💡 Our Technical Review in summary
Summary
- Microsoft is transitioning the SharePoint “Bing Maps” web part to use Azure Maps as the backend data provider.
- This migration is part of a long-term strategy to modernize mapping experiences and improve platform reliability.
- The rollout is scheduled to begin in early March 2026 and is expected to be completed by mid-April 2026.
- The migration is automatic; there is no administrative toggle to opt-out or delay the change.
Impact
- Renaming: The “Bing Maps” web part will be renamed simply to “Maps.”
- Feature Deprecation: “Business Entity search” (searching for points of interest or organizations by name) will no longer be supported. Only Place and Address searches will remain functional.
- Visual Changes: “Bird’s eye” and “Street view” modes will be removed. Existing maps using these views will automatically fallback to the “Road” view.
- Language Support: Autosuggestions for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) languages will no longer be supported.
- Regional Availability: Azure Maps services are currently unavailable in China; organizations operating in this region may face service disruptions for this web part.
- User Experience: Most standard mapping functionality will remain intact, but site owners relying on specific POI data or specialized views will see a change in behavior.
Action Required
- Network Configuration: Ensure that
atlas.microsoft.comis added to your organization’s allowlist. Verify that firewalls and proxy configurations permit traffic to this domain to prevent web part loading failures. - Site Audit: Review modern SharePoint pages that currently utilize the Maps web part to identify if any critical information relies on the soon-to-be-deprecated Bird’s eye or Street views.
- Internal Communication: Notify site owners and SharePoint stakeholders about the removal of Business Entity search and the shift to Road view defaults.
- Support Readiness: Update helpdesk documentation and internal training materials to reflect the name change and the specific feature limitations (e.g., lack of CJK autosuggestions).
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: planForChange
Severity: normal
[Introduction]
We’re updating the SharePoint Maps web part to use Azure Maps as its data provider. This migration modernizes the mapping experience, improves reliability, and aligns SharePoint with Microsoft’s long-term mapping platform strategy. Most existing functionality will continue to work as expected.
[When this will happen:]
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): Rollout will begin in early March 2026 and complete by mid-April 2026.
[How this affects your organization:]
Who is affected:
- Organizations using the SharePoint Maps web part (formerly Bing Maps) on modern SharePoint pages.
- Admins responsible for allowlists, network security, or governance of SharePoint sites.
What will happen:
- The Bing Maps web part will be renamed to Maps.
- Azure Maps services are currently available except in China.
- Place and Address search will continue to work.
- Business Entity search (searching for organizations or points of interest by name) will no longer be supported.
- Autosuggestions will no longer support Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.
- Bird’s eye and Street view modes will be removed, with automatic fallback to Road view.
- No admin toggle is provided; migration occurs automatically.
[What you can do to prepare:]
- Add atlas.microsoft.com to your organization’s allowlist if applicable.
- Confirm network access, firewall, and proxy configurations allow traffic to this domain.
- Review SharePoint pages that use the Maps web part.
- Communicate this change to site owners or helpdesk staff.
- Update internal documentation if needed.
[Compliance considerations:]
No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.
