- SharePoint Servers 2019 and 2016 customers have until July 2026 to migrate to SharePoint Server SE or SharePoint Online.
- Customers face trade-offs: getting a migration done quickly or optimizing for the right long-term approach.
- SharePoint Server SE is the easier migration path, but Microsoft’s priority is SharePoint Online, so customers may eventually have to migrate there anyway.
- Migrations can be tricky one-time projects, which makes them good candidates for using third-party services.
Support for SharePoint Server 2019 (SP 2019) and 2016 (SP 2016) ends in July 2026, so customers must migrate to either SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (SPSE) or SharePoint Online (SPO) to remain supported. SPSE is the shortest path because it still supports many older features not available in SPO, including SharePoint 2013 Workflows, but it requires regular upgrades to stay supported. However, Microsoft’s priority is SPO, which will continue to receive new features that may never come to SPSE. A hybrid approach, using both SPO and SPSE, is also an option to mitigate the trade-offs between short-term pain and the right long-term choice. Regardless of the destination, migrating legacy platforms can be complex because of old technologies, customizations, and user involvement, increasing risks and costs.
SharePoint Server: End-of-Life and the Next Generation
In July 2021, Microsoft released SPSE licensed under a Subscriber Access License (SAL) and supported under Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy. SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 leave support simultaneously in July 2026, which reflects a shortened seven-year support period for the 2019 version. The change was driven by Microsoft’s transition from the traditional calendar-based support model to its newer Modern Lifecycle model. As a result, customers face a hard deadline to either migrate off of SharePoint Server or continue to run it without support. Unlike some other products, Microsoft is extremely unlikely to postpone the end-of-support date for SharePoint Server or offer Extended Security Updates (ESUs).
Migration Platform Options
There are three options for migration:
SharePoint Online is Microsoft’s cloud-based service available with Microsoft 365 subscriptions and is the company’s preferred target. It’s an evergreen service, so customers receive updates and new features regularly without having to migrate. However, Microsoft can also discontinue features, usually with 12-months’ notice.
SharePoint Server Subscription Edition is the current on-premises server version of SharePoint Server; however, unlike previous server versions, it requires a SAL or SAL for Software Assurance (SA), and customers must install regular updates to stay supported. Although SPSE still supports many legacy features, Microsoft is likely to continue retiring those features, so migrating to SPSE is not a “one and done” solution.
Hybrid SharePoint employs SPO and SPSE, moving simple workloads to the cloud while keeping more complex or legacy workloads on-premises. It adds complexity and expense but leverages the advantages of the cloud while extending the migration window for legacy features.
Choosing the Right Destination
Which path is correct for a customer will depend on multiple factors, including:
- Strategic platform target: If the company already is moving to a cloud-first architecture, migrating from one on-premises server to another is likely to be wasted effort with SPO as the default choice.
- Customizations: Custom server-side code is not supported by SPO, and client code may need to be upgraded, making SPO a more complex and time-consuming migration.
- System integrations: SPSE has better support for existing system integrations, making it a good choice for sites that rely heavily on them.
- Legacy dependencies: SPSE supports legacy features not available on SPSO, most notably SharePoint 2013 workflows and custom master pages and site templates, which may dictate customers’ migration paths if they can’t address those features in time.
- Third-party products: Some third-party SharePoint Server products may require product or licensing changes to work with SPSO or may not be available at all.
- Schedule: With the end-of-support date looming, most customers will be forced to let the size and complexity of the SharePoint environment dictate what’s possible by July 2026.
- Cost: Consider both upfront and ongoing expenses: SPSE may cost less initially but requires continuous migrations and maintenance while SPO has higher initial costs but reduces long-term expenses since Microsoft handles updates and upgrades.
Risks and Considerations
SharePoint is a complex platform, and migrations can be difficult depending on the size and complexity of the environment. Some examples to consider include:
- SPSE and SPO do not have feature parity, so what works on-premises may not work in the cloud and vice versa.
- SP 2016 and SP 2019 environments may have hidden technical debt resulting from previous version-to-version server migrations.
- SPSE may require new hardware and must stay within two versions of the current release to be supported (n-2).
- Customizations and workflows may have to be rebuilt to use new technologies like the SharePoint Framework or Power Platform.
- End users will notice changes and may perceive the cloud version to be slower, so training and feedback throughout the process is essential.
- M365 Copilot is not available for SharePoint Server SE, which may not be a deal-breaker, depending on how important Copilot is to a customer’s plans.
Migrations and Tool Options
Tools to help migrate depend on the platform chosen:
- SPSE: The Database Attach method (lift and shift) can be used to upgrade from SP 2019 and 2016 to SPSE.
- SPO: SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) is a free Microsoft tool for migrating to SPO
- Microsoft FastTrack: Microsoft’s remote migration service moves files and content to SPO but does not do custom code migration.
Customers should assess their environment and use the results to evaluate the tool options that would be best suited for their situation. The SPMT includes an assessment reporting tool, and the Microsoft 365 Assessment tool is a community tool that reports on SP2013 workflows, InfoPath Forms, SP add-ins, and SP Alerts, all of which are retired or retiring and impact migrations.
Third-party vendors also provide tools and services for assessment and migration, which often address scenarios that Microsoft’s free tools do not. Migrations are tedious and error-prone processes that most organizations perform only once. Paying for a vendor that has performed numerous migrations already and has discovered the hidden traps can be a wise investment compared with developing in-house expertise that will never be needed again.
Licensing
The client/server subscription licensing for SPSE is explained in the Directions licensing reference for “SharePoint Server.”
The subscription options for SPO are explained in the Directions licensing reference for SharePoint Online.
Some technologies, like Power Platform, that replace legacy features may require additional licensing.
Directions Recommends
Migrate off SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 as soon as possible. Stand up a migration team and project to assess the current platform, identify the target platform, and execute the migration by July 2026. Microsoft is not likely to offer support past July.
Don’t rely on the support for legacy technology in SPSE. Continue modernizing legacy technology to avoid disruption. Although several technologies, like SP 2013 workflows and SharePoint alerts, are still supported by SPSE, Microsoft can retire features with 12 months’ notice and has been actively retiring older technologies.
Consider hybrid SharePoint deployments if the cloud is your strategic goal. A hybrid approach could address the short-term need by migrating to SPSE by July while enabling a path to SPO over a longer term. However, hybrid architecture adds costs and complexity.
Consider using professional services to migrate, especially if the target is SPO. Migration is not a strategic in-house skill. A vendor experienced with SharePoint migrations may be a reasonable option if internal personnel don’t have the experience, skills, or availability to complete the migration by July 2026.
Resources
The upcoming retirement of SharePoint features is discussed in the Directions reports “SharePoint 2013 Workflows: Admins Should Act Now,” “SharePoint Alerts Retiring: What You Need to Know,” and “Reminder: Key SharePoint Online Capabilities Retire in April 2026.”
Additional details about retired and deprecated features in SharePoint Server are discussed in “What’s deprecated or removed from SharePoint Server Subscription Edition?” (Microsoft) and “What’s deprecated or removed from SharePoint Server 2019” (Microsoft).