SharePoint Server & Exchange Server are reaching end of life.
Your on-premises infrastructure needs a plan.

1. What's happening and why it matters

Microsoft's product lifecycle for on-premises server software follows a predictable pattern: 5 years of mainstream support, 5 years of extended support, and then nothing. For two of the most widely deployed enterprise products in history — SharePoint Server and Exchange Server — that clock runs out in 2026.

SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 both reach end of extended support on July 14, 2026. After that date, Microsoft will issue no further security patches, cumulative updates, or hotfixes. Any vulnerabilities discovered after the deadline will remain unpatched indefinitely.

Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 reached their mainstream support end dates in 2020 and 2024 respectively. Microsoft offered Extended Security Updates (ESU) to provide a limited safety net — but that ESU program ends on April 14, 2026. This deadline is significantly closer than many IT teams realize.

This is not a SaaS sunset in the usual sense. Microsoft is not pulling the plug on anything remotely. Your servers will keep running. But the moment extended support ends, you are operating unpatched infrastructure in an enterprise environment — a posture that is increasingly unacceptable to regulators, auditors, and cyber insurance underwriters.

The install base is enormous. Estimates put SharePoint Server on-premises deployments in the hundreds of thousands globally, with Exchange Server deployments in a similar range. Many organizations run both — SharePoint for intranets, document management, and portals; Exchange for corporate email. Both deadlines hitting in the same calendar year creates a compounded migration challenge that requires careful sequencing.

2. Key dates and timeline

3. Who is affected

If any of the following describes your environment, this guide is for you:

• Running SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019 on-premises (including hybrid configurations)
• Running Exchange Server 2016 or 2019 on-premises for corporate email
• Using SharePoint Server Subscription Edition as a stepping stone (no current EOL, but this affects your upgrade dependencies)
• Hosting SharePoint-based intranets, document libraries, team sites, or portals on-premises
• Running Exchange in a hybrid configuration with Microsoft 365 (you still have on-premises Exchange components affected by the deadline)

Compliance and insurance implications

Running unsupported software post-EOL carries specific risks beyond the technical:

• SOC 2: Auditors will flag unsupported operating systems and applications as a finding. Running post-EOL SharePoint or Exchange will typically result in a qualified opinion or a management remediation requirement.
• ISO 27001: Controls around patch management (A.12.6) require timely application of security updates. Post-EOL software with no available patches violates this control.
• HIPAA / HITECH: If you handle PHI via Exchange (email) or SharePoint (document storage), unpatched servers with access to PHI is a significant risk exposure that regulators take seriously.
• PCI-DSS: Requirement 6.3 requires all system components to be protected from known vulnerabilities via security patches. Unsupported software that cannot receive patches fails this requirement directly.
• Cyber insurance: Many insurers now explicitly exclude coverage for incidents that originate from unsupported, unpatched software. Check your policy language carefully before letting the deadline pass.

4. Exchange Server: what you need to know

Exchange Server is the most time-sensitive piece of this migration. With the ESU program ending April 14, 2026, organizations with no migration plan today face a compressed timeline.

Your options

There are three paths for an Exchange Server migration:

Option A: Cutover migration to Exchange Online

Best for organizations with fewer than 2,000 mailboxes and no complex on-premises integrations. All mailboxes are migrated at once in a single event (or in small batches over a few days). The on-premises Exchange server is then decommissioned. This is the cleanest path but requires that all dependencies on on-premises Exchange (connectors, line-of-business applications, fax integrations, shared mailboxes with special routing) are identified and handled before the cutover.

Option B: Hybrid migration (staged)

Best for large organizations (2,000+ mailboxes) or those with complex on-premises dependencies. You set up an Exchange Online hybrid configuration, which allows mailboxes to coexist across on-premises and cloud. Mailboxes are migrated in waves, department by department. On-premises Exchange components remain active during the migration period but can be progressively decommissioned as mailboxes move. This approach takes longer but is lower-risk for complex environments.

Option C: Migrate to a different email provider

If you are leaving the Microsoft ecosystem entirely, options include Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, and Proton Mail for Business. These migrations typically use IMAP or PST import to move historical mail data, and require careful planning for calendar and contact migration, which is less mature than Exchange-to-Exchange Online tooling.

What to document before you migrate Exchange

• Mailbox inventory: Count and classify all mailboxes — user mailboxes, shared mailboxes, room/resource mailboxes, distribution lists, dynamic distribution groups
• PST files: Identify any PST files stored on local machines or file servers (a common legacy artifact of Exchange storage quotas)
• SMTP connectors: Document all send and receive connectors, especially those used by line-of-business applications, printers, or scanners that relay email through Exchange
• Transport rules: Export and review all Exchange transport rules (journaling, compliance rules, DLP rules, routing exceptions)
• Calendar and free/busy federation: Document any cross-organization calendar federation configurations
• Mobile device policies: Document ActiveSync or Intune MDM policies applied to mailboxes
• Outlook add-ins: Identify COM add-ins or managed add-ins used by the organization that may behave differently against Exchange Online
• Retention and compliance policies: Document any on-premises retention policies, legal holds, or journaling configurations required for regulatory compliance

5. SharePoint Server: what you need to know

SharePoint Server migrations are more complex than Exchange migrations because SharePoint is often deeply customized. Out-of-the-box SharePoint content — document libraries, lists, standard team sites — migrates reasonably well. Custom-built solutions on top of SharePoint require careful analysis.

Customizations that don't migrate automatically

• Farm solutions (.wsp files): Classic server-side SharePoint solutions deployed as farm or sandbox solutions have no direct equivalent in SharePoint Online. Each must be assessed: rebuild as a SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solution, replace with a Power App or Power Automate flow, or retire.
• SharePoint Designer workflows: SPD 2010 and 2013 workflows are not supported in SharePoint Online. You must rebuild these as Power Automate flows. Microsoft provides tooling to help identify and export SPD workflows.
• InfoPath forms: InfoPath was deprecated years ago. InfoPath forms used on SharePoint lists need to be rebuilt as Power Apps canvas apps or replaced with Microsoft Forms.
• Classic publishing sites: SharePoint's classic publishing infrastructure (for intranet portals) does not have a direct cloud equivalent. Migration requires re-architecting to SharePoint Online Communication Sites or modern team sites.
• BCS (Business Connectivity Services): External data connections via BCS need to be replaced with Power Platform connectors or custom APIs.
• SharePoint-hosted add-ins: Provider-hosted add-ins need to be re-evaluated and potentially rebuilt as SPFx web parts.

Migration tools for SharePoint

• SharePoint Migration Assessment Tool (SMAT): Free Microsoft tool. Run this first. It scans your farm and produces a report of content, customizations, and migration blockers.
• SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT): Free Microsoft tool for migrating content from on-premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online. Handles document libraries, lists, and file shares. Good for straightforward content migrations.
• ShareGate: Third-party tool (paid). Best-in-class for enterprise SharePoint migrations. Offers pre-migration analysis, permission mapping, delta migrations, and detailed reporting.
• AvePoint Fly: Enterprise migration platform. Strong at handling complex permission hierarchies and large-scale migrations across multiple site collections.
• Metalogix / Quest: Another enterprise option with detailed auditing and phased migration support.

6. SharePoint alternatives

Most organizations migrating off SharePoint Server land on SharePoint Online. But if you want to reduce Microsoft dependency or take the opportunity to re-evaluate your platform, here are the realistic alternatives.

SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365)

The lowest-friction path. SharePoint Online is the cloud version of SharePoint — it uses the same SharePoint architecture, the same admin concepts, and the same end-user interface (in modern mode). Microsoft 365 Business Basic starts at $6/user/month and includes SharePoint Online, Teams, Exchange Online, and OneDrive. For organizations already paying for Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online may already be included in existing licenses at no additional cost.

Pros: Lowest migration friction, full feature parity for modern features, deep Teams integration, familiar to existing SharePoint users, Microsoft tooling for migration.

Cons: Still a Microsoft dependency, data sovereignty concerns for some regulated industries, SharePoint Online has a different (and in some ways reduced) feature set compared to on-premises classic mode, some classic SharePoint functionality is gone or requires rebuilding.

Google Workspace (Shared Drives + Drive)

Google Workspace Shared Drives is the closest Google equivalent to SharePoint document libraries. Business Starter is $7/user/month and includes Shared Drives, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Gmail, and Calendar. Google does not have an equivalent to SharePoint intranet publishing sites — for intranet needs, Google Sites is a very simplified alternative.

Pros: Full cloud-native architecture, strong real-time collaboration, familiar interface for many users, no on-premises footprint.

