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April 2026 announcements

This page provides the announcements for Microsoft Partner Center for April 2026.

Monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update

What’s new for Solutions Partner designations, specializations, and other Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program offerings and benefits.

  • Date: April 10, 2026
  • Workspace: Membership
  • Impacted audience: Partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Summary

This month’s updates continue to enhance partner differentiation and readiness across high-demand solution areas. Key changes include specialization updates that integrate AI capabilities, revised skilling and performance requirements, and streamlined qualification frameworks to support partner growth and agility.

Details

AppSource is renamed to Microsoft Marketplace

The AppSource platform is renamed to Microsoft Marketplace. The https://appsource.microsoft.com link now redirects to https://marketplace.microsoft.com.

Partner University Retirement Update

Partner University will be retired effective 15 June 2026, impacting partners aspiring to enroll in the Modern Work Solutions Partner designation and two Modern Work specializations.

Here’s what partners need to know:

  • Existing Partner University user linkings will continue to be honored. Partners will receive credit and skilling score for these linkings until June 2027.
  • After June 2027, all Partner University assessments will be fully retired and will no longer be used for reporting, skilling score calculation, or as a program requirement.
  • No new user linkings to Partner University will be allowed after 15 June 2026.
  • The current Partner University user experience available through the Learn profile page in Membership will also be retired as part of this change.
  • In the coming months, Partner University assessments will be complemented by a new set of skilling requirements. These new requirements will be added as an OR condition alongside the existing Partner University assessments during the transition period.
Changes to Specializations and Solutions Partner Designations

As of March 27, 2026, the Small and Midsize Business Management specialization performance criteria is updated to better support partners as their Business Central practices grow. Based on partner feedback, the required MAU growth threshold is reduced from 35% to 15%, while the deployment requirement has increased from 10 to 15 deployments.

Coming soon

More skilling options are coming to the below specializations and designations in April 2026:

Certifications and Applied Skills are regularly updated throughout their lifecycle, which can affect specializations and Solutions Partner designations. In the case of a retiring certification or applied skill impacting a specialization or Solutions Partner designation, the following are true:

  • Skilling achieved before its retirement remains valid for one year
  • New skilling will be added, if the replacement skilling is applicable to those specializations and designations
  • We’ll detail the new requirements in Partner Center as they go into effect

The Teamwork Deployment specialization is being updated to the Secure AI Productivity specialization in April 2026.

  • With the shift towards AI, the Teamwork Deployment spec is updating to help partners prepare their customers for AI by centering on foundational workloads from Microsoft 365 E3.

  • The name of the specialization is being updated to the Secure AI Productivity specialization

  • Partners must hit their 2,500 monthly active usage (MAU) growth on at least 3 of 8 separate Microsoft 365 workload services:

    • Exchange Online
    • SharePoint Online
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Microsoft 365 Apps
    • Microsoft Entra ID P1
    • Intune
    • Defender for Endpoint
    • Microsoft Information Protection

    Additionally:

    • At least one of the workloads meeting required growth must come from the productivity workloads: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 App
    • At least one of the workloads meeting required growth must come from the identity, security and management workloads: Entra ID P1, Intune, Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Information Protection

  • The 20% growth requirement is being removed

  • The number of new customer tenants required is being lowered from 12 to 5.

The Adoption and Change Management specialization will be retired in the coming months.

The Adoption Change Management specialization is being retired. Rather than have a standalone specialization, adoption & change management capabilities will be embedded within product-aligned specializations, ensuring change management is evaluated in the context of specific solutions while we retire this more general-purpose specialization.

Three new specializations will be created by merging existing specializations in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information on these exciting new offerings!

  • The Analytics on Microsoft Azure, Data Warehouse Migration to Microsoft Azure, and Business Intelligence specializations are merging into a new Analytics on Microsoft Azure specialization
  • Low Code Application Development and Intelligent Automation specializations are merging into a new specialization
  • Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure and Migrate Enterprise Applications to Microsoft Azure specializations are merging into a new App Modernization on Microsoft Azure specialization

Upcoming Update: Pricelist schema enhancement to support mid‑month republishing

  • Date: April 10, 2026
  • Effective date: May 1, 2026
  • Workspace: Pricing

To improve pricing data clarity and support critical updates, we are enhancing the License-based Current Month Pricelist schema and Software Current Month Pricelist schema to enable mid‑month republishes when required. As part of this update, a new attribute called LastUpdatedDate will be introduced.

