On 14 July 2026, SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Server 2019 reached the end of extended support. Microsoft now issues no security updates, no bug fixes and no technical support for either version, and unlike Windows Server or Exchange, there is no paid Extended Security Updates programme to buy more time.
For years, SharePoint Online versus on-premises was a reasonable trade-off between control and convenience. Organisations with strict data residency requirements, heavy customisation or genuine regulatory constraints could stay put and make a defensible case for it. That case has not disappeared, but the version most of those organisations are running no longer supports it.
The urgency is not theoretical. In the same week the deadline passed, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed active exploitation of several on-premises SharePoint Server vulnerabilities, with attackers stealing server keys and deploying malware for persistence. Microsoft patched them. That was the last such patch SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 will ever receive.
So the honest comparison is no longer SharePoint Online against the SharePoint farm you already have. It is SharePoint Online against SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, with a third option, staying unsupported, that some organisations are quietly choosing without accepting what it now means.
Quick summary
SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 lost support on 14 July 2026, with no paid extension available at any price, which narrows the decision to three options:
The old control-versus-convenience debate still applies, but only between the first two. The third has stopped being a budget decision and become a risk one, which means someone needs to formally own it rather than drift into it.
What actually changed on 14 July 2026
SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Server 2019 both reached the end of extended support on the same date. SharePoint 2016 had been in extended support since July 2021, and SharePoint 2019 since January 2024, with Microsoft aligning both end dates to 14 July 2026.
After that date, Microsoft stops issuing security updates, non-security fixes and technical support for either version. Official documentation for them is no longer maintained.
The detail that catches organisations out is the absence of a safety net. Windows Server and SQL Server both have paid Extended Security Updates programmes that let organisations buy additional patched years while they plan a move. Exchange Server has a short paid bridge. SharePoint Server has nothing of the kind. There is no version of this where you pay Microsoft to keep receiving patches.
Why “we will stay put for now” is no longer a neutral choice
Running unsupported server software has always carried risk. What makes the current position different is that the risk is not hypothetical and it is not on a slow timeline.
In July 2026, CISA issued an alert confirming active exploitation of multiple on-premises SharePoint Server vulnerabilities, including a flaw that allowed an unauthenticated attacker to elevate privileges over the network with no credentials and no user interaction. The observed attacks went well beyond initial access: CISA documented attackers extracting IIS machine keys, using deserialisation techniques to establish persistence, and deploying malware. Their SharePoint hardening alert sets out the full picture.
Microsoft released patches for those vulnerabilities. That is the point worth sitting with. Farms on 2016 or 2019 received that fix because they were, just barely, still in support. The next one they will not.
There is also a practical consequence beyond security. Running unsupported software fails most compliance frameworks, and it increasingly affects cyber insurance cover. An organisation that stays on an unsupported farm is not deferring a cost. It is accepting a risk that someone needs to formally own.
The three options actually on the table
Once you strip away the general cloud-versus-on-premises debate, there are three real choices.
Move to SharePoint Online. The Microsoft 365 route, where the platform is maintained for you and integration with Teams, Copilot, Viva and the wider ecosystem comes as standard. This is the right answer for most organisations, and it is where the majority of 2016 and 2019 farms are heading.
Upgrade to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. The supported on-premises path. It follows Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy, so it stays supported as long as you keep a current licence and apply feature updates. This is the option for organisations with genuine reasons to remain on-premises, and it is frequently overlooked in the rush to frame everything as a cloud migration.
Stay on 2016 or 2019 unsupported. Technically possible. The servers keep running and the content databases keep mounting. But every vulnerability discovered from now on remains unpatched on those versions permanently, and that is a decision that belongs at board level rather than in an IT backlog.
When on-premises still genuinely makes sense
It is worth being clear that on-premises SharePoint is not obsolete, and anyone telling you the cloud is always the answer is selling something.
Subscription Edition remains the right choice where data residency is a hard regulatory or contractual requirement rather than a preference, where an organisation operates in genuinely disconnected or air-gapped environments, where deep custom solutions and full-trust code would be prohibitively expensive to rebuild, or where existing infrastructure investment has years of value left and the organisation has the in-house capability to run it properly.
That last point matters more than it is usually given credit for. On-premises SharePoint is only as secure as the team maintaining it. If patching has been sporadic on your current farm, moving to Subscription Edition inherits that problem rather than solving it.
When SharePoint Online is the right answer
For most organisations, it is.
SharePoint Online removes the infrastructure, the patching cycle and the upgrade projects entirely. It gives you native integration with Teams, Microsoft Search, Viva Connections and Copilot, none of which work the same way on-premises. It scales without capacity planning, and it is included in Microsoft 365 licensing you are very likely already paying for.
