SharePoint 2016 Reached End of Life on July 14, 2026

What end of life means for SharePoint 2016

Microsoft SharePoint 2016 reached end of life (EOL) on July 14, 2026. For organizations still running this version, here is exactly what changed on that date and what keeps working.

Support timeline recap

• End of mainstream support: July 13, 2021
• End of extended support: July 14, 2026
• This is not an LTS release — there is no long-term servicing channel for SharePoint 2016 beyond the standard lifecycle.
• Latest version in this line: 16.0.5556.1005

After July 14, 2026, Microsoft no longer provides:

• Security patches or hotfixes
• Non-security updates (including performance and reliability fixes)
• Paid or unpaid technical support incidents
• Regulatory compliance updates (e.g., FIPS, Common Criteria)

What keeps working

• The software continues to run on your existing servers.
• All existing features (search, workflows, web parts, document management) remain functional as-is.
• On-premises customizations and third-party integrations are unaffected by the EOL date itself.
• Active Directory integration, authentication, and SSL/TLS will continue to work — though browsers and operating systems may deprecate older protocol versions over time.

Real risks of running SharePoint 2016 unsupported

Once vendor support ends, your environment inherits several material risks:

Security vulnerabilities — Any CVE discovered after July 2026 will not be patched by Microsoft. If an exploit is publicly disclosed for SharePoint 2016, your organization has no official remedy. Attackers actively scan for out-of-support on-premises SharePoint servers.

Compliance exposure — Regulatory frameworks (PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR) generally require that software be actively supported by the vendor. Running an EOL product can fail audits and increase liability.

Operational reliability — Without bug fixes, you cannot resolve unexpected crashes, data corruption bugs, or performance regressions without incurring expensive emergency professional services.

Integration decay — Future Windows Server updates, SharePoint Online hybrid features, and third-party connectors may intentionally drop compatibility with the 2016 API surface.

Who legitimately stays on SharePoint 2016

Several classes of organizations deliberately remain on SharePoint 2016 past EOL:

Stable workloads — If your farm is running a simple document library, intranet portal, or team site with no active feature development, the risk of breaking changes from an upgrade may outweigh the security risk, especially in air-gapped or segmented networks.

Locked application dependencies — Many enterprises have complex SharePoint workflows, custom web parts, InfoPath forms, or BI integrations that cannot be migrated without extensive redevelopment. The cost and timeline to rewrite those can push migration years into the future.

Hardware constraints — SharePoint 2019 and Subscription Edition require Windows Server 2016 or newer, and some legacy server hardware cannot meet those requirements. Budget cycles may delay hardware refresh.

Regulatory or operational freeze — Organizations in heavily regulated industries (insurance, government, defense) sometimes impose moratoriums on infrastructure changes during audit windows, contract periods, or merger integrations.

How third-party support keeps SharePoint 2016 maintained

For organizations that cannot or will not migrate off SharePoint 2016, third-party support provides a practical alternative:

• Security patches — A vendor like 3rd Party Support develops and delivers hotfixes for critical CVEs, keeping your server patched after Microsoft stops.
• Break-fix support — When a farm crashes or a feature breaks, tier-2/3 engineers diagnose and resolve the issue, including code-level debugging and custom hotfixes.
• Compliance cover — Documented third-party support agreements satisfy most auditors that the software is under active maintenance, helping pass PCI, HIPAA, and SOC reviews.
• Slower migration runway — With support extended, you can defer the SharePoint 2019 or Subscription Edition migration to a future budget year without operating in an unpatched state.
• Cost savings — Third-party support typically costs 30–50% of what the last Microsoft renewal would have been, with no forced upgrade bundling.

Third-party support is not a replacement for migration

It is a bridge. You remain on the same codebase and risk surface. The goal is to buy enough time to plan a proper migration or decommissioning while maintaining operational security.

What to do next

If your organization still runs SharePoint 2016:

1. Audit your current farm — Determine version (16.0.5556.1005 or earlier), feature usage, and integration points.
2. Assess migration options — SharePoint 2019 and SharePoint Subscription Edition are the primary on-premises successors. SharePoint Online remains the preferred Microsoft path.
3. Secure third-party support — Before any CVE hits, engage a provider to protect your farm. Contact us to discuss coverage for your SharePoint 2016 environment.
4. Monitor vendor lifecycle — Use endoflife.date/sharepoint or our vendor page for lifecycle updates on all Microsoft products.

SharePoint 2016 is now a legacy product. Whether you plan a migration in six months or six years, the smart move is to get support coverage in place before the first post-EOL exploit appears.