Attention! SharePoint 2013, 2016 & 2019 End of Life is Approaching Soon
Read time: 5 minutes
Over the years, SharePoint On-Premises has given organizations complete control over the data saved on their local Servers. However, change is inevitable, and technology is constantly advancing, and you need to adapt to it. If your organization is still using SharePoint 2013, 2016, or 2019, then the time to shift to another platform is closer than expected.
Microsoft has officially announced End-of-Life for SharePoint 2013, 2016, and 2019; their lifecycle is limited now.
Before deciding to upgrade or migrate the content, you must clearly understand all the important dates and other information. It would be best to be well-prepared for the End-of-Support technicalities of these Servers.
What do you mean by ‘End-of-life’?
To clarify, ‘End of life’ does not mean the service stops working suddenly, and all your documents and other data will not immediately vanish. It simply means that Microsoft no longer supports the Servers from the specified date. It will stop providing the following services-
- Technical support
- New updates
- Time zone updates
- Security solutions
- Minor bug fixes
- New features
Note: There is no extension to the announced dates, and ensure you have the latest Service pack installed.
SharePoint 2019, 2016, and 2013 come under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy of Microsoft. It states that the products under this policy will receive a total of 10 years of support, including 5 years of Mainstream Support and 5 years of Extended Support.
| Mainstream Support | Extended Support |
It is the first phase of the product lifecycle and includes support services like-
|
This phase is after the Mainstream Support and includes support services like-
|
| Start date of End-of-Life | End date of Mainstream Support | End date of Extended Support | End of all Support | |
| SharePoint 2013 | 9th January 2013 | 10th April 2018 | 11th April 2023 | 11th April 2023 |
| SharePoint 2016 | 1st May 2016 | 13th July 2021 | 14th July 2026 | 14th July 2026 |
| SharePoint 2019 | 22nd October 2018 | 9th January 2024 | 14th July 2026 | 14th July 2026 |
The last day when Microsoft will stop all types of support for SharePoint 2013 is approaching soon. If you don’t upgrade the version, you are opening doors to various risks that include-
- Security breaches as a result of no security updates.
- Functionality could take a toll due to the using outdated features.
- Organizations can get into financial or legal trouble.
- An unsupported platform carries a massive risk of data loss, which can cause hefty losses.
Before it’s too late, you must decide on the appropriate steps to save your data. These are some possible migration options after the end of Extended Support-
- Migrate to SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019:
If your organization wants to continue working on SharePoint On-Premise, you can migrate to SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019. But, it will only be available for 3 more years. The lifecycle of Servers 2016 and 2019 is also ending in the year 2026. Again, you will need to plan a migration. - Migrate to SharePoint Server subscription edition:
Unlike SharePoint 2013, 2016, and 2019, the SharePoint subscription edition lies under the Modern Lifecycle Policy, which keeps bringing updates and support. But there is no direct method to migrate to the subscription edition from Server 2013; you first need to migrate data to SharePoint 2016 and then to this edition. Also, if Microsoft announces End-of-Life for this service, it will provide only a notice of 12 months. - Migrate to SharePoint Online:
The best option is migrating to SharePoint Online, every user’s favorite cloud platform. It does not require maintenance from your end, and the data can be easily accessed from any device and location. You must prepare a complete plan of SharePoint migration and execute it to the tee.
Migration from an On-Premise to a cloud platform is an intricate procedure. It requires proper planning; only then does it turn into fruitful results. To begin with, you need to have in-depth knowledge of your data. Manually, there is a learning curve required for a user to migrate to SharePoint Online using PowerShell. Only a seasoned Administrator can perform such migration without creating adverse effects. The software-based approach related to SharePoint Migration tool is beneficial. Additionally, have clarity on the migration tools which you will be using. These are some of the methods to migrate your data-
- By using SharePoint Migration Tool-
You can utilize the SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT), a free utility to migrate to SharePoint Online from SharePoint On-Premises, including its content like sites, lists, libraries, and more. It supports migration from SharePoint Server 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 to SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. In addition, it does guarantee an error and risk-free migration. Hence, working on this can get tricky for some users.
- By using the Kernel Migrator for SharePoint-
You can opt for a more straightforward and impactful approach, the Kernel Migrator for SharePoint. It is an automated migration tool capable of migrating the entire or even selective data between any version of SharePoint. You can even run multiple migrations on this. Despite the complex migration, the tool is easy to operate and requires no additional guidance.
Conclusion
By July 2026, Microsoft will end supporting SharePoint Server 2013, 2016, and 2019. These Servers will no longer receive any technical support and updates. It will help if you note all the important dates related to it. The best decision is to opt for the advanced features of SharePoint Online, which offers many benefits. You can either use the SPMT tool, which is a manual approach. However, professional software is a wiser choice for a simpler and smoother migration.
