SharePoint Classic End of Life
Microsoft Retires Classic SharePoint Experiences
Microsoft is retiring classic SharePoint experiences including Add-Ins, Azure ACS, SharePoint 2013 workflows, and InfoPath Forms Services. Learn the key dates and plan your transition before the April 2026 deadline.
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What Is Happening?
Microsoft is retiring several classic SharePoint experiences that many organisations still rely on. These legacy features, originally introduced with SharePoint 2013 and earlier, are being phased out as Microsoft shifts investment towards modern SharePoint Online capabilities.
The retirements affect SharePoint Add-Ins (formerly Apps for SharePoint), Azure Access Control Service (ACS) used for app authentication, SharePoint 2013 workflows, InfoPath Forms Services, and classic SharePoint publishing sites. If your organisation uses any of these features in SharePoint Online, you need to plan your transition now.
Key Dates at a Glance
| Component | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| SharePoint Add-Ins (new) | No new Add-Ins from SharePoint Store | Already in effect |
| Azure ACS | Hard stop – ACS-based auth ceases | 2 April 2026 |
| SharePoint Add-Ins | Hard stop – Add-Ins cease to function | 2 April 2026 |
| SharePoint 2013 Workflows | Hard stop – workflows cease to run | 2 April 2026 |
| InfoPath Forms Services | Retirement from SharePoint Online | Expected 2026 |
| Classic SharePoint Publishing Sites | Migration to modern experience required | Ongoing |
What Is Being Retired?
SharePoint Add-Ins & Azure ACS
SharePoint Add-Ins (previously known as Apps for SharePoint) and the Azure Access Control Service (ACS) that provides their authentication will both reach a hard stop on 2 April 2026. After this date, Add-Ins will no longer function and ACS-based authentication tokens will no longer be issued. Organisations must migrate to modern alternatives such as SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solutions and Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for authentication.
SharePoint 2013 Workflows
SharePoint 2013 workflows, which run on the legacy Workflow Manager platform, will also reach a hard stop on 2 April 2026. After this date, these workflows will no longer execute. The recommended replacement is Power Automate, which offers a modern, cloud-native approach to business process automation with significantly greater flexibility and integration capabilities.
InfoPath Forms Services
InfoPath Forms Services, used to render InfoPath forms in the browser within SharePoint Online, is being retired. Organisations should transition to Power Apps or other modern form solutions. Microsoft has not supported new feature development for InfoPath since 2014, making migration essential for long-term supportability.
Classic Publishing Sites
Microsoft continues to encourage organisations to migrate from classic SharePoint publishing sites to modern communication sites. While there is no single hard deadline, classic publishing features are receiving no further investment and will eventually be fully deprecated. Modern sites offer improved performance, mobile responsiveness, and a significantly better authoring experience.
Why Does This Matter?
Continuing to use these classic experiences beyond their retirement dates carries significant risk:
Service disruption – Add-Ins, ACS-authenticated integrations, and 2013 workflows will simply stop working on 2 April 2026. Any business processes that depend on them will break without warning after the hard stop.
Security exposure – Azure ACS is a legacy authentication service that lacks the modern security controls available in Microsoft Entra ID. Continuing to rely on it exposes your tenant to unnecessary risk.
Compliance gaps – Legacy workflows and forms may not meet current data governance and compliance requirements, particularly for organisations subject to regulatory oversight.
Technical debt – The longer you delay migration, the more complex and costly the transition becomes as dependencies accumulate and institutional knowledge of legacy systems fades.
Your Migration Path
For each retiring component, Microsoft provides a clear modern alternative:
SharePoint Add-Ins → Migrate to SharePoint Framework (SPFx) web parts and extensions, which run within the modern SharePoint experience and support Microsoft Entra ID authentication natively.
Azure ACS → Replace with Microsoft Entra ID app registrations for all application authentication and authorisation needs.
SharePoint 2013 Workflows → Rebuild in Power Automate, taking the opportunity to modernise and optimise your business processes.
InfoPath Forms → Recreate forms using Power Apps or Microsoft Forms, depending on complexity requirements.
Classic Publishing Sites → Migrate to modern communication sites using the SharePoint Page Transformation framework.
How ThinkShare Can Help
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, ThinkShare has extensive experience helping organisations navigate SharePoint platform transitions. We can audit your current environment to identify every classic component at risk, design a prioritised migration roadmap, and execute the transition with minimal disruption to your teams.
Whether you need to migrate a handful of workflows or undertake a complete modernisation programme across hundreds of sites, our consultants have the expertise to deliver a smooth transition to modern SharePoint experiences.
Prepare for the SharePoint Classic Retirement
With some features of classic SharePoint reaching their hard stop on 2 April 2026, now is the time to act. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, ThinkShare can audit your current environment to identify every affected Add-In, ACS integration, workflow, and InfoPath form, then design and execute a migration roadmap to modern alternatives with minimal disruption. Book a call with our team to get started.