The trade-offs are real and worth naming. You give up direct control over the underlying infrastructure and update timing, some custom full-trust solutions will need rebuilding as SharePoint Framework apps, and organisations with genuinely unusual compliance requirements will need to satisfy themselves on data residency. For the large majority, those are acceptable. For a minority, they are not, which is exactly why Subscription Edition exists.
What to do if you are still on 2016 or 2019
The immediate priority is not choosing a destination. It is understanding what you have.
Most organisations in this position discover that a meaningful proportion of their farm does not need to move at all. Old sites, abandoned team spaces and duplicated content have accumulated over a decade, and migrating them wholesale simply relocates the problem. An assessment stage that identifies what is genuinely in use, what can be archived and what should be deleted usually shortens the project considerably. Our post on why SharePoint migrations fail covers that planning work in detail, and the same discipline applies to permissions, which are rarely in the state people assume after years of on-premises administration.
Getting a straight answer on which option fits
Most organisations still on 2016 or 2019 are not undecided about whether to act. They are unsure which route fits, how much of their farm actually needs to move, and how long it will realistically take. Those are answerable questions, and answering them properly is what turns a deadline into a plan.
A migration assessment should leave you with three things: a clear picture of what is genuinely in use across your farm and what can be archived or retired, a recommendation on whether SharePoint Online or Subscription Edition suits your constraints, and a realistic timeline with the blockers identified up front rather than discovered halfway through.
It is worth being straight about who this is not for. If your farm is small and tidy, your team has migration experience and you already know your destination, you may not need outside help at all. Microsoft’s own tooling handles straightforward moves perfectly well, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a project you do not need.
If the picture is less clear than that, our SharePoint Migration Services team can assess your environment and tell you which of the three options fits, including when staying on-premises is the better call. If you would rather start with a conversation than a proposal, you can talk to a consultant instead.
Still running SharePoint 2016 or 2019?
We will look at what is actually in use across your farm, tell you whether SharePoint Online or Subscription Edition fits your constraints, and give you a realistic timeline with the blockers flagged up front. If your move is straightforward enough to handle in house, we will tell you that too.
The bottom line on SharePoint Online vs on-premises
The comparison that mattered a year ago was about control versus convenience. That debate still exists, but it now only applies between SharePoint Online and Subscription Edition. SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 have left the conversation, whether or not the organisations running them have noticed.
For most, SharePoint Online is the right destination, and the sooner the assessment starts the less pressured the project becomes. For a genuine minority with hard residency requirements or deep customisation, Subscription Edition is a perfectly respectable answer and should not be dismissed. What is no longer defensible is treating an unsupported farm as a neutral holding position, because as of last month it demonstrably is not one.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
The questions organisations are actually asking us since 14 July, answered plainly rather than pushed towards the cloud.
When did SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 lose support?
Both reached the end of extended support on 14 July 2026. SharePoint Server 2016 had been in extended support since July 2021 and SharePoint Server 2019 since January 2024, with Microsoft aligning both end dates. After that date, neither version receives security updates, bug fixes or technical support.
Can we pay Microsoft to extend support for SharePoint 2016 or 2019?
No. Unlike Windows Server and SQL Server, SharePoint Server has no Extended Security Updates programme. There is no paid option to continue receiving patches for 2016 or 2019 at any price, which is what makes this deadline harder than comparable ones.
Is on-premises SharePoint still supported at all?
Yes, through SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. It follows Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy, meaning it remains supported indefinitely as long as you hold a current licence and apply feature updates. Organisations with genuine reasons to stay on-premises should be looking at Subscription Edition rather than assuming on-premises is finished.
What happens if we just carry on running SharePoint 2019?
Nothing immediately. The servers keep running and users keep working. The problem is cumulative: every vulnerability discovered from now on stays unpatched on that version permanently. Given that CISA confirmed active exploitation of on-premises SharePoint vulnerabilities in July 2026, with attackers deploying malware and stealing server keys, this is a security and compliance decision rather than a budget one.
What is the main difference between SharePoint Online and on-premises?
SharePoint Online is delivered as part of Microsoft 365, with Microsoft handling infrastructure, patching and upgrades, and with native integration into Teams, Copilot, Viva and Microsoft Search. On-premises SharePoint runs on your own servers, giving you full control over infrastructure, data location and update timing, in exchange for owning the maintenance, security and upgrade burden yourself.
How long does it take to move from on-premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online?
It depends far more on assessment and planning than on the technical transfer. Farms that have been running for a decade usually carry a great deal of content that does not need to move at all, and identifying that is what determines the timeline. The data transfer is typically the fastest part of the project.
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