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SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reached end of support on 14 July 2026, so if you are still running either version you are now on a platform that no longer receives security updates or fixes from Microsoft. SharePoint 2010 and 2013 have been out of support for longer still. Moving to SharePoint Online removes that exposure, and a planned SharePoint migration typically costs between £20,000 and £50,000 and takes 4 to 16 weeks depending on the size of the organisation.
Which versions of SharePoint are out of support?
Every on-premises version up to and including SharePoint Server 2019 is now outside Microsoft support:
- SharePoint 2010, out of support since 2021
- SharePoint 2013, out of support since 2023
- SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019, out of support since 14 July 2026
The only on-premises version Microsoft still supports is SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. For organisations with no regulatory reason to keep content on their own servers, SharePoint Online is the more practical destination, as it is where Microsoft is putting its development effort and it is the version that works with Microsoft 365 Copilot. We have written more about the dates in our post on SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 end of support.
What are the risks of staying on an unsupported SharePoint version?
The servers carry on working after the end of support date, which is why some organisations leave them running, but the risks build up the longer they stay in place:
- Security: no more security patches, so any vulnerability found from here on stays open on your farm
- Compliance: running unsupported software makes it harder to satisfy auditors, cyber insurers and schemes such as Cyber Essentials, and harder to evidence how you protect personal data under UK GDPR
- Integration: on-premises SharePoint does not work with Microsoft 365 Copilot, and the gap between it and Teams, OneDrive and the rest of Microsoft 365 keeps widening
- Cost: you are still paying for servers, SQL licences, backups and the people who know how to keep an old farm running, and those people get harder to find each year
What do you gain from moving to SharePoint Online?
SharePoint Online is part of Microsoft 365, so the content you move sits alongside Teams, OneDrive and Outlook rather than in a separate system people have to remember to use. The main gains are:
- modern sites and pages that work on mobile, which you can build into a proper intranet using SharePoint itself or a product such as Omnia
- files that open and co-author directly from Teams and OneDrive
- no servers to patch or upgrade, with Microsoft running the platform
- Microsoft Purview retention, sensitivity labels and data loss prevention across the tenant
- content that Microsoft 365 Copilot can work with, provided the permissions are in order
How much does a SharePoint migration cost and how long does it take?
Our guide puts the cost of a SharePoint migration at £20,000 to £50,000. The things that move the price are how much content you have, how many custom solutions and workflows are built on the old farm, and how much restructuring you want to do on the way across. Typical timescales from our SharePoint migration services guide are:
| Organisation size | Typical timescale |
|---|---|
| Under 500 users | 4 to 6 weeks |
| 500 to 5,000 users | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Over 5,000 users | 10 to 16 weeks |
If you are moving from file shares or another intranet platform rather than SharePoint Server, our intranet migration page covers that side.
How do you plan a SharePoint migration?
We run workshops and review sessions with each client to build a list of requirements that fits how they work. Whether you use a partner or not, the steps below are a reasonable starting point.
1. Take an inventory of what you have
Work out how much content there is, where it sits and who owns it, then decide what moves, what gets archived and what gets deleted. Old farms usually hold a fair bit of content nobody has opened in years, and there is no point paying to migrate it. Managers and team leads should be involved here as they know what their teams still use.
2. Check customisations and workflows
SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows are retired in SharePoint Online, and farm solutions do not move across either. Anything built on them needs to be rebuilt, usually in Power Automate, Power Apps or modern SharePoint lists, so list them early as this is where timescales tend to slip.
3. Choose the migration tooling
We use ShareGate for most migrations, as it handles bulk moves, permission mapping, reporting and incremental passes well. Microsoft's own SharePoint Migration Tool and Migration Manager are fine for simpler file moves.
4. Sort out governance before you move
A migration is a good point to fix permissions, set retention rules and decide who can create sites. If you move a messy permissions model straight across, Copilot will surface whatever people have access to, including things they should not see, which is why our SharePoint governance work is often run alongside the migration.
5. Plan for the people
Tell users what is moving and when, give them dates for any downtime and go-live, and run short training sessions on the new sites. Asking people early what they struggle with in the current setup makes adoption a lot easier.
What goes wrong in SharePoint migrations?
- Lost or broken content: we run test migrations on a sample of sites first, then the full migration, then incremental passes to pick up anything changed since
- Disruption: large moves are scheduled out of hours, with clear dates given to the teams affected
- Long paths and odd file names: these stop files migrating and need cleaning up before the move, not after
- Low adoption: if people keep saving to the old locations the new sites never get used, so set the old sites to read only once content has moved
Frequently asked questions
Will SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019 stop working after end of support?
No, the servers keep running, but Microsoft no longer issues security updates, bug fixes or technical support for them, so the risk to your data grows over time.
Can we migrate straight from SharePoint 2010 or 2013 to SharePoint Online?
Yes. Migration tools such as ShareGate move content directly from older versions to SharePoint Online without upgrading through each version in between, although classic workflows and custom solutions need rebuilding.
Do we need to migrate before using Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Yes, for any content you want Copilot to use. Copilot works with content held in Microsoft 365, so documents left on an on-premises farm are not available to it.
If you want to talk through moving off an unsupported SharePoint version, get in touch.
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