What is changing

  • The Pricelist schema will support mid‑month republishing in specific scenarios where corrections are required within the same month.
  • A new attribute, LastUpdatedDate, will be added at the row level.
  • LastUpdatedDate indicates the date and time a pricelist row was added during the current month, helping partners identify when the data was introduced to keep track of the versioning.
  • In scope: Current month License-based pricelist and Current month Software pricelist.
  • Out of scope: License-based Preview pricelist, License-based End of sale pricelist, License-based EST pricelist, Azure plan consumption pricelist, Azure plan reservations pricelist, Marketplace pricelist.

What the LastUpdatedDate attribute provides

The LastUpdatedDate attribute is designed to help partners more easily manage and interpret pricing changes introduced through mid‑month republishes:

  • History is maintained throughout the entire month: Rows introduced earlier in the month remain available, while new or updated rows can be identified.
  • Allows partners to easily identify the latest changes: Partners can isolate pricing deltas introduced due to a mid‑month republish without comparing full files.
  • Adds additional context to pricing data: The attribute provides clarity on when pricing data was introduced, improving traceability and auditability.

Why this change

Today, certain updates cannot be effectively addressed without waiting for the next monthly publish. This enhancement:

  • Improves flexibility to address critical corrections through schema‑driven updates versioning.
  • Improves overall pricing accuracy and partner confidence.

Monthly pricelist publishing remains the default behavior. Mid‑month republishes will be used only when critical corrections are required.

What partners need to do

  • Partners who want to use the new LastUpdatedDate attribute will need to update their processing logic to ingest and consume this field.
  • No immediate action is required if partners choose not to use the attribute; existing workflows will continue to function as they do today.

Learn more

Windows 365 Business - 20% price decrease coming May 1, 2026

Windows 365 Business - 20% price decrease, making Cloud personal computers (PCs) more cost effective for small and medium business customers.

  • Date: April/8/26
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners

Summary

Microsoft is reducing Windows 365 Business list prices by 20% starting May 1, 2026, to make Cloud PCs more cost-effective for small and medium businesses. The update also introduces an on-demand start experience:

  • Cloud PCs stay powered on for one hour after sign-out/disconnect
  • Reconnects within that hour are unchanged
  • And reconnects after more than an hour might take slightly longer as the Cloud PC resumes from hibernation (with the same performance once connected)

New subscriptions get the lower pricing on/after May 1, 2026, while existing subscriptions receive the updated pricing at their next renewal depending on purchase channel and terms.

Details

Starting May 1, 2026, Microsoft will introduce a 20% list price decrease for Windows 365 Business, along with a new on demand start experience, making Cloud PCs more accessible for small and medium business customers. This price change paired with a new on demand start experience helps deliver a lower price point while preserving the full Windows 365 Business value and capabilities partners and customers expect.

With this change, Windows 365 Business users can expect the following on-demand start experience behavior:

  • Cloud PCs remain powered on for one hour after disconnect or sign out.
  • Reconnects within one hour are unchanged.
  • Reconnects more than one hour after disconnect or sign out might take slightly longer while the Cloud PC resumes from a hibernated state; performance and functionality remain the same once connected.

When this price decrease will happen:

  • New subscriptions will enjoy updated pricing on or after May 1, 2026
  • Existing subscriptions will receive updated pricing at the next renewal, subject to purchase channel and terms

Next Steps:

  • Review your customers renewal timing and purchase channels
  • Inform your customers about the updated pricing and on‑demand reconnect behavior, taking slightly longer after extended periods of inactivity
  • Review the following resources for more information:

Update: Effective date change for ReferenceId format update in reconciliation files

  • Date: April 06, 2026
  • Workspace: Billing
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors.

Effective June 15, 2026, the ReferenceId attribute in Billed Reconciliation and Unbilled Reconciliation files will be updated to use a structured JSON format.

What's changing

  • The ReferenceId value will be updated to the following structured JSON format:
{
  "osId": "ab12Cdef-GiJ3-ab12-Cdef-ab12CdefGiJ3",
  "id": "ab12CdefGiJ3",
  "v": 2
}

Date update Microsoft is updating the effective date for the previously announced change to the ReferenceId attribute in reconciliation files.