Cons: SharePoint-to-Google migrations require significant content transformation (Office format conversion), no equivalent to SharePoint lists or Power Apps integration, Google Sites is far less capable than SharePoint publishing for intranets, no equivalent to SharePoint's metadata-driven document management.

Nextcloud

Nextcloud is an open-source document collaboration and file storage platform that can be self-hosted or hosted by a Nextcloud partner. It supports document editing (via Nextcloud Office / Collabora Online or OnlyOffice), file sharing, basic workflow, and intranet features. Pricing depends on the deployment model: self-hosted is free (you pay for infrastructure); managed Nextcloud hosting starts around €3-5/user/month for small teams.

Pros: Full data sovereignty (you control where data lives), no per-user Microsoft or Google licensing, strong for regulated industries with strict data residency requirements, open-source with an active ecosystem.

Cons: Does not replicate SharePoint's depth of features (no equivalent to SharePoint lists, complex permissions, or Power Platform integration), requires IT team capacity to manage infrastructure, ecosystem is less mature than M365 for enterprise document management.

Zoho WorkDrive

Zoho WorkDrive is a cloud document collaboration platform that integrates with the broader Zoho suite (Zoho Mail, Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, etc.). Pricing starts at around $3/user/month. It covers team file storage and collaboration but does not replicate SharePoint's intranet or list capabilities.

Pros: Cost-effective, good integration with Zoho suite if you also use Zoho for CRM or other functions, no Microsoft or Google dependency.

Cons: Far less feature-complete than SharePoint for enterprise document management, limited ecosystem of third-party integrations, less suitable for organizations with complex metadata-driven document management requirements.

7. Exchange Server alternatives

Exchange Online (Microsoft 365)

The natural successor. Exchange Online uses the same Outlook client (desktop and web), preserves mailbox structure, contacts, and calendar items, and supports hybrid configurations during migration. For organizations already using Microsoft 365 for any other workload, Exchange Online is almost always included. Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/month) includes Exchange Online with a 50GB mailbox.

Pros: Seamless migration tooling, same Outlook experience for end users, full calendar and contacts compatibility, strong compliance and archiving features (in higher tiers), no on-premises email infrastructure to manage.

Cons: Microsoft data custody, pricing scales with users, some Advanced Compliance features require higher M365 tiers (E3/E5), ongoing subscription rather than paid-once licensing.

Google Workspace Gmail

Google Workspace Business Starter ($7/user/month) includes Gmail with 30GB pooled storage, Google Calendar, Meet, Chat, and Drive. For organizations wanting to leave Microsoft entirely, a combined Google Workspace migration covers both email (Exchange) and document collaboration (SharePoint) in a single vendor switch.

Pros: Mature email platform, strong spam filtering, excellent mobile clients, all cloud-native with no server infrastructure, Google Calendar is genuinely excellent.

Cons: Migration from Exchange to Gmail requires careful handling of PST/MBOX conversion, Google Calendar and Exchange calendar formats have differences that cause migration artifacts, Outlook users often resist the Gmail interface change, shared mailboxes work differently in Google.

Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is a business email hosting service with a clean web interface, a good mobile app, and solid spam filtering. The Mail Lite plan starts at $1/user/month; the Mail Premium plan at $4/user/month adds calendar, contacts, and advanced features. Zoho Mail integrates well with the Zoho business suite.

Pros: Very cost-effective, ad-free, good compliance features, integrates with Zoho CRM and other Zoho apps, GDPR-compliant data hosting in EU data centers available.

Cons: No Outlook client integration (web/mobile only), calendar and contacts migration from Exchange requires careful handling, less brand recognition may raise concerns for enterprise security teams, not suitable for organizations that require Outlook as the email client.

Proton Mail for Business

Proton Mail for Business offers zero-access encryption — even Proton cannot read your email. This makes it an outlier for enterprises that prioritize data privacy above all else. Business plans start around $6.99/user/month. Migration tooling from Exchange is limited compared to Microsoft's own tools.

Pros: Maximum privacy, Swiss jurisdiction, zero-access encryption, strong choice for law firms, healthcare organizations, and others with strict confidentiality requirements.

Cons: No Outlook client support, limited calendar and contacts compatibility with Exchange, migration tooling is basic, not suitable for organizations with complex email routing or compliance archiving requirements, smaller ecosystem.

8. SharePoint alternatives compared

All pricing is per user per month as of March 2026. For SharePoint Online pricing, it is included in Microsoft 365 plans.

