Microsoft is making its biggest certification changes in years. If you are studying for a Microsoft exam right now, or planning to start soon, some of what you are working toward may already be scheduled to retire. This is not a minor update. Microsoft has confirmed the retirement of multiple certifications across Azure, AI, security, data, and infrastructure tracks — all within 2026.
This guide covers every Microsoft certification retiring in 2026, the exact retirement dates, what is replacing each one, and what you should do based on where you are in your preparation. Whether you are a cloud engineer, security professional, AI developer, data scientist, or IT administrator, this page gives you the complete picture so you can make the right decision for your career.
Why Microsoft Is Retiring So Many Certifications in 2026
Microsoft retires certifications regularly, but 2026 is different in scale and direction. The company is not just removing outdated content. It is actively rebuilding its certification portfolio around artificial intelligence, generative AI, agentic architectures, and modern cloud security.
The pattern is clear. Certifications that were built around traditional service implementation, standalone tool knowledge, or older infrastructure models are being replaced by credentials that reflect how AI is now embedded into every technical role. Microsoft wants its certifications to reflect real job skills in 2026, not the job skills of 2020.
For candidates, this creates both urgency and opportunity. Urgency because some exams you may be studying for will no longer be available to take or renew after a certain date. Opportunity because new certifications with low competition and high employer demand are launching right now, and early adopters always benefit from thinner competition in search results, job listings, and hiring conversations.
Understanding exactly what is retiring, when, and what is replacing it is the first step to making a smart certification decision in 2026.
Complete List of Microsoft Certifications Retiring in 2026
1. Microsoft 365 Fundamentals — MS-900
Retirement Date: March 31, 2026 Status: Already Retired
MS-900 was one of the most widely recommended entry-level Microsoft certifications for IT professionals, business users, and new hires being onboarded into Microsoft 365 environments. It covered cloud concepts, Microsoft 365 productivity tools, security, compliance, privacy, and pricing.
Microsoft retired this certification on March 31, 2026 as part of its shift toward credentials that reflect modern AI-powered workplace skills rather than broad foundational overviews.
What Replaces It: Microsoft has introduced the Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals (Exam AB-900) as the modern entry point for Microsoft 365 professionals. This certification focuses on configuring, securing, and supporting AI-powered Microsoft 365 environments including Microsoft 365 Copilot and agent services.
If you were planning to take MS-900, your energy is better directed toward AB-900 or toward a role-based certification that matches your actual job function. We have covered this transition in detail in our guide on MS-900 retirement and what Microsoft 365 beginners should study instead in 2026.
2. Dynamics 365 Fundamentals CRM — MB-910
Retirement Date: December 31, 2025 Status: Already Retired
MB-910 validated foundational knowledge of Dynamics 365 customer engagement applications including Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, and Marketing. It was commonly used as a starting point for CRM-focused professionals and partners entering the Dynamics 365 ecosystem.
What Replaces It: Microsoft has not announced a direct one-to-one replacement for MB-910 at the fundamentals level. Professionals who were pursuing this path should consider role-based Dynamics 365 certifications aligned with their specific functional area, such as the Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate or Customer Service tracks.
3. Dynamics 365 Fundamentals ERP — MB-920
Retirement Date: December 31, 2025 Status: Already Retired
MB-920 covered foundational knowledge of Dynamics 365 finance and operations applications including Finance, Supply Chain Management, Commerce, Human Resources, and Project Operations. It served as an entry point for ERP-focused professionals in the Microsoft partner ecosystem.
What Replaces It: Similar to MB-910, there is no direct fundamentals-level replacement announced. Professionals should move toward functional consultant or finance-focused role-based certifications within the Dynamics 365 track based on their area of work.
