
In a move that’s sure to raise eyebrows and questions about its commitment to user privacy, Microsoft has announced the sunsetting of its Microsoft 365 VPN service. The service, which offered enhanced encryption and IP address masking through a partnership with Cloudflare, will officially be shut down on February 28, 2025.
This decision brings an end to a feature that was quietly tucked away within the Microsoft Defender ecosystem, available only to paying Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers in a limited number of regions. Initially launched with promises of expansion, the VPN’s reach never extended beyond the US, its territories, and the UK. This restricted availability, coupled with the requirement of a Microsoft 365 subscription and the installation of the Defender app (rather than being a readily available system feature), likely contributed to its low profile and, ultimately, its demise.
Microsoft’s reasoning for the shutdown is, frankly, a bit thin. Citing a strategic focus on enhancing features that are widely used, the company claims that the VPN simply didn’t see enough action to justify its continued existence. While acknowledging the value of VPN services in general, Microsoft has opted to pull the plug without offering any direct alternative.
This leaves a gap in Microsoft’s privacy offerings, particularly when competitors like Google One and Cloudflare itself offer similar, and often more comprehensive, VPN solutions. While the service may have been underutilized, its mere presence offered a layer of security and a potential selling point for Microsoft 365. Its removal raises questions about Microsoft’s prioritization of user privacy and leaves subscribers with one less tool in their digital security arsenal.
The news is particularly disappointing considering the growing concerns around online privacy. In a world where data breaches and surveillance are increasingly common, access to a reliable VPN, even if used sparingly, is a valuable asset. Microsoft’s decision to discontinue this service feels like a step backward, leaving many users wondering why a potentially useful feature was allowed to wither and die. It also begs the question: if Microsoft wasn’t seeing the adoption they desired, what steps did they take to improve awareness and accessibility of the service? The answer, it seems, is none. Instead, they opted for the easier, and arguably less user-centric, solution: termination.