SharePoint Alerts Are Retiring: What It Means and the Best Alternatives for 2026

SharePoint Alerts—once a staple for keeping up to date with changes in lists and libraries—are being fully retired in July 2026. Microsoft is phasing them out in favour of more modern and secure notification options built into Microsoft 365.

If your team relies on Alerts to stay informed, you’ll need to switch to supported alternatives before they stop working.

This guide walks you through:

• Why Alerts are being retired

• The official retirement timeline

• Easy alternatives for simple notifications

• When Power Automate is the right solution

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Why Are SharePoint Alerts Going Away?

Classic SharePoint Alerts rely on outdated backend technology and don’t align with Microsoft’s modern notification strategy. They offer limited customisation, no central oversight and no auditability.

Microsoft is retiring Alerts to streamline notifications and encourage organisations to use more modern tools such as SharePoint Rules and Power Automate.

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SharePoint Alerts Retirement Timeline

Here’s what the phase‑out looks like across Microsoft 365:

Date	Change
July 2025	New tenants can no longer create new alerts.
October 2025	Alerts begin expiring every 30 days unless manually renewed.
January 2026	Alert creation turned off for all tenants.
July 2026	Alerts stop working permanently.

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What to Use Instead

Microsoft provides two built‑in alternatives depending on how sophisticated your notification requirements are.

SharePoint Rules (Best Replacement for Simple Alerts)

SharePoint Rules are the easiest replacement for classic Alerts and work directly within lists and libraries. They’re perfect for simple scenarios such as:

• Notifying someone when a new item or file is added

• Alerting users when a column value changes

• Sending quick email notifications without extra setup

They’re lightweight, modern, and require no extra licensing.

How to Create a Rule (Simple Step‑by‑Step)

1. Open your SharePoint list or document library.

2. Choose Automate → Create a rule.

3. Select a rule type, such as:

   • A new item is added

   • A column changes

4. Choose who should receive the notification.

5. Save the rule.

Rules are ideal for most everyday notification needs.

Power Automate (Best for Complex Notifications)

For requirements that go beyond basic “notify me” scenarios, we recommend Power Automate.

Power Automate is great for:

• Conditional notifications (“only notify me if Status = Approved”)

• Multi‑recipient alerts

• Combining notifications with other actions (e.g., Teams messages, Planner tasks)

• Scheduled summaries or digests of SharePoint activity

• Formatting emails professionally

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Do You Need More Than Simple Alerts? We Can Help.

With Alerts retiring and more modern tools available, it’s a great time to revisit how your organisation stays informed.

• If you only need basic email notifications, SharePoint Rules will do the job.

• If you need anything more, we recommend you rebuild your alerts in Power Automate—ensuring they are reliable, efficient, and built using best‑practice automation.

Whether you’re replacing just one alert or reviewing an entire notification process, our team at So365 can support you.