If your organization uses an onmicrosoft.com email address—the default domain assigned with every Microsoft 365 tenant—you’re about to face some important changes. Microsoft is introducing new restrictions on these domains to curb spam and abuse.
What’s Changing?
Microsoft will soon place limits on how organizations can use .onmicrosoft.com
domains (also known as MOERA). These domains were originally meant for internal or temporary use, but many users continued using them for everyday communication. Unfortunately, spammers also took advantage of this loophole, making it harder for Microsoft to control abuse.
Starting December 1, 2025, organizations using .onmicrosoft.com
domains will be limited to sending emails to 100 external recipients within a 24-hour period. Emails to people inside your own organization are not affected.
If you go over this limit, your emails will bounce back, and you’ll receive a Non-Delivery Report (NDR) with the error code 550 5.7.236.
How Microsoft Will Roll This Out
The restrictions won’t apply to everyone at once. Microsoft is introducing them in phases:
-
December 1, 2025 – Organizations with fewer than 3 accounts (seats).
-
January 7, 2026 – Organizations with up to 10 accounts.
-
February 2, 2026 – Organizations with up to 50 accounts.
-
By June 1, 2026 – Organizations with more than 10,000 accounts.
Microsoft will notify organizations one month before the change affects them.
Why This Matters
-
Spammers abuse
.onmicrosoft.com
addresses to send bulk messages. By limiting their use, Microsoft is protecting email reputation. -
These domains don’t look professional and can reduce trust from clients or partners.
-
If your company uses
.onmicrosoft.com
as the primary email domain, switching to a custom domain will mean updating credentials, apps, and even informing external contacts.
What You Should Do
To avoid interruptions, Microsoft recommends that organizations:
-
Purchase and set up a custom domain (e.g.,
yourcompany.com
). -
Change the default domain in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
-
Update all mailbox addresses to use the new domain.
-
Adjust device settings and connected apps.
-
Inform partners, customers, and stakeholders about the change.
Other Email Sending Limits You Should Know
This isn’t the only change Microsoft is introducing. The company is also rolling out broader email sending limits across all domains, not just .onmicrosoft.com
.
-
Tenant External Recipient Rate Limits (TERRL): These set maximum limits for how many external recipients a tenant can send emails to per day. Trial tenants are capped at 5,000 external recipients per day, while licensed tenants have higher thresholds based on the number of purchased licenses.
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Per-Mailbox External Recipient Limits (ERR): Coming in April 2026, each mailbox will be limited to around 2,000 external recipients per day.
-
If your tenant or mailbox hits these thresholds, emails will stop sending and bounce back with an error.
In Summary
-
.onmicrosoft.com
domains will soon be restricted to 100 external recipients per day. -
Rollout begins in December 2025 and will gradually apply to all organizations by mid-2026.
-
Custom domains are the best long-term solution for branding, deliverability, and avoiding restrictions.
-
Microsoft is also enforcing new limits across all tenants, so understanding these changes now will help avoid disruptions later.
Final Thoughts
These changes highlight a larger shift: Microsoft wants organizations to move away from temporary .onmicrosoft.com
addresses and adopt professional, branded domains. Making the switch sooner rather than later will not only protect your email reputation but also ensure your business communications continue without disruption.