Microsoft Word for the web: Retirement of the “@” entity insertion experience on the document canvas

Microsoft is retiring the CIQ-based “@” entity insertion on Word for the web’s document canvas by late October 2026, aligning it with other Microsoft 365 apps. Users cannot invoke this menu anymore, but @mentions in comments remain unaffected. No admin action is required; users should be informed. Microsoft is retiring the CIQ-based “@” entity insertion experience on the document canvas in Word for the web. This retirement aligns Word for the web with the experience available in other Microsoft 365 applications, including Word desktop, Excel, and PowerPoint, where this entry point is no longer available. As part of this change, users will no longer be able to invoke the CIQ menu from the document canvas by typing “@”. This retirement does not affect @mentions in comments. Rollout schedule Retirement (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, and DoD): Beginning in late October 2026 and expected to complete by late October 2026 Impact on your organization Who is affected Users who currently use the CIQ “@” menu in Word for the web to search for and insert entities into documents Platforms and services Word for the web What will happen The CIQ-based “@” entry point on the document canvas will be removed from Word for the web. Users will no longer be able to use the legacy CIQ menu to search for and insert entities from the document canvas. No replacement experience is included as part of this retirement. @mentions in comments are not affected and will continue to work as before. This change aligns Word for the web with Word desktop, Excel, and PowerPoint, where this entry point is no longer available. No admin controls are available to enable, disable, or postpone this change. Action required and recommendations No admin action is required. We recommend that administrators: Inform affected users about the retirement of this feature. Review and update internal documentation, training materials, and support content that reference the CIQ “@” insertion experience. Remove any internal guidance or workflows that depend on the CIQ entity insertion menu. Compliance considerations No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization. Message ID: MC1478006

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