Blog Post

Planner Blog

5 MIN READ

Microsoft Project Online is retiring: What you need to know

George Bullock

Microsoft

Sep 05, 2025

After more than a decade of supporting project managers and teams around the world, Project Online will officially retire on September 30, 2026. We know this is a significant change, and we want to acknowledge the impact it may have on your organization, your workflows, and your planning processes.

This update is exclusive to Project Online and does not affect Project desktop, Project Server, or Planner (which brings together Project for the web, Planner in Microsoft 365, and To Do).

Why this change is happening

Project Online has served organizations well, but its legacy architecture limits innovation and integration that enhance today’s collaborative work environments, as we announced in 2018. With certain SharePoint Online workflow design tools deprecating in 2026, Microsoft is prioritizing innovation within Planner, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and the Project Manager agent, which represents a new generation of work management tools designed to be more intuitive, scalable, and powered by AI. These tools are built to support both simple task tracking and complex project planning, while integrating deeply across Microsoft 365.

What this means for you

No immediate disruption: Your current Project Online environment will continue to function as expected until the retirement date.
Key dates:

October 1, 2025: End of sale for new customers for Project Online-only SKUs.
September 30, 2026: Official retirement date – Project Online will no longer be available.

Project desktop remains available and is not impacted by this change.
Planner remains available and brings together Project for the web (premium plans), Planner in Microsoft 365 (basic plans), and To Do.

Transition options

There are several transition options available, depending on your organization’s needs:

Planner: A unified solution for modern work and project management. Premium features in Planner (included in Planner and Project Plan 3 and Planner and Project Plan 5) deliver portfolios, baselines, dependencies, Gantt charts, and workflow automation via Power App/Accelerator and Power Automate. Premium license holders (including Project Online customers) already have access to Planner and Project desktop. Now in public preview, Planner introduces Project Manager agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot users—an AI assistant that automates task creation, status reporting, and execution, adapting to your project’s context and generating professional reports across Planner views.
Project Server Subscription Edition: Designed for organizations needing advanced project and portfolio management (PPM) or a close match to the feature set of Project Online. Project Server Subscription Edition provides comprehensive planning, scheduling, and resource management tools, built on the latest SharePoint Server technology.
Dynamics 365 Project Operations: Tailored for customers who require robust timesheet management and resource scheduling, Dynamics 365 Project Operations offers integrated tools for project delivery and financials.

How to prepare

This retirement will happen automatically on the specified dates with no admin action required.
You may want to notify your users and update any internal documentation to reflect the above changes.
Evaluate the alternatives proposed above and plan the transition immediately.
Back up your data, if needed, before the retirement date.

Looking ahead

We fully understand the challenge associated with this or any product retirement. We remain excited about the future of our Work Management solutions with enhancements coming to Planner, including advancements in AI-powered project management. With Planner and our AI-powered roadmap, we’re building a future where project management is intuitive, collaborative, and deeply integrated into the flow of work across Microsoft 365. Planner and the Project Manager agent are just the beginning of a more intelligent, integrated, and collaborative project management experience. For more information, visit the Planner Blog or reach out to your Microsoft account team.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is being retired?

Only Project Online is being retired. This does not affect:

Project desktop
Project Server Subscription Edition
Planner – basic and premium capabilities

When is Project Online retiring?

October 1, 2025: End of sale for Project Online-only SKUs for new customers.
September 30, 2026: Official retirement date.

Will my current projects in Project Online stop working before the official retirement date?

No. Existing customers can continue to use Project Online with full support until September 30, 2026. Your current projects, integrations, and team member access will remain functional during this period.

Why is Microsoft retiring Project Online?

The legacy architecture of Project Online limits our ability to deliver modern, AI-powered experiences. Microsoft is investing in Planner and the Project Manager agent to provide more intuitive, scalable, and collaborative project management tools.

What are my options after Project Online retires?

Depending on your needs, you can transition to:

Planner – Planner with premium licenses already included if you have a Planner and Project Plan 3 or Planner and Project Plan 5 license
Project Server Subscription Edition
Dynamics 365 Project Operations
Project desktop – available with Project Standard 2024 or Project Professional 2024

Is Planner included in my Microsoft 365 subscription?

Planner with premium features is available through Planner Plan 1, Planner and Project Plan 3, or Planner and Project Plan 5 licenses. Planner Basic is included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 subscriptions. Users with E3, E5, and equivalent licenses can also participate as team members on Planner premium plans.

What is the Project Manager agent?

An AI-powered assistant that helps automate task creation, status reporting, and execution. It works across Planner views and helps teams stay on track with minimal manual effort. It also provides Copilot chat capabilities inside Planner.

Can I continue using Project desktop?

Yes. Project desktop is not impacted by this change and will continue to be available.

What happens to my Project Online projects at the end of September 2026?

After Project Online is retired in September 2026, you will no longer be able to access your projects or any associated data within the service. To avoid disruption and potential data loss, it is essential that you back up your data/projects and complete your transition to either Planner or Project Server Subscription Edition before the retirement date.

I’m an existing customer of Project Online, when will I stop being able to create new tenants?

In April 2026, current customers will no longer be able to create new tenants in Project Online.

What is happening to Project Server 2016 and Project Server 2019?

Both products will come to extended support on July 14, 2026. We recommend upgrading to Project Server Subscription Edition.

Where can I find more information and updates?

Visit the Planner Adoption page.
Visit the Microsoft 365 Roadmap for feature