Microsoft Project Online will be retired on September 30, 2026. As part of this process, starting April 1, 2026, the creation of new Project Web App (PWA) sites will be blocked, and existing tenants without projects across their PWA sites will be blocked from accessing Project Online.
What is changing on April 1, 2026
Starting April 1, 2026, Microsoft will implement the following changes for Project Online:
- Creation of new Project Online PWA sites will be blocked. Users will no longer be able to create new Project Online sites (new PWA site collections) in their tenants.
- Existing tenants with no projects will be blocked. Any existing Project Online tenant that contains at least one project across any PWA site will be allowed. All others will be blocked. Non-PWA data will still be accessible.
How this affects your organization
- If your organization creates Project Online sites on demand, you should ensure all required PWA sites are created before April 1, 2026.
- If you have existing PWA sites that were set up but never used, those sites will no longer be accessible after this date. Non-PWA data will still be accessible.
- Existing Project Online tenants that contain at least one or more projects across any PWA site will not be affected by this change.
What you need to do
- Review your existing Project Online PWA sites and identify any unused sites.
- If you intend to keep a PWA site active, ensure that at least one project is created before April 1, 2026.
- Inform Project Online administrators and PMOs in your organization about this change.
- These changes will be applied automatically on April 1, 2026. No admin action is required to enable enforcement.
For more information
Read our blog post, “Microsoft Project Online is retiring: What you need to know,” and the support article, "Prepare for Project Online retirement," to learn more about the upcoming retirement.
For SharePoint service deprecations, please see SharePoint documentation on Microsoft Learn.
Frequently asked questions
After Project Online retires, what happens to PWA site collections and non-PWA SharePoint content?
After Project Online retires, PWA-specific pages, services, and Project Online-dependent functionality in PWA site collections stop working. Non-PWA SharePoint content in those site collections, such as user-created lists, document libraries, pages, and subsites, will remain accessible through SharePoint, subject to the customer's SharePoint retention, permissions, and governance settings.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- Site Provisioning — A generic SharePoint project site is not necessarily a connected PWA project site
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Provides retirement context
After April 1, 2026, should a newly created Project Online PWA site work if it can still be created from SharePoint admin center?
No. New PWA site collections cannot be created after April 1, 2026. If a PWA site appears to be created through a SharePoint admin path after that date, customers should not expect it to function as a working Project Online/PWA site.
References
- Changes to Project Web App site creation and unused sites effective April 1, 2026 — PWA site/site collection block
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know
Will existing project subsites stop working before September 30, 2026?
Existing PWA site collections and related subsites remain accessible until the Project Online retirement date. PWA-dependent functionality stops after retirement unless the customer has an approved extension.
References
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know
- Manage connected SharePoint sites in Project Server 2013 — Connected project sites are managed through PWA
- Project Site Provisioning Settings (Project Server 2013 settings) — Project-site provisioning as Project/PWA-controlled
- Enterprise Project Types — Project subsites are created by Project/Enterprise Project Type (EPT) publish behavior
Can organizations continue creating project subsites within existing PWA site collections after April 1, 2026?
New PWA site collections cannot be created after April 1, 2026. Connected project-site provisioning inside an existing PWA site collection is Project Online/PWA-dependent, so customers should not plan to create new connected PWA project subsites after that date unless Microsoft explicitly confirms that scenario for their tenant. Customers should create required connected project sites before April 1 or move that collaboration pattern to a modern SharePoint or Planner-based approach.
References
- Changes to Project Web App site creation and unused sites effective April 1, 2026 — PWA site/site collection block
- Manage connected SharePoint sites in Project Server 2013 — Connected project sites are managed through PWA
- Project Site Provisioning Settings (Project Server 2013 settings) — Project-site provisioning as Project/PWA-controlled
- Bulk update custom fields and create project sites in Project Online — Project Online-specific project-site creation capability
- PublishedProject.CreateProjectSite(String) Method — Project-site creation is exposed through Project Server/Project Online client APIs
- Enterprise Project Types — Project subsites are created by Project/EPT publish behavior
Can customers get an extension to continue using Project Online after the retirement date?
