I don't like the new Azure web presentation. How do I switch back to the orevious

Question

A pop-up came up, asking if I was interested in seeing the new consolidated view. I don't like it and I'd like to go back. How do I get rid of that so that as your pages look the way they used to so I can follow directions

Answer 1

Hello Charles Steinhardt

There is no supported way to switch back to the previous (old) Azure portal UI after opting into the new consolidated view.

Microsoft has not provided any global toggle, setting, or rollback option to revert the Azure portal to its earlier presentation. The consolidated view is being rolled out as part of the standard Azure portal experience, and only personalization settings are supported—not a full UI reversion.

You can adjust portal behavior to reduce disruption, but this does not restore the old UI:

• Disable teaching bubbles and pop‑up notifications
• Change Service menu behavior to Expanded to resemble the earlier left‑navigation layout
• No “Switch back to old view” option
• No per‑user or per‑tenant rollback
• No support request can revert the portal UI

Azure portal overview https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-portal/azure-portal-overview

Manage Azure portal settings and preferences https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-portal/set-preferences

This is by design, not a bug. The Azure portal UI change is one‑directional, and Microsoft currently supports customization only, not reversal.

Thanks,

Suchitra.

Answer 2

The Azure portal UI itself does not currently provide a global “old vs new” switch in the provided context. However, some layout and behavior preferences can be adjusted so the experience is closer to what was used before.

For navigation and layout in the Azure portal:

1. Open the Azure portal and select the Settings (gear) icon in the global header.
2. In Portal settings, adjust these options:
   • Service menu behavior: Set this to Expanded so all menu items show by default, similar to older layouts.
   • Adjust other layout or personalization options as needed to match prior behavior.

If the issue is that the portal signs out or shows notifications differently, a Global Administrator can also control idle timeout and notification behavior:

1. Sign in with a Global Administrator account.
2. Open Portal settings → Signing out + notifications.
3. Configure or disable Enable directory level idle timeout as appropriate.
4. Adjust Show pop-up notifications and Show teaching bubbles if the new experience is showing more pop-ups or tips than desired.

These changes help make the portal behave more like the previous experience, even if a full “revert to old UI” toggle is not exposed in the context.

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References:

• What is the Azure portal?
• Manage Azure portal settings and preferences