MC1279093 - Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Enhancing how we handle promotional mail

Introduction

We are enhancing how Microsoft Defender for Office 365 identifies and manages promotional email. Promotional messages will be tagged as “promotions” (previously “Bulk” in preview) and can be moved automatically to a new Promotions folder. The system learns from user actions, such as moving messages into or out of the Promotions folder and applies those preferences to future messages. These improvements reduce inbox clutter and help users stay focused while still receiving promotional content they want.

When this will happen

Public Preview (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in mid-April 2026 and expect to complete by late April 2026.
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in early July 2026 and expect to complete by late July 2026.
General Availability (DoD, GCC, GCC High): We will begin rolling out in early July 2026 and expect to complete by mid-August 2026.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected

All organizations that use Microsoft Defender for Office 365 across Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, and DoD clouds

What will happen

Incoming promotional messages will be tagged as “promotions.”
If the Bulk Moves Enabled setting is turned on, tagged messages will automatically move to a Promotions folder created in user mailboxes.
The system will learn from user actions when they move messages into or out of the Promotions folder. Future messages will follow the learned behavior.
Users will be able to create inbox rules that reference the promotions tag.
During the Public Preview:
- Tagging will be opt-in and configured using Exchange transport rules.
- Folder routing will be enabled through anti-spam policy settings (“Bulk moves enabled”).
- Both features will be able to be scoped to pilot security groups for a staged rollout.
At Worldwide General Availability, tagging will be enabled by default for all tenants.

Figure one - Admin configuration for tagging using exchange transport rule (required for public preview opt-In):

Figure two - Admin configuration for Bulk moves enabled to provision the promotions folder:

Figure three - System tagging of “Promotions” in outlook client and promotions folder:

Figure four - User inbox rules using the promotions” tag:

What you can do to prepare

No action is required at this time.
Review your internal mailbox and message handling guidance and update training materials if needed.
If you plan to participate in the Public Preview, review your Exchange transport rule and anti-spam policy configurations to determine if you want to opt-in.
Monitor the product documentation. A link will be added to this post when it becomes available.

Compliance considerations

Question	Answer
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?	Yes. Incoming email will receive the promotions classification and may be moved automatically to the Promotions folder depending on admin configuration.
Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI or ML that interacts with customer data?	Yes. The system learns from user actions when they move messages and applies that learning to future similar messages.
Does the change include an admin control, and can it be controlled through Entra ID group membership?	Yes. Admins can enable or disable Bulk Moves Enabled and can opt in to tagging during Public Preview. These controls can be scoped using existing admin delegation models.
Does the change allow a user to enable or disable the feature themselves?	Yes. Users can override tagging behavior by moving messages in or out of the Promotions folder, which trains the ML model and adjusts future message handling.