# End-of-Service Policy
To keep Umbraco Cloud secure and reliable, projects running versions of Umbraco CMS that reach End-of-Life (EOL) follow a clear and predictable lifecycle.
This policy explains what happens at each stage and how long projects remain hosted.
## 1. Continued Hosting After EOL
When a Long-Term Support (LTS) version of Umbraco CMS reaches its End-of-Life date:
* **Hosting continues on Umbraco Cloud** for the duration of the Extended Long-Term Support1 (XLTS) period.
* **An XLTS contract is not required** to keep your site hosted.
* Only projects with an active XLTS contract receive **security and compliance patches** during this time.
Projects on Standard-Term Support (STS) versions follow the same principle: they remain hosted through the lifecycle of the LTS they are based on.
## 2. After the XLTS Period Ends
When the XLTS coverage period for an Umbraco version ends, all projects on that version are **automatically moved from shared to dedicated hosting**.
This is done to ensure that unsupported software does not affect the shared hosting environment.
Projects can continue operating on dedicated resources for **12 months** from the end of the XLTS period.
## 3. End-of-Service
After the 12-month grace period on dedicated hosting:
* Hosting for that Umbraco version **is discontinued**.
* Projects that have not been upgraded or migrated to a supported version will **stop working**.
* Data and files will be accessible for an additional **30 days after End-of-Service**.
To avoid downtime, customers are encouraged to upgrade or migrate to a supported version well in advance of this date.
## Example Timeline
| Stage | What Happens | Duration |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------- |
| LTS | Full support and updates | Until EOL |
| XLTS | Hosting continues, patches require XLTS contract | Up to 24 months |
| Post-XLTS | Projects moved to dedicated hosting | 12 months |
| End-of-Service | Hosting discontinued | - |
**Example dates (Umbraco 13):**
* EOL: December 14, 2026
* XLTS ends: December 14, 2028
* Projects move to dedicated hosting: December 14, 2028
* Hosting ends: December 14, 2029
Subsequent Standard-term Support (STS) versions are subject to the same End-of-Service date as the preceding LTS version. This means that Umbraco 14, 15, and 16 will be End-of-Service on December 14, 2029.
## Why This Policy Exists
This policy ensures that Umbraco Cloud remains a **secure, stable, and high-performing platform** for all users. Running unsupported software increases security risks and maintenance complexity.
By defining a clear process and timeline, every customer and partner can plan upgrades with confidence.
## Summary
* Hosting continues after EOL for the duration of the XLTS period.
* Security and compliance patches are available only with an XLTS contract.
* After XLTS ends, projects move to dedicated hosting for 12 months.
* Hosting ends after the grace period unless the project is upgraded.
* Clear notifications are sent before every stage of the lifecycle.
1 Information and availability on Extended Long-term support for Umbraco can be found on [umbraco.com](https://umbraco.com/products/knowledge-center/long-term-support-and-end-of-life/xlts/).
## End-of-Service Overview
### Active releases
| Version | Release date | Release Type | End-of-Life | End of XLTS | End-of-Service (Umbraco Cloud) |
| -------------- | --------------------- | ------------ | --------------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| **Umbraco 17** | **November 27, 2025** | **LTS** | **November 27, 2028** | **November 27, 2030** | **November 27, 2031** |
| Umbraco 16 | June 12, 2025 | STS | June 12, 2026 | *LTS Only* | December 14, 2029 |
| **Umbraco 13** | **December 14, 2023** | **LTS** | **December 14, 2026** | **December 14, 2028** | **December 14, 2029** |
### Upcoming releases
| Version | Release date | Release Type | End-of-Life | End of XLTS | End-of-Service (Umbraco Cloud) |
| -------------- | -------------------- | ------------ | -------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| **Umbraco 21** | **December 9, 2027** | **LTS** | **December 9, 2030** | **December 9, 2032** | **December 9, 2033** |
| Umbraco 20 | June 24, 2027 | STS | June 24, 2028 | *LTS Only* | November 27, 2031 |
| Umbraco 19 | December 10, 2026 | STS | December 10, 2027 | *LTS Only* | November 27, 2031 |
| Umbraco 18 | June 25, 2026 | STS | June 25, 2027 | *LTS Only* | November 27, 2031 |
### End-of-life
| Version | Release date | Release Type | End-of-Life | End of XLTS | End-of-Service (Umbraco Cloud) |
| -------------- | --------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Umbraco 15 | November 14, 2024 | STS | November 14, 2025 | *LTS Only* | December 14, 2029 |
| Umbraco 14 | May 30, 2024 | STS | May 30, 2025 | *LTS Only* | December 14, 2029 |
| Umbraco 12 | June 29, 2023 | STS | June 29, 2024 | *LTS Only* | June 16, 2028 |
| Umbraco 11 | December 1, 2022 | STS | December 1, 2023 | *LTS Only* | June 16, 2028 |
| **Umbraco 10** | **June 16, 2022** | **LTS** | **June 16, 2025** | **June 16, 2027** | **June 16, 2028** |
| Umbraco 9 | September 28, 2021 | STS | December 16, 2022 | *LTS Only* | February 24, 2028 |
| **Umbraco 8** | **February 26, 2019** | **N/A** | **February 24, 2025** | **February 24, 2027** | **February 24, 2028** |
| **Umbraco 7** | **November 21, 2013** | **N/A** | **September 30, 2023** | **January 1, 2027** | **January 1, 2028** |