4. Azure AI Fundamentals — AI-900
Retirement Date: June 30, 2026 Status: Active Now — Retiring Soon
AI-900 has been one of the most popular Microsoft fundamentals certifications over the past few years. It introduced candidates to core AI and machine learning concepts on Azure, covering workloads, responsible AI principles, computer vision, NLP, generative AI basics, and Azure AI service overview. Because it has lifetime validity and a relatively low difficulty level, it attracted a huge global audience from developers, business users, students, and professionals across every industry.
The retirement of AI-900 is significant not because the content is outdated but because Microsoft is replacing it with a more modern and AI-focused fundamentals path. If you are planning to take AI-900, you still can — but only until June 30, 2026.
What Replaces It: Microsoft is introducing AI-901, the updated fundamentals exam titled Azure AI Fundamentals (updated). This new version covers building basic AI apps and agents on Microsoft platforms and reflects Microsoft’s current direction around generative AI and agentic solutions. Beta is expected in April 2026 with general availability in June 2026.
We have written a full detailed comparison in our AI-900 vs AI-901 guide to help you decide which one makes sense for your timeline and goals.
5. Azure AI Engineer Associate — AI-102
Retirement Date: June 30, 2026 Status: Active Now — Retiring Soon
AI-102 is the professional-level certification for Azure AI engineers. It covers planning and managing Azure AI solutions, implementing generative AI, building agentic solutions, computer vision, NLP, and knowledge mining. Microsoft updated the AI-102 study guide as recently as December 2025 to include generative AI and agentic solution content, so the exam is not outdated in scope — the credential lifecycle is simply ending as Microsoft pivots to a newer path.
AI-102 remains one of the most respected Azure AI certifications available today and is well recognized by employers. The question for most candidates right now is whether to finish AI-102 before retirement or move directly to its replacement.
What Replaces It: AI-103 — Azure AI App and Agent Developer Associate is the replacement path. It focuses on developing generative AI apps, building AI agents, implementing multimodal capabilities, and working with Microsoft Foundry. Training is expected in March 2026, beta in April 2026, and general availability in June 2026.
If you are currently studying for AI-102 or trying to decide between the two, our detailed AI-102 vs AI-103 comparison covers every angle including timing, job roles, difficulty, and our final recommendation. We also have AI-102 exam preparation materials if you are pushing to finish before the retirement deadline.
6. Azure Security Engineer Associate — AZ-500
Retirement Date: September 30, 2026 Status: Active Now — Retiring Soon
AZ-500 is one of the most widely pursued Microsoft security certifications. It validates skills in managing identity and access, securing networking, computing, storage, and databases, and managing security operations on Azure. It is a respected credential in enterprise security teams and has strong employer recognition across cloud security roles.
Microsoft is retiring AZ-500 as part of its broader restructuring of the security certification track to better reflect modern cloud and AI security responsibilities.
What Replaces It: SC-500 — Microsoft Cloud and AI Security Engineer is the announced replacement. It covers securing cloud environments and AI model environments, reflecting the reality that security engineers today must protect not just infrastructure but AI pipelines, model endpoints, and generative AI deployments.
This is one of the most important retirement transitions of 2026 for security professionals. We have covered the full comparison in our AZ-500 vs SC-500 guide and a dedicated AZ-500 retirement and SC-500 transition guide. If you are currently preparing for AZ-500, you can also access our AZ-500 exam preparation materials to help you certify before the deadline.
7. Azure Developer Associate — AZ-204
Retirement Date: June 30, 2026 Status: Active Now — Retiring Soon
AZ-204 is the primary certification for Azure developers. It covers developing Azure compute solutions, implementing Azure storage, integrating Azure security, monitoring and troubleshooting solutions, and connecting to and consuming Azure services and third-party services. It is one of the most searched and widely held Microsoft associate-level certifications among software developers.
The retirement of AZ-204 reflects Microsoft’s shift toward developer certifications that embed AI and modern application patterns as core competencies rather than treating them as optional additions.