9. Exchange alternatives compared

10. Migration walkthrough

This walkthrough covers the recommended path for most organizations: Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. It assumes a Microsoft 365 tenant is being set up or already exists. Adapt for other destinations as needed.

Phase 1: Assessment (weeks 1-3)

1. Run the SharePoint Migration Assessment Tool (SMAT) against your SharePoint farm. This produces an inventory of site collections, document libraries, content sizes, and migration blockers. Do not skip this — it determines everything that follows.
2. Inventory Exchange: Export a full mailbox list, count shared mailboxes and resource mailboxes, document transport rules, and identify all applications that send email through Exchange (SMTP relay clients).
3. Identify customizations: Catalog SharePoint Designer workflows, farm solutions, InfoPath forms, and any custom web parts. Classify each as: migrate, rebuild, or retire.
4. Set up Microsoft 365 tenant: If not already in place, provision M365, configure Azure AD / Entra ID, and set up user accounts. Run directory synchronization (Azure AD Connect) if you have Active Directory on-premises.
5. Plan your migration waves: Divide users and content into migration groups based on department, data volume, and complexity. Plan Exchange first (given the closer deadline).

Phase 2: Exchange migration (weeks 4-8)

1. Set up hybrid Exchange configuration (recommended for organizations over 200 mailboxes). This connects on-premises Exchange to Exchange Online and enables coexistence — users can see each other's calendar availability and receive email regardless of where their mailbox lives.
2. Migrate pilot group (IT team first): Move 5-10 IT team mailboxes to Exchange Online first. Validate Outlook profiles, calendar access, mobile device sync, and shared mailbox access.
3. Reconfigure SMTP relay clients: Update any printers, scanners, LOB applications, or scripts that relay email through Exchange to use Exchange Online SMTP (smtp.office365.com). This must happen before or during each user's mailbox migration.
4. Run wave migrations: Migrate department by department. Allow 24-48 hours per wave for mailbox sync to complete. Monitor mailbox replication status in the Exchange Admin Center.
5. Decommission on-premises Exchange: Once all mailboxes are migrated and verified, remove hybrid configuration and decommission Exchange servers. Do not rush this — keep Exchange servers available for 4-6 weeks post-migration for any issues.

Phase 3: SharePoint migration (weeks 5-16)

1. Remediate migration blockers first: Address any items flagged by SMAT as hard blockers before attempting content migration. This is typically old SharePoint Designer workflows and farm solutions.
2. Rebuild custom solutions: Convert farm solutions to SPFx web parts. Rebuild SharePoint Designer workflows as Power Automate flows. Convert InfoPath forms to Power Apps. This phase takes the longest — start it in parallel with Exchange migration.
3. Run pilot site migration: Migrate one department's SharePoint site collection using SPMT or ShareGate. Verify document libraries, permissions, metadata, and list data in the SharePoint Online target. Check that all hyperlinks between documents resolve correctly.
4. Set source sites to read-only: Before migrating each site collection, set the on-premises site to read-only. This prevents users from adding new documents to a site that is mid-migration, which would be lost.
5. Run wave migrations: Migrate site collections in waves. Schedule migrations during off-hours for large libraries. Run delta migrations (migrate only changes since last sync) for any sites that were active during the initial migration scan.
6. Update links and bookmarks: SharePoint Online URLs follow the pattern https://[tenant].sharepoint.com/sites/[sitename], which is different from on-premises URLs. Update intranet navigation, browser bookmarks, links in documents, and any hardcoded SharePoint URLs in LOB applications.
7. Decommission on-premises SharePoint: After 4-6 weeks of running fully on SharePoint Online with no issues, archive the on-premises content databases and decommission SharePoint Server. Retain database backups for at least 90 days.

Phase 4: Validation and cutover

• All mailboxes confirmed active in Exchange Online
• All SMTP relay clients sending through Exchange Online
• Transport rules replicated (or replaced) in Exchange Online
• All site collections visible and accessible in SharePoint Online
• Document permissions match source (validate with a sample of users from each site)
• All Power Automate flows active and tested against production data
• Intranet navigation updated throughout
• Helpdesk team trained on new admin tools (Exchange Admin Center, SharePoint Admin Center)
• Users trained on any interface changes
• On-premises servers decommissioned and infrastructure reclaimed

11. Recommendation by use case

Already using Microsoft 365 (even partially)

Migrate to Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. You likely already have licenses that include these services. The migration tooling is mature, the end-user experience is familiar, and the compliance features are among the best available. This is the lowest-risk, lowest-cost path for the vast majority of organizations.

