AZ-900 after the 20 July 2026 update: what changed and which old product names to unlearn

Candidates study from material that still says Azure Active Directory and Security Center, then meet the current names on the exam. The skills are the same; the labels are not. A short translation table fixes most of it.

What changed on 20 July 2026?

Microsoft updated the skills measured on 20 July 2026. The skill groups and weights did not change. Microsoft marked minor changes in three skill areas:

1. Describe Azure compute and networking services
2. Describe features and tools for managing and deploying resources
3. Describe monitoring tools in Azure

If your material predates 20 July 2026, it may not reflect those edits. Use material that lists skills as of 20 July 2026, and treat any older list with care. Microsoft's study guide has a change log, and the book recommends reading it once a year.

Which weights apply?

That is 11 skill areas in all. The exam map lists every skill.

Which product names have changed?

Product names have changed more than the skills. Material written before these renames teaches names the exam no longer uses.

Rasha, in the book, found a popular question bank whose answers still said Azure Active Directory. She kept it for practice, translated each old name using a table like this one and used Microsoft's free practice assessment for a final check. That is a sensible way to use older material: the concepts remain valid, and only the label needs translating.

What about other languages?

The English version is updated first. Microsoft states that other languages usually follow about eight weeks later, so a candidate sitting in Arabic or another language may briefly see the previous version. If you sit the exam in a language other than English soon after an update, check Microsoft's study guide for the version that applies to you.

Which credentials have changed around AZ-900?

Microsoft retired Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900) on 31 March 2026 and replaced AI-900 with AI-901. Role-based exam codes also change. Read the comparison guide and check Microsoft Learn before you plan a next step.

How do you check any material?

Before you pay for a course or question bank, confirm four things.

1. It names AZ-900 and the skills measured as of 20 July 2026.
2. It follows the skill areas in the study guide.
3. It uses current names, such as Microsoft Entra ID and Defender for Cloud.
4. The refund policy is set out in writing.

If it fails the first or third check, treat it as background reading, not as your main source. Marks come from the current study guide, so open it first.

Who is affected most?

Three kinds of candidate meet the changes first. People who bought a video course more than a year ago meet old names in the lessons. People with a free PDF or a shared set of notes meet old names in the answers. People who sit the exam in a language other than English may, for a few weeks after an update, see the previous version of the exam.

If you are in any of those groups, the fix is the same: open the current study guide, read the skills measured date, and translate names as you go. You do not need to start again, because the concepts have not moved.

How should you re-plan?

1. Download the current AZ-900 study guide from Microsoft Learn and note the "skills measured as of" date.
2. Compare your notes with the three marked skill areas and fix them.
3. Translate every old product name using the table above.
4. Rate yourself from 1 to 5 on the 11 skill areas. Your three lowest scores become your first targets.
5. Build a dated plan with the study plan guide.

Chapter 5 of CredenTrek For Microsoft AZ-900 has the full tables, and its verification step is simple: read the study guide on Microsoft Learn and check the date and the names before you buy anything.