Thursday, 19 February 2026

Microsoft Rewards account linking retires on 19 March; new Entra web-filtering guidance is the main documentation thread

The clearest operational event on 19 February is the retirement of Azure AD Account Linking for Microsoft Rewards, rather than a change to Entra sign-in or access-policy behavior. Work-account linking will stop by 19 March 2026, while existing points and personal accounts remain unaffected. Most other notable entries are documentation additions or clarifications: new Web content filtering material, a revised passkey support matrix, updated Application Proxy and Traffic Manager guidance, and a documented Global Secure Access port limitation. No supplied item establishes preview, general availability, or broader service-behavior changes.

• Entra ID · General

  Microsoft Rewards retires Azure AD Account Linking

  This Message Center major update says Azure AD Account Linking for Microsoft Rewards will retire by 19 March 2026. Users will no longer be able to link work accounts to earn Rewards points; existing points and personal-account use are unaffected. Microsoft states that no administrator action is required. This is a feature retirement in the Rewards experience, not an announced change to Entra authentication or access controls.

• Entra ID · Conditional Access

  New Web content filtering documentation connects rules, security profiles, and Conditional Access

  A set of new Entra ID documentation pages covers category-based Web content filtering rules, policy linkage to security profiles, and integration with Conditional Access. The supplied evidence identifies documentation additions only; it does not establish preview, general availability, a launch, or changed service behavior.

• Entra ID · Authentication

  The passkey/FIDO2 authentication matrix was updated

  The revised Microsoft Entra ID matrix addresses web-browser and native-app support for FIDO2 passwordless authentication. This is a compatibility-documentation update, not evidence that new client support or a tenant configuration change became available on this date.

• Entra ID · Developer

  Application Proxy guidance specifies regional Traffic Manager endpoints

  Updated Microsoft Entra Application Proxy guidance says that, in a Traffic Manager solution, each app's regional Application Proxy URL should be added as an endpoint. This is an implementation clarification for administrators using that architecture; the evidence does not announce a change to Application Proxy availability or runtime behavior.

• Global Secure Access · Standards

  Global Secure Access documentation records an HTTP/S port limitation

  The updated Current Known Limitations page states that Global Secure Access assumes standard HTTP/S ports 80 and 443. Administrators whose designs depend on nonstandard HTTP/S ports should treat this as an operational constraint to review. The update does not say that the platform newly imposed this limitation.

This period briefing was generated by AI from the tracked Microsoft Learn and Message Center changes.