What Replaces It: AI-200 — Azure AI Developer Associate is the replacement path. It focuses on building generative AI applications, integrating Azure AI services, working with Azure compute, vector databases, pipelines, and serverless functions in the context of AI-powered application development.
If you are an Azure developer deciding between finishing AZ-204 or moving to AI-200, our AZ-204 vs AI-200 comparison guide walks through the full decision including timing, job role fit, and what changes between the two exams. You can also check our AZ-204 exam preparation materials if you want to push through and certify before retirement.
8. Azure Data Scientist Associate — DP-100
Retirement Date: June 30, 2026 Status: Active Now — Retiring Soon
DP-100 validates skills in designing and implementing data science solutions on Azure. It covers designing a data ingestion strategy, exploring and preparing data, designing and training models, preparing a model for deployment, and deploying and managing models using Azure Machine Learning. It has been the go-to certification for data scientists working in Azure environments for several years.
What Replaces It: DP-750 — Microsoft Certified: Azure Databricks and MLOps Engineer Associate is the replacement path. It focuses on deploying and operationalizing machine learning and generative AI solutions, scalable data pipelines using Databricks, and MLOps and GenAIOps practices in production environments.
We have written a complete DP-100 vs DP-750 comparison to help data scientists understand what changes, what carries over, and which path makes more sense depending on where you are in your preparation and career.
9. Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate — AZ-800 and AZ-801
Retirement Date: September 30, 2026 Status: Active Now — Retiring Soon
AZ-800 and AZ-801 are the two-exam path for the Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification. AZ-800 covers preparing for and implementing Windows Server on-premises and hybrid infrastructure, while AZ-801 covers implementing advanced Windows Server and hybrid infrastructure. Together they represent the main certification path for IT administrators managing hybrid Windows Server environments.
Microsoft is consolidating these two exams into a single updated exam rather than retiring the track entirely.
What Replaces Them: AZ-802 — Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (updated) consolidates both AZ-800 and AZ-801 into a single exam with updated content reflecting modern hybrid cloud and AI infrastructure management. If you already hold either AZ-800 or AZ-801, Microsoft allows you to renew via the AZ-802 renewal assessment rather than retaking the full exam.
We have detailed breakdowns in our AZ-800 vs AZ-802 guide and AZ-801 vs AZ-802 guide covering exactly what changes and what the smartest move is depending on which exam you currently hold or are preparing for.
Quick Reference Table: All 2026 Microsoft Retirements
| Certification | Exam | Retirement Date | Replacement |
| Microsoft 365 Fundamentals | MS-900 | March 31, 2026 | AB-900 |
| Dynamics 365 Fundamentals CRM | MB-910 | Dec 31, 2025 | No direct replacement |
| Dynamics 365 Fundamentals ERP | MB-920 | Dec 31, 2025 | No direct replacement |
| Azure AI Fundamentals | AI-900 | June 30, 2026 | AI-901 |
| Azure AI Engineer Associate | AI-102 | June 30, 2026 | AI-103 |
| Azure Security Engineer Associate | AZ-500 | September 30, 2026 | SC-500 |
| Azure Developer Associate | AZ-204 | June 30, 2026 | AI-200 |
| Azure Data Scientist Associate | DP-100 | June 30, 2026 | DP-750 |
| Windows Server Hybrid Admin | AZ-800 & AZ-801 | September 30, 2026 | AZ-802 |
What Happens to Your Certification If It Retires
This is one of the most common questions candidates ask, and the answer is straightforward.
If you already earned a certification before it retires, it does not disappear. It stays on your Microsoft Learn transcript in the Active Certifications section until it reaches its natural expiration date. After it expires it moves to the Historical Certifications section. Your work is not wasted.
What you can no longer do after a retirement date is earn that certification for the first time or renew it if it expires. Once a certification is retired, the renewal assessment is also retired. So if you are close to your renewal window on any of these certifications, you need to factor in the retirement date.
