Microsoft End of Life 2026: These products are affected

Official support for numerous products from the Microsoft portfolio is ending again this year. This article provides you with an overview of the affected products and explains what measures companies should take in good time to avoid risks.

What does "End of Life" (EOL) mean at Microsoft?

Microsoft distinguishes between the following support phases:

• Mainstream support
  Function updates, security updates and design and feature adjustments
• Extended Support
  Exclusively security-relevant updates
• End of Life (EOL)
  No support, no updates, no hotfixes
• Extended Security Updates (ESU)
  Additional licences subject to a charge that can be used to obtain security updates for certain operating systems and applications for up to three additional years

From Microsoft's point of view, products are no longer supported once they reach the end of life and should no longer be used productively. Ideally, the product has already been uninstalled or replaced by a successor solution by this time.

EOL for office, collaboration and project solutions

These products are still widely used in many companies and are therefore particularly critical:

• SharePoint Server 2016 / 2019 - EOL: 14.07.2026
• Project Server 2016 / 2019 - EOL: 14.07.2026
• InfoPath 2013 - EOL: 14.07.2026
• Office 2021 (Perpetual & LTSC) - Retirement (complete discontinuation): 13.10.2026
• Office Online Server - Retirement (complete discontinuation): 31.12.2026

Note on Exchange Server 2016/2019: Support has already expired in October 2025. a prompt replacement or migration is therefore strongly recommended. Further information can be found in our consulting package Professional replacement of Exchange Server 2016/2019.

Recommended actions for Office & Collaboration

Office 2021

For Office 2021, it is necessary to either upgrade to Office 2024 or switch to Microsoft 365 Apps (part of many Microsoft 365 subscription licences).
If there are dependencies on other applications, these should be checked at an early stage and adapted if necessary.

SharePoint Server & Project Server

The effort required for SharePoint Server and Project Server is significantly higher. A migration to SharePoint Server SE or Project Server SE is required here.

Technically, this migration is generally manageable and stable, but depending on the size and complexity of the environment, it can involve considerable project work. A key preparatory step is to check the deprecated features in SharePoint Server SE and Project Server SE. Functions that are no longer supported there must be removed or replaced with suitable alternatives before the upgrade.

Alternatively, a migration to Microsoft 365 services can be considered. This is often more costly, especially for complex, customised solutions, but can prove to be a cost-effective option for simple document management scenarios.

InfoPath

A particularly prominent example is InfoPath Forms Services. Although InfoPath was officially discontinued in 2014, support does not end until 14 July 2026.

Technically, InfoPath forms in SharePoint Server SE will continue to work, but they will no longer receive security updates after this date and will therefore no longer be supported.

InfoPath forms were frequently used for form-based processes and workflow automation and are still in use in some cases due to their complexity. There is an urgent need for action here.

Power Apps in combination with Power Automate within Microsoft 365 offer a modern alternative. Locally operated alternatives from Microsoft are not available for this.

Office Online Server

The Office Online Server was recently officially discontinued at the end of 2026. It is used in SharePoint environments to display and edit Office documents directly in the browser - functionally comparable to Office Online in Microsoft 365, but operated on its own servers and designed exclusively for on-premises installations.

After the end of support, it is advisable to remove these servers from the environment. In SharePoint on-premises installations, editing is then only possible via local Office clients. A successor or alternative product outside the Microsoft 365 cloud is not available here either.

EOL for database and server platforms

SQL Server

There is an acute need for action for SQL Server 2016, as support will end in the course of 2026. When planning, it is particularly important to ensure that the connected applications are compatible with a newer SQL Server version.

For orientation, you will find an overview of the current SQL Server versions and their support periods below:

Windows Server

A migration is also required for Windows Server. ESU support for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ends this year (13 October 2026). These systems should be replaced now at the latest.

However, it is also worth taking a closer look at the support periods for the other server operating systems: Windows Server 2016 is already scheduled to end of life on 12 January 2027, while Windows Server 2022 will fall out of mainstream support in October 2026 and will then only receive security updates until October 2031.

In addition, the client side should not be ignored: Support for Windows 10 has already expired in October 2025. Companies that are still using Windows 10 systems should therefore plan to migrate to Windows 11 as soon as possible to avoid security and compliance risks.

Conclusion

Operating software without security updates poses a significant risk - regardless of whether systems are externally accessible or highly compartmentalised internally. Companies that use products with imminent end of support should act early in order to properly plan and implement migrations, upgrades or replacement solutions.

Contact us to benefit from our managed services and consulting services. In a free initial consultation, we will analyse your need for action and work together to develop the best course of action for your Microsoft environment.