  • Original effective date: April 15, 2026
  • New effective date: June 15, 2026

This change applies to:

  • Billed Reconciliation files
  • Unbilled Reconciliation files

The change was originally announced on March 11, 2026. Based on partner feedback requesting additional time for readiness, Microsoft is extending the timeline to help partners plan, test, and deploy updates.

Why this change is happening

This update is part of Microsoft’s broader effort to standardize identifiers and improve traceability across billing and reconciliation workflows.

Specifically, the structured ReferenceId:

  • Improves consistency when correlating records across billing systems
  • Enables version awareness, reducing ambiguity as reconciliation formats evolve
  • Lays the groundwork for future enhancements without requiring disruptive changes

This approach aligns with Microsoft’s ongoing focus on strengthening partner supportability and system reliability, as outlined in the Validate your support capabilities and prepare for the future of partner support (UfP) announcement.

Partner impact

  • Partners who parse or process ReferenceId as a string must update their logic to handle the JSON structure.
  • Billing logic, pricing, charges, and invoice totals are not impacted.
  • Download locations and access methods remain unchanged.

Required partner action

  • Review and update any reconciliation processing or reporting solutions to support the new ReferenceId JSON format before June 15, 2026.

Validate your support capabilities and prepare for the future of partner support

Access new resources on Unified for Partner.

  • Date: April 3, 2026
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP distributors and direct bill partners

Unified for Partner (UfP), announced at Microsoft Ignite 2025, is Microsoft’s next-generation partner support offering. It modernizes partner support with revenue‑based pricing aligned to Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) cloud business. It includes unlimited, as-needed, 24-7 reactive support for CSP workloads, and is driven by a partner‑first model where partners lead support and Microsoft acts as a backstop —supported by unified tooling, proactive services, and performance‑based incentives.

UfP is being introduced through a deliberate phased approach, beginning with pilots with select partners, followed by gradual expansion in H1 of fiscal year 2027 ahead of planned general availability in H2 of FY 2027.

However, now is the time to lay the foundation for transforming your customer support. The Support Services designation is your starting point in this next chapter, giving customers a clear signal that you deliver proven, Microsoft‑validated support.

Attain the designation to establish your credibility, gain a competitive edge, and unlock performance‑based discounts of up to 40% on UfP, along with expert guidance and support tools.

Next steps

  • Learn more about how to attain the Support Services designation.
  • Review the partner data sheet to understand the scalable pricing model for UfP.
  • Stay tuned for future updates on UfP availability.

SKU Naming Update: Microsoft Teams Premium and Microsoft Teams Events

SKU naming update: Microsoft Teams Premium and Microsoft Teams Events

  • Date: April 3, 2026
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors

Microsoft identified a naming inconsistency affecting a subset of Microsoft Teams Premium and Microsoft Teams Events SKUs in Partner Center. To better align with our updated product naming and reflect the intended use case, these SKUs will be renamed. This update is naming-only. There are no changes to product functionality, pricing, eligibility, service plans, or customer entitlements. The new names will appear on the May 1 pricelist.

What is changing

The following SKUs will be updated, while preserving their existing segment qualifiers (Education, Government, Non-profit) and term structure (including Extended Service Terms).

SKUs in scope:

The following SKUs are impacted by this naming update for Product Microsoft Teams Premium (ID CFQ7TTC0RM8K) and Teams Events (ID CFQ7TTBZZJP0):

Current SKU name  Expected SKU name 
Teams Events Attendee Pack - 100k attendees Teams Events Attendee Pack - 75k attendees (Non-Profit Pricing)  Teams Events Attendee Pack - 100k attendees (Non-Profit Pricing) 
Teams Events Attendee Pack - 10k attendees for GCC Teams Events Attendee Pack - 75k attendees for GCC (Governmental Community Cloud Pricing)  Teams Events Attendee Pack - 10k attendees for GCC (Governmental Community Cloud Pricing) 
Teams Premium (Education Faculty Pricing)  Microsoft Teams Premium (Education Faculty Pricing) 
Teams Premium (Education Student Pricing)  Microsoft Teams Premium (Education Student Pricing) 
Teams Premium (Governmental Community Cloud Pricing)  Microsoft Teams Premium (Governmental Community Cloud Pricing) 
Teams Premium (Non-Profit Pricing)  Microsoft Teams Premium (Non-Profit Pricing) 

What's not changing

  • Pricing
  • Billing terms or renewal behavior
  • Product ID or SKU IDs
  • Service plans or provisioning behavior
  • Eligibility by segment (Education, Government, Nonprofit)

Existing subscriptions continue without interruption. The updated name appears in Partner Center pricing, billing, and customer workspaces.

Partner impact

Partners may see the updated SKU name reflected in Partner Center catalog views, price lists, and reporting. No action is required. We recommend using the updated name in customer-facing materials going forward to maintain consistency.

Next steps

This naming update supports Microsoft’s broader Teams product positioning and doesn't introduce a new offer or SKU. For questions related to licensing behavior or eligibility, existing guidance continues to apply.

Download targeted offers for your customers using AI assistant in Partner Center

  • Date: April 01, 2026
  • Workspace: Customers
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors.

We’ve introduced a new AI assistant capability in Partner Center that helps Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners discover and download targeted offers applicable to their customers.

Targeted offers are customer‑specific promotions assigned by Microsoft and aren't available through public promotion listings. With this update, partners can use the AI assistant to automatically evaluate customer eligibility and generate a downloadable report of applicable targeted offers.

What's new

Using the AI assistant in the Customers workspace, partners can now:

  • Identify targeted offers applicable to customers associated with their partner account
  • Automatically evaluate customer eligibility
  • Download a report containing customer‑specific targeted offers
  • Use the data for sales planning, customer outreach, and internal workflows

The downloaded file includes only targeted offers that are applicable to the partner’s customers at the time of evaluation.

Where to access

  • Go to Partner Center.
  • Navigate to the Customers workspace.
  • Select the AI assistant (sparkle icon) in the upper‑right corner.
  • Use prompts such as “Download targeted offers applicable to my customers”.

Why this matters

Partners can use the targeted offers download to:

  • Plan proactive customer outreach.
  • Equip sales teams with customer‑specific offers.
  • Validate offer applicability before transactions.
  • Combine with internal reporting or CRM workflows.
  • This enables more accurate, timely, and relevant engagement with customers.

Learn more

For details on how the feature works, sample mockups, example prompts, and CSV schema, see: Download targeted offers with AI assistant in Partner Center

Important considerations

  • Targeted offers are customer‑specific and can't be applied to other tenants.
  • Availability and eligibility are determined by Microsoft and may change over time.
  • The downloaded report represents eligibility at the time it was generated.
  • Pricing details are governed by the price list, which remains the source of truth.

Announcing reduced Microsoft Dragon Copilot pricing

We’re pleased to share an update to Dragon Copilot’s commercial model, designed to better reflect the current market environment and support partner growth.

  • Date: April 1, 2026
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP authorized partners

Beginning May 1, 2026, the Dragon Copilot per-user license type will be available at a reduced list price across all geographies where Dragon Copilot is currently offered, including the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. Thanks to this update, partners can expand Dragon Copilot adoption with a simpler and more competitive pricing structure.

As part of this change, the Dragon Copilot Physician Practice offer will reach end of sale on May 1. Customers will now have access to the full set of Dragon Copilot enterprise capabilities through the standard per‑user license at the new price point.

Additionally, beginning on May 1, Dragon Copilot will introduce a simplified consumption model for ambient encounters and generative AI capabilities. Consumption fees will now be applied per encounter, rather than per individual ambient note or generative AI action—making usage easier to understand and manage.

Key takeaways

  • A reduced list price for Dragon Copilot per-user license launches on May 1, 2026, in all available Dragon Copilot geographies.
  • We’re introducing simplified consumption fees for ambient encounters and generative AI capabilities.
  • The end of sale date for the Physician Practice offer is May 1, 2026.

Next steps

Connect with your account representative for further guidance and details on this announcement. More details will be added to the Dragon Copilot Partner Assets page on May 1.

License Mobility for Windows Server and SQL Server subscriptions

Windows Server and SQL Server CSP subscriptions include License Mobility rights starting April 1, 2026.

  • Date: April 1, 2026
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All CSP partners (direct bill, indirect resellers, and distributors) who sell or support Windows Server or SQL Server subscriptions under the Microsoft Customer Agreement.

Microsoft is simplifying the product terms for Windows Server and SQL Server subscriptions purchased under the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) through Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners.

Starting April 1, 2026, these subscriptions will be eligible for License Mobility rights, giving customers benefits equivalent to Software Assurance in legacy Volume Licensing.

With License Mobility rights, customers can run eligible server application workloads in shared environments and with authorized outsourcing partners. This simplifies licensing and delivers clearer customer value through the new commerce experience.