Also worth knowing: retired certifications are not automatically converted to their replacements. If AZ-500 retires and is replaced by SC-500, your AZ-500 does not become an SC-500. They are separate credentials and SC-500 must be earned from scratch.
What You Should Do Right Now Based on Your Situation
If you are already studying for one of these exams: Check how close you are to exam-ready. If you are 70 percent or more prepared, finishing before the retirement date is almost always the right move. A certified credential — even one retiring soon — is better than an uncompleted preparation cycle.
If you are just starting out: For exams retiring on June 30, 2026 — AI-900, AI-102, AZ-204, DP-100 — you have very limited time to start from zero and finish. Unless you can study intensively and test before the deadline, starting on the replacement path is often smarter.
If you are targeting security roles: AZ-500 retires on September 30, 2026, giving you more runway. The SC-500 replacement training will not be available until around July 2026, so finishing AZ-500 before retirement is a reasonable option for security professionals who are mid-preparation.
If you are a Windows Server administrator: AZ-800 and AZ-801 also retire on September 30, 2026. The AZ-802 consolidation path is coming but if you are already deep into either exam, completing it before retirement preserves your credential and gives you a renewal path via AZ-802.
If you have already earned any of these certifications: No immediate action needed. Your credential remains valid until it expires. Plan your renewal or replacement certification strategy before that expiration date arrives.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Is Actually Good News for Certified Professionals
Microsoft’s 2026 overhaul is the largest restructuring of its certification portfolio in years, but it is not bad news for professionals who stay informed and move early.
Every retiring certification creates a gap. Employers still need people who can do the work those certifications validated — but now with AI capabilities added. The professionals who earn the replacement certifications early will stand out in hiring pipelines where most candidates are still catching up.
The new certifications — AI-103, SC-500, AI-200, DP-750, AZ-802, AI-901 — all reflect where enterprise technology is heading. Cloud, AI, security, and hybrid infrastructure are converging, and Microsoft’s new certification map reflects that convergence clearly.
For anyone building a career in Microsoft technologies, 2026 is not a disruption. It is an opportunity to get ahead of the curve before the competition catches up.
FAQs
Are Microsoft certifications being deleted in 2026?
No. Retired certifications are not deleted from your transcript. If you earned a certification before it retired, it stays on your Microsoft Learn profile until it naturally expires. What changes is that you can no longer earn or renew it after the retirement date.
Which Microsoft certification is retiring soonest in 2026?
MS-900 already retired on March 31, 2026. The next wave retires on June 30, 2026, including AI-900, AI-102, AZ-204, and DP-100.
Is AI-900 still worth taking before it retires?
Yes, if you can realistically prepare and sit the exam before June 30, 2026. AI-900 has lifetime validity, so earning it before retirement locks in a permanent credential. We cover this in full in our AI-900 vs AI-901 comparison.
Will my AZ-500 become SC-500 automatically after retirement?
No. Retired certifications are not converted to replacements. SC-500 must be earned independently. We explain the full transition in our AZ-500 vs SC-500 guide.
Is AZ-204 still worth taking in 2026?
If you are already well prepared and can test before June 30, 2026, yes. If you are starting from scratch, the replacement path AI-200 is usually the smarter investment. Read our full breakdown in the AZ-204 vs AI-200 guide.
What is replacing DP-100?
DP-100 is being replaced by DP-750, which focuses on Databricks, MLOps, and GenAIOps. Full details are in our DP-100 vs DP-750 comparison.
Can I still renew AZ-800 or AZ-801 after they retire?
No. Once they retire on September 30, 2026 you cannot renew them. However, if you currently hold either certification, Microsoft allows renewal via the AZ-802 renewal assessment before the retirement date. See our AZ-800 vs AZ-802 guide for full details.
Where can I find the official Microsoft retirement schedule?
Microsoft publishes all retirement timelines on the official credential retirement page at learn.microsoft.com. Always verify dates there before making study decisions as timelines can change.
