Posted inMicrosoft 365 apps

MC1478006: Word for the web Retires CIQ-Based “@” Entity Insertion on Document Canvas

3 minutesPosted inMicrosoft 365 apps
MWPRO IMPACT SCORE
OPERATIONAL IMPACT
40
0 25 50 75 100
MODERATE IMPACT • ASSESS BUSINESS IMPACT
Recommended Action:
Take a look and decide whether this affects your tenant, users or support teams.
▶ What is MWPro Impact Score? Watch our 60‑second explainer

Primary Audience

Microsoft 365 AdminsIT ManagersService OwnersEnd Users
Why this score?
AI Confidence
HIGH
Enough detail is available to trust this assessment.
Assessment Reasoning
The announcement confirms retirement of the CIQ-based ‘@’ entity insertion in Word for the web starting late October 2026, which is after the current date. Admin action is limited to communication and updating documentation, with no configuration changes. Users who rely on the feature will lose functionality but can continue using @mentions in comments. The change has moderate urgency as the feature will be removed soon and may affect some workflows, but there is no technical remediation required.
40
🛡️ Admin Impact
MEDIUM
35
👥 User Impact
MEDIUM
45
⚡ Urgency
MEDIUM
30
🔧 Effort
MEDIUM
ℹ️ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
📌

AT A GLANCE

Word for the web will remove the CIQ “@” menu for inserting entities. This feature is being retired with no direct replacement.
👥

END USERS

Users will no longer be able to insert entities using the “@” menu on the canvas.
🛡️

IT ADMINS

Inform users, update documentation, and review workflows that reference the CIQ “@” menu.
📅

ROLLOUT TIMELINE

Upcoming:
Late October 2026

📢 Official Microsoft Message Center Announcement

Microsoft Word for the web: Retirement of the “@” entity insertion experience on the document canvas
Message ID: MC1478006

[What and why]

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.

Source: Microsoft Message Center • Analysed by MWPro

Share This Update
Tags: