💡 Our Technical Review in summary
Summary
- Microsoft is continuing its initiative to consolidate all first-party authenticated SaaS products under the unified cloud.microsoft top-level domain (TLD).
- As of February 2025, Microsoft Places has officially transitioned to the new domain:
https://places.cloud.microsoft/. - The move aims to improve security and reduce phishing risks by using an exclusive, Microsoft-owned TLD rather than the generic .com extension.
- Existing domains will continue to function in parallel for a short period before being automatically redirected to the new URL.
Impact
- User Experience: Users will begin to see URLs ending in
.microsoftrather than.com. While redirection is automatic, the lack of a “.com” suffix may initially cause confusion or security concerns for uneducated users. - Accessibility: Redirections are designed to be backwards compatible, meaning old bookmarks and shared links will remain functional.
- Security: The exclusive ownership of the
.microsoftTLD provides inherent protection against domain spoofing and typosquatting. - Custom Applications: Internal Teams, Outlook, or Microsoft 365 apps that rely on specific domain hardcoding may experience functionality issues if not updated.
Action Required
- Network Configuration: Verify that your enterprise firewall, proxy servers, and DNS filters allow traffic to
*.cloud.microsoft. If your organization follows standard Microsoft network guidance, no additional action should be necessary. - User Education: Inform users that
cloud.microsoftis a legitimate and secure domain owned by Microsoft. Direct them to official support documentation if they raise concerns about the missing “.com” extension. - Documentation Updates: Audit internal IT portals, help desk wikis, and onboarding materials to update old URLs to the new
cloud.microsoftformat to avoid unnecessary redirection steps. - Developer Review: Coordinate with in-house developers to ensure any custom-built Teams or Microsoft 365 integrations are compatible with the new domain structure to prevent service disruptions.
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: stayInformed
Severity: normal
The cloud.microsoft domain was provisioned in early 2023 to provide a unified, trusted, and dedicated DNS domain space to host Microsoft’s first-party authenticated SaaS products and experiences. This post is to inform admins that the following Microsoft products and scenarios are now available at the cloud.microsoft domain, in parallel with the previous domains.
Microsoft Places (https://places.cloud.microsoft/)
A full list of product experiences already being delivered on this domain can be found here: Unified cloud.microsoft domain for Microsoft 365 apps – Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Learn.
[When this will happen:]
The services above are already available on cloud.microsoft, in parallel to their previous domains. You can expect the previous domains to be redirected to cloud.microsoft in the coming months.
[How this will affect your organization:]
- The cloud.microsoft domain has been a part of standard Microsoft network guidance on domains and service endpoints since April 2023. If you are currently following this guidance, this change should not impact users in your organization using the above applications under the new domain.
- Users will be redirected to applications under cloud.microsoft domains gradually and automatically. No specific user action is required. Links to the previous domains are backwards compatible and continue to be supported. Users may notice that the new application domains are lacking the “.com” extension. This is by design, as “.microsoft” is Microsoft’s own top-level domain – and this exclusivity allows for additional security and protection against spoofing
[What you need to do to prepare:]
- Educate users to recognize and expect cloud.microsoft as a key domain for Microsoft cloud experiences. You can refer them to What is cloud.microsoft? – Microsoft Support for more information.
- If your organizational websites, tools, or other materials reference the old URL, those links will be automatically redirected. However, it would be good practice to update those assets to avoid user confusion.
- Partner with developers of in-house Teams apps – including those that run on Outlook and Microsoft 365 – to take the actions described in Action required: ensure your Microsoft Teams apps are ready for upcoming domain changes so the apps continue to function on the new domain.
- Admins should ensure that connections to *.cloud.microsoft are not blocked from their clients and enterprise networks. This should require no action if standard Microsoft network guidance on domains and service endpoints is being followed.
