Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft 365 Experts
From Microsoft Corporation
Technical Bulletin MC445418 · Published Oct 13, 2022
Message Summary
We are removing the “Turn on file synchronization via SOAP Over HTTP” policy from Group Policy. This policy allows IT admins to turn file synchronization via SOAP over HTTP on or off for Office.
When is this change taking effect?
This change is rolling out in MEC mid-October, and it will be in the Semi-Annual candidate in January 2023.
How will this affect you?
This policy was originally introduced when Office switched to using the SOAP protocol to connect and exchange information with newer versions of SharePoint. This policy was implemented to give admins better control of this transition, particularly for older versions of SharePoint 2013 on-premises deployments.
As this transition completed, we’ve found that some users turn this policy off in an attempt to troubleshoot “Sorry we can’t open https://” or “Upload failed.” error messages when trying to open documents on a SharePoint website. Setting the policy to Disabled adds the FSSHTTPOff registry key and it prevents Office from using its preferred protocol to open documents on SharePoint. It also prevents features such as co-authoring, checking documents in and out, reverting to earlier versions of documents, filling out required file properties, and so on, to function properly.
As a result, we are retiring this policy in favor of always using SOAP as the Office preferred protocol to open documents on SharePoint.
What do you need to do to prepare for this change?
If you or your organization is affected by this retirement, please let us know about your scenario by emailing: FileSyncViaSOAP@microsoft.com.