CSP perpetual licenses remain unchanged and don't gain License Mobility.

No action is required from partners or customers to activate this benefit. The updated product terms will take effect automatically on April 1, 2026.

Next steps

  • Review the updated product terms.
  • Review the partner FAQ.
  • Update your sales scripts and customer-facing materials to reflect License Mobility rights for CSP subscriptions.
  • Understand the License Mobility eligibility distinction between subscriptions and perpetual licenses.

SKUs and promotions for CSP transactability May 1

Microsoft 365 E5 + Entra Suite, Copilot, and Agent 365 become transactable as Microsoft 365 E7, the Frontier Suite. Price list preview for one-year terms available on April 1.

  • Date: April 1, 2026
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP direct bill partners and distributors (worldwide)

Beginning May 1, 2026, Microsoft 365 E7 will be available to transact in Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channels on monthly, annual (one-year), and triennial (three-year) terms. Microsoft 365 E7 brings together Microsoft 365 E5 for secure productivity, Microsoft Entra Suite for identity and access control, Microsoft 365 Copilot for AI in the flow of work, and Microsoft Agent 365 as the control plane to govern and scale agents.

To support these new offerings, the following promotions are planned to be available on May 1, 2026:

  • Annual (one-year) promotional offers:
    • 10% off Microsoft 365 E7 annual terms (one-year) License minimum 10 | License maximum 9,999
    • 15% off Microsoft 365 E7 annual terms (one-year) License minimum 100 | License maximum 9,999
  • Triennial (three-year) promotional offer:
    • 15% off Microsoft 365 E7 triennial terms (three-year) License minimum 300 | License maximum 9,999

Partners can begin positioning Microsoft 365 E7 with customers ahead of the May 1, 2026, launch and can prepare order workflows in advance of transactability. 

Promotions may experience a slight delay in transactability and may be available later than May 1. Promo eligibility, terms, and ordering guidance are available through standard CSP channels. Microsoft 365 E7 CSP promotions will be available through December 31, 2026.

Next steps

  • Review the April 1, 2026 price list preview for SKUs (three-year SKUs won't be included on the April 1 price list preview).
  • Prepare internal ordering and sales teams for May 1 transactability.
  • Begin customer conversations aligned to Microsoft 365 E7 availability and promo timelines.

Questions

Refer to the launch guide and Global Promo Readiness guide, or contact your Partner Development Manager for support. 

Global Tax ID modernization launch

To support evolving global tax compliance requirements, Microsoft is enhancing the way Tax IDs are collected, validated, and stored, thus improving accuracy, and regulatory alignment across all countries/regions.

  • Date: April 1, 2026
  • Workspace: Account Settings
  • Impacted audience: Impacts all countries/regions. If you're an indirect provider, direct bill partner as a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) or enrolled in Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (MAICPP).

Review the following information to understand how the changes may affect your organization and what actions may be required.

  • Rollout window: April 1 through April 13 2026 (partners may begin seeing the updated experience during this period).
  • Workspace: Partner Center > Account Setting > Organization profile > Billing page/Legal Info > Bill to Info page.
For Link
MAICPP Billing profile
CSP-Direct/Indirect Provider Legal information

What’s New?

  • Country/region-specific Tax ID types that dynamically adjust to local requirements.
  • Enhanced experience to support multiple Tax IDs required by local regulations (for example: Brazil, India, Italy, Egypt, and Serbia).

Why does this matter?

  • Helps meet country/region-specific tax regulations and documentation requirements.
  • Reduces billing errors and tax-related support escalations.
  • Provides a scalable foundation for future Tax ID requirements and country/region expansions for future countries/regions like France.

Next steps

  • Review your Tax ID details and ensure one or more Tax IDs for your legal address are complete and accurate. Missing or incorrect Tax IDs may result in billing disruptions, delayed transactions, or noncompliance with local requirements.
  • If your organization operates in Brazil, India, Italy, Egypt, or Serbia, you may be required to provide multiple Tax IDs due to local regulations. Partner Center shows any other mandatory Tax ID fields required for those jurisdictions.

Questions?

  • For Partner Center navigation or operational questions, contact your Microsoft representative or Submit a Support ticket through Partner Center.
  • For questions about tax treatment or business impact, consult your tax advisor or local tax authority. Microsoft can't provide tax advice.

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