Earlier this year, we contacted customers about Microsoft’s retirement of Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online and the steps needed to keep email sending through Spindle Document Distribution.

With 1 October 2026 fast approaching, customers who have not yet upgraded or applied the relevant patch need to take action now to avoid disruption.

Who is affected?

The change affects customers using Exchange Online (Microsoft 365 / Office 365) with:

• Spindle Document Distribution v8.15 to v10.15.1
• Spindle Document Management v8.15 to v10.14.1
• Credit Hound Professional where email is sent using an affected version of Spindle Document Distribution

Customers who have already upgraded to v10.16 or later, applied the Spindle Document Distribution patch, or use Exchange on-premises are not affected.

What happens from 1 October?

If you use an affected version and have not upgraded or applied the patch, emails sent through Exchange Online will stop sending on or shortly after 1 October 2026.

If you cannot complete the upgrade or patch before the deadline, there is an interim option available to keep your email working.

Avoid disruption by re-enabling EWS

Your Microsoft 365 administrator can make a change to your Exchange Online tenant to allow Spindle to continue using EWS. This needs to be completed before 1 October using Exchange Online PowerShell.

If your IT is managed by an external provider or managed service, please pass the guidance to them so they can make the change on your behalf.

We strongly recommend not leaving this until the final week. Changes to the EWS application allow list can take up to 24 hours to take effect, so allow several days to complete the change and test that email is working correctly.

A permanent fix is required before 1 April 2027

Re-enabling EWS is a temporary measure. Microsoft is permanently retiring EWS in Exchange Online on 1 April 2027, after which the tenant setting will no longer keep it working.

Before this date, affected customers must either upgrade to Spindle Document Distribution v10.16 or later or apply the Spindle Document Distribution patch.

For more details on how you can install the Spindle Document Distribution – Exchange Online Patch, please follow this link

Need assistance?

If you are unsure whether your organisation is affected, your business partner or Draycir Support can confirm which version of Spindle Document Distribution you are running and whether action is required.

Please contact use at ews-support@draycir.com for assistance.