Context IQ retirement in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web

Microsoft announced today that the Context IQ feature in New Outlook and Outlook on the web will be retired on March 16th, 2026. This is the feature that provides you a drop-down menu of items when you add a / to the body of your email. Here’s the announcement…

Introduction

We are retiring Context IQ in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web. This feature currently allows users to insert suggested files and other content by typing the “/” character while composing an email. We are retiring this capability to streamline the compose experience and reduce duplication with other supported attachment and editor workflows.

When this will happen

We will retire Context IQ from the new Outlook and Outlook on the web starting March 16, 2026.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected

• Users who compose email in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web and currently use Context IQ’s “/” suggestions.

What will happen

• Context IQ suggestions invoked with “/” during email composition will be removed.
• Users will continue to add files and content using existing methods:
  • Paste a file or URL directly into the message body.
  • Drag and drop files into the compose window.
  • Use Insert > Attach file to see suggested files, browse, and attach content.
• The Editor feature remains available via the button in the lower-right of the compose area and in the ribbon.
• There is no change to attachment storage, file handling, or Editor capabilities.