Change Optics report for Exchange Online begins public preview

The Change Optics report for Exchange Online is in public preview, providing administrators visibility into email traffic affected by upcoming transport changes. It identifies onmicrosoft.com external traffic and Direct Send traffic, is enabled by default, requires no preparation, and does not impact mail flow or users.

[Introduction]

We’re announcing the public preview of the Change Optics report for Exchange Online, which is now available for all customers. This report helps Exchange administrators proactively identify email traffic that may be affected by upcoming service changes, enabling investigation and remediation ahead of enforcement.

[When this will happen]

• Public preview: The report is now rolled out for all customers. We plan to conduct the public preview for at least one month. 
• General availability (Worldwide): Depending on feedback from the public preview, we may announce GA as early as June 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

Exchange Online administrators

What will happen

• A new Change Optics report will appear in Exchange Online reporting during public preview.
• The report provides visibility into a sample set of messages that match characteristics expected to be impacted by future Exchange Online transport changes.
• At launch, the report includes the following scenarios:
  • OMC (onmicrosoft.com external traffic): Identifies onmicrosoft.com traffic being sent externally so organizations can address this usage to avoid throttling.
  • DRS (Direct Send traffic): Identifies Direct Send traffic being received by the tenant to help organizations prepare to enable the Reject Direct Send setting.
• The report does not modify mail flow, enforcement behavior, or tenant configuration.
• The report is enabled by default for Exchange Online tenants.
• There is no impact to users.

[What you need to do to prepare]

No action is required to prepare.

However, Exchange administrators may want to:

• Review the Change Optics report once it becomes available during public preview.
• Use the report findings to:
• Identify and reduce reliance on onmicrosoft.com external email usage.
• Assess Direct Send traffic and plan for enabling Reject Direct Send if appropriate.
• Update internal documentation or operational guidance related to mail flow best practices.

Learn more: Change Optics Report released into Public Preview to showcase messages impacted by future changes | Exchange Team Blog

[Compliance considerations]

Question	Answer
Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities?	Yes. The Change Optics report introduces new read-only administrative reporting that provides visibility into message patterns related to future transport enforcement scenarios. No enforcement or policy changes occur.