Project Online and PWA site collections are scheduled to retire on September 30, 2026. Customers should plan to migrate or archive required data before that date. Any extension or exception must follow approved Microsoft eligibility, scope, and duration guidance. Reach out to your account team or Microsoft partner for more information.
References
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Provides retirement context,
- Changes to Project Web App site creation and unused sites effective April 1, 2026 — Confirms PWA site/site collection block
Is there a Microsoft checklist or wizard to help choose the right future work-management solution?
Customers should work with their account team or a Microsoft partner to assess requirements, review demos, and compare modern options such as Planner Premium for work management and PSSE for advanced PPM or resource-capacity scenarios.
References
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Retirement context
Are all Project Online deployment patterns affected by retirement?
Yes. Project Online retirement applies to Project Online/PWA usage patterns, including single-PWA, multiple-PWA, and project-site collection patterns. Customers should treat all Project Online-dependent experiences as in scope for retirement planning unless they have an approved Microsoft extension.
References
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Retirement context
- Changes to Project Web App site creation and unused sites effective April 1, 2026 — Confirms PWA site/site collection block
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
Can PWA features be activated on an existing SharePoint site as a workaround?
No. Activating PWA features on another SharePoint site is not a supported transition workaround. New PWA site collection creation is blocked after April 1, 2026, and PWA-dependent features stop working after Project Online retirement unless a tenant-specific extension has been approved for a fixed scope and duration.
References
- Changes to Project Web App site creation and unused sites effective April 1, 2026 — Confirms PWA site/site collection block, not project-subsite provisioning behavior
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
What Project Online PWA functionality stops working after retirement?
After retirement, Project Online/PWA-dependent functionality stops working, including PWA pages, project publishing, schedules, timesheets, reports and templates, reporting dependent on PWA, PSI/CSOM/OData CRUD, Project Online Power Automate triggers and actions, PWA timer jobs and features, add-ins, web parts, controls, project-site sync, and PWA permission synchronization. Non-PWA SharePoint content will continue functioning.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- Connect to Project Online data through Power BI Desktop — Reporting/OData is Project Online/PWA-dependent
- Project Online - Connectors — Supports Power Automate/connector dependence on Project Online service
- Sync-SPProjectPermissions — PWA-dependent permission synchronization for project sites
- Manage connected SharePoint sites in Project Server 2013 — Connected project sites are managed through PWA
After Project Online retires, what PWA-dependent content, integrations, or experiences should I migrate instead of leaving as-is?
Customers should migrate, replace, or archive data and experiences that depend on Project Online/PWA, including PWA pages, project publishing, schedules, timesheets, reports and templates, PSI/CSOM/OData integrations, Project Online Power Automate triggers and actions, PWA add-ins, web parts, controls, timer jobs, project-site sync, and PWA permission synchronization. Non-PWA SharePoint content will remain accessible, but PWA-dependent experiences should not be left as-is.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- Connect to Project Online data through Power BI Desktop — Microsoft Learn; Supporting. Supports that reporting/OData is Project Online/PWA-dependent, not project-site creation specifically
- Project Online - Connectors — Microsoft Learn; Supporting. Supports Power Automate/connector dependence on Project Online service
- Sync-SPProjectPermissions — Microsoft Learn; Medium. Supports PWA-dependent permission synchronization for project sites
- Manage connected SharePoint sites in Project Server 2013 — Connected project sites are managed through PWA
What happens to custom pages that contain PWA web parts or controls?
Non-PWA SharePoint pages will remain accessible, but PWA web parts, controls, and other Project Online service-dependent components will break after retirement. Customers should review custom pages for embedded PWA dependencies and migrate or remove those dependencies before retirement.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
After Project Online retires, will raw Project Online data, reporting data, OData feeds, or APIs remain accessible?