Want to leave Microsoft entirely

Google Workspace covers both email (Gmail) and document collaboration (Shared Drives + Docs). A combined migration means one vendor contract, one billing relationship, and one end-user training effort. The migration is more complex than staying on Microsoft, but feasible with proper planning and Google's migration tools (GAMME for email, Google Drive migration for documents). Budget 3-6 months for a complete transition.

Regulated industries with strict data sovereignty

If your regulatory environment requires that data never leave specific infrastructure you control, Nextcloud self-hosted is the strongest option for document management. For email, evaluate Proton Mail Business (Swiss jurisdiction, zero-access encryption) or a self-hosted mail server (though the latter is operationally complex and typically reserved for organizations with dedicated infrastructure teams). Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both offer region-specific data residency options that may satisfy most data residency requirements without a full self-hosted deployment.

Cost-sensitive SMBs already using Zoho

If your organization already uses Zoho CRM or other Zoho products, Zoho Mail for email and Zoho WorkDrive for document collaboration is a cost-effective and well-integrated stack. Zoho Mail starts from $1/user/month, making it significantly cheaper than M365 or Google Workspace. The tradeoff is less migration tooling and a smaller ecosystem than either Microsoft or Google.

Hybrid: Exchange Online now, SharePoint later

Given that Exchange ESU ends April 14, 2026 — just weeks away — organizations that cannot complete a full migration in time should prioritize Exchange Online immediately. Set up Exchange hybrid, start migrating mailboxes, and run the SharePoint migration in parallel over the subsequent months before the July 14, 2026 deadline. This sequenced approach manages risk without trying to cut over both workloads simultaneously.

12. Frequently asked questions

When does SharePoint Server 2019 reach end of life?

SharePoint Server 2019 extended support ends on July 14, 2026. After that date, Microsoft will issue no further security patches, cumulative updates, or hotfixes for SharePoint Server 2019 or 2016.

When does Exchange Server 2019 reach end of life?

Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 Extended Security Updates (ESU) end on April 14, 2026 — less than one month from now. This is the most urgent deadline in this guide.

What happens if I keep running SharePoint Server after July 14, 2026?

Your servers keep running, but Microsoft stops issuing security patches. Every vulnerability discovered after that date remains permanently unpatched. Under compliance frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS, this is a material finding. Many cyber insurance policies exclude claims originating from unsupported software.

Can I migrate to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition instead?

Yes. SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (SPSE) uses a continuous update model with no announced EOL. Migrating to SPSE buys time on-premises — but it is still an infrastructure workload you own and manage. Most enterprises treat SPSE as a bridge, not a destination.

What is the best free tool for migrating SharePoint to SharePoint Online?

The SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) is Microsoft's free tool for migrating content from on-premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online. Run the SharePoint Migration Assessment Tool (SMAT) first to identify what SPMT can handle automatically versus what needs manual remediation.

How long does a SharePoint Server migration take?

Small organizations (under 100 users, minimal customizations): 6-10 weeks. Mid-size (100-500 users, some custom workflows and web parts): 12-20 weeks. Large enterprises (500+ users, heavy customizations, multiple site collections, regulated data): 6-18 months. Custom-built solutions are the biggest variable — they typically cannot be automated and require developer effort.

Can I run Exchange and SharePoint migrations simultaneously?

You can, but it adds risk and workload. Given that Exchange ESU ends April 14, 2026 — three months before SharePoint's July 14 deadline — prioritize Exchange first. Start Exchange planning now and run SharePoint assessment and remediation in parallel, targeting SharePoint cutover by June 2026.

What happens to PST files when I migrate to Exchange Online?

PST files stored locally on user machines or file shares can be imported into Exchange Online using the Microsoft 365 Import Service (IMAP import or drive shipping). Clean up and import PST files as part of the Exchange migration project — do not leave them stranded on local machines after Exchange on-premises is decommissioned.

Does SharePoint Online support the same search functionality as SharePoint Server?

SharePoint Online uses Microsoft Search, which is different from the SharePoint Server search experience. Modern SharePoint Search is generally faster and more relevant but may behave differently for complex search queries or custom search configurations. Test your organization's most common search scenarios against a pilot SharePoint Online environment before completing the migration.

Tracking another product sunset? Browse our full list of migration guides or check the Sunset Tracker for upcoming EOL dates.