“Is SharePoint going away?”
If you’ve seen headlines about “SharePoint end of life” this year, you’re not alone in wondering whether it’s time to stop investing in your intranet. We’ve heard the question from plenty of business owners.
The short answer: no. SharePoint Online, the version included with Microsoft 365, is fully supported and gets new features every month. What reached end of life in 2026 is the older on-premises SharePoint software some companies run on their own servers, plus a handful of legacy tools that were built for it.
Here’s what actually changed, how to tell which SharePoint you have, and what to check even if you’re already in the cloud.
What actually reached end of life
|
What |
Date |
What it means |
|---|---|---|
|
SharePoint Server 2016 |
July 14, 2026 |
No more security updates, bug fixes, or Microsoft support |
|
SharePoint Server 2019 |
July 14, 2026 |
No more security updates, bug fixes, or Microsoft support |
|
SharePoint Designer 2013 |
July 14, 2026 |
End of support for the classic site and workflow editor |
|
InfoPath 2013 and InfoPath Forms Services |
July 14, 2026 (publishing blocked May 18) |
InfoPath forms in SharePoint Online stopped opening and submitting |
|
SharePoint 2013 workflows in Microsoft 365 |
April 2, 2026 |
Classic workflows turned off and no longer run |
|
SharePoint Add-ins in Microsoft 365 |
April 2, 2026 |
The legacy add-in model stopped working |
One important detail: on-premises servers don’t shut off on the end-of-support date. They keep running, just without security patches, which makes them a growing risk every month they stay in use.
SharePoint Server vs. SharePoint Online
The confusion comes from two very different products sharing one name.
SharePoint Server is software a company installs and runs on its own servers. It comes in versions named by year (2013, 2016, 2019) and each version has a fixed support lifespan. With 2016 and 2019 now retired, the only supported on-premises version is SharePoint Server Subscription Edition.
SharePoint Online is the cloud service Microsoft hosts and maintains as part of Microsoft 365. It has no version number and no end-of-life date, because Microsoft updates it continuously. It’s where Microsoft is putting its investment: Copilot in SharePoint began its general availability rollout on September 30, 2026.
Quick check: if you reach your SharePoint sites through Microsoft 365 or a web address ending in sharepoint.com, you’re on SharePoint Online and the server end-of-support date doesn’t apply to you.
The catch: what SharePoint Online users still need to check
SharePoint Online itself isn’t ending, but some older tools that ran inside it have been retired. If your business set up SharePoint years ago, you may have been relying on one of them without knowing it:
- Classic workflows. Approval and routing workflows built in SharePoint Designer (SharePoint 2013 workflows) stopped running on April 2, 2026.
- Add-ins. Custom apps built on the SharePoint Add-in model were fully retired on April 2, 2026.
- InfoPath forms. InfoPath Forms Services was removed from SharePoint Online after July 14, 2026, so those forms no longer open.
If something quietly broke this year, like an approval email that never arrives or a request form that won’t load, one of these retirements is the most likely cause. The good news is that each has a modern replacement: Power Automate for workflows, Power Apps or Microsoft Forms for InfoPath, and the SharePoint Framework for custom add-ins.
If you’re still running SharePoint Server
You have three options:
- Move to SharePoint Online. For most small and mid-sized businesses, this is the right call. No servers to patch, no future end-of-life deadlines, and full access to Copilot and the rest of Microsoft 365.
- Upgrade to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. A fit if regulations or contracts require you to keep data on your own servers.
- Keep running unsupported. The riskiest choice. Every month without security updates leaves your documents and your network more exposed.
Either way, the move is a chance to clean up: archive what nobody uses, fix permissions, and replace old workflows and forms instead of carrying them forward.
How Inspire Data Solutions helps
Established in 2004 and recognized as one of the top Microsoft SharePoint and Power Platform (Power Automate, Power BI, Power Apps) consulting companies, Inspire Data Solutions helps businesses get through changes like this without disruption:
- Health check. We identify which SharePoint you’re running and find any classic workflows, InfoPath forms, or add-ins that were affected.
- Plan. You get a clear plan for what moves, what gets rebuilt, and what can be retired.
- Migrate. We move your content to SharePoint Online with permissions and structure intact.
- Rebuild. We replace retired workflows with Power Automate and retired forms with Power Apps, usually making them faster and easier to use than the originals.
- Modernize. We set you up with a modern intranet that’s ready for Copilot, so you get more out of SharePoint than you had before.
Why businesses choose us:
- 20+ years of Microsoft consulting experience, in business since 2004
- Hands-on consultants who do the work themselves, not a sales team that hands you off
- One partner for migration, workflows, forms, and apps across SharePoint, Power Automate, and Power Apps
- Clear documentation so your team knows exactly what changed
Don’t let a confusing headline stall your plans, or let a broken workflow go unnoticed.
Contact Us
1-877-871-8704