No. Raw Project Online data will not remain accessible through the Project Online service or its supported clients and interfaces after retirement. Projects, schedules, timesheets, resources, and other Project Online data must be migrated or exported before September 30, 2026. After retirement, users will not be able to connect through Project desktop or another Project Online client to retrieve or work with that data. Project Online reporting data also will not remain available through OData or other Project Online APIs after retirement. The OData endpoint and other Project Online extensibility endpoints - including PSI, CSOM, REST, and related APIs - depend on the Project Online service and will no longer be available. Applications, reports, scripts, and Power Automate flows that use Project Online triggers, actions, or endpoints must be retired, replaced, or migrated.
References
- Connect to Project Online data through Power BI Desktop — Reporting/OData is Project Online/PWA-dependent
- Project Server programmability — Project Online APIs and extensibility endpoints depend on Project/PWA service functionality
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- Project Online - Connectors — Power Automate/connector dependence on Project Online service
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Retirement timeline and Project Online service retirement context
- Microsoft Project Online service description — Project Online service access and data context
Will PWA timer jobs or background processing continue after retirement?
No. PWA timer jobs and PWA site features stop after retirement.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
Can we uninstall Project Online and keep the PWA site collection as a standard SharePoint site?
No. Project Online cannot be uninstalled to convert a PWA site collection into a fully functional standard SharePoint site. Non-PWA SharePoint content will remain accessible through SharePoint, but PWA-specific pages, services, permissions integration, reports, APIs, and sync behavior stop working after retirement. Customers should migrate PWA-dependent content and archive required project data before retirement.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- SharePoint site template and site script overview — Generic SharePoint site provisioning is separate from connected PWA project-site provisioning
- Site Provisioning — Generic SharePoint project site is not necessarily a connected PWA project site
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Retirement context
Will Project Online OData endpoints, such as /_api/ProjectData, continue to work until Project Online retirement?
Project Online OData endpoints, including /_api/ProjectData, will remain available until Project Online retires on September 30, 2026. After retirement, OData and other PWA-dependent APIs stop working because they depend on the Project Online service.
References
- Connect to Project Online data through Power BI Desktop — Reporting/OData is Project Online/PWA-dependent, not project-site creation specifically
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Retirement context
What should customers do with integrations that use Project Online REST or CSOM APIs?
Customers should inventory and migrate integrations that depend on Project Online REST, CSOM, PSI, or OData endpoints. CRUD operations against Project Online data through those endpoints stop after retirement.
References
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Bulk update custom fields and create project sites in Project Online — Project Online-specific project-site creation capability
- PublishedProject.CreateProjectSite(String) Method — Project-site creation is exposed through Project Server/Project Online client APIs
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- Project Online - Connectors — Power Automate/connector dependence on Project Online service
After Project Online retires, what happens to Project Online reporting, OData feeds, PSI/CSOM APIs, and exported/raw project data access?
After Project Online retires, customers should not expect Project Online reporting experiences, OData feeds such as /_api/ProjectData, PSI/CSOM APIs, desktop clients, or other PWA-dependent service endpoints to retrieve project data. Customers should export or archive critical project data before retirement. Exported or raw data remains available only in the location and format where the customer preserved it.
References
- Connect to Project Online data through Power BI Desktop — Reporting/OData is Project Online/PWA-dependent, not project-site creation specifically
- Project Server programmability — SharePoint is the substrate, but PWA/Project adds the project-site relationship and Project-specific behavior
- Project Server 2019 architecture — Overall architecture and Project Online service dependencies
- Project Online is retiring: What you need to know — Retirement context
If my organization receives a Project Online retirement extension, does that also extend SharePoint legacy authentication, workflows, add-ins, or other SharePoint deprecations?
No. A Project Online retirement extension applies only to Project Online retirement timing. It does not extend SharePoint legacy authentication, including IDCRL, or other SharePoint deprecation timelines such as workflows, add-ins, or related SharePoint retirement milestones. Customers should continue planning and executing those migrations separately according to the applicable SharePoint guidance and deadlines.
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