all of these features apply to every organization.
+
+## Can I get message center posts emailed instead?
+
+Yes, you can select to have a weekly digest emailed to you and up to two other email addresses. The emailed weekly digest is turned on by default. If you aren't getting your weekly digests, check your spam folder. For more information on how to set up the weekly digest, see [Preferences in Message center](message-center.md).
+
+## How do I stop getting the Message center digest?
+
+1. Go to Message center in the Microsoft admin center and select **Preferences**.
+1. In the **Email** tab, turn off the option to **Send me email notifications from message center**.
+
+## How can I ensure data privacy notifications are received by the right contacts in my organization?
+
+As a global admin, you receive data privacy messages for your organization. Additionally, you can assign the Message Center Privacy reader role to people who should see data privacy messages. Other admin roles with access to Message Center can't view data privacy messages. For more information, see [Preferences in Message center](message-center.md).
+
+## Why can’t I see a message that was previously in Message center?
+
+To manage the number of messages within Message center, each message expires and is removed after a period of time. Generally, messages expire 30 days after the time period outlined in the message body.
+
+## Related articles
+
+[Track new and changed features in the Microsoft 365 Message center](message-center.md)
+
+[What's new in Message center](message-center-updates.md)
+
+[Modern change management for Microsoft 365 - Overview](plan-for-change-management.md)
+
+[Overview of Microsoft MCP Server for Enterprise](/graph/mcp-server/overview)
+
+[Get started with the Microsoft Release Communications MCP Server](mrc-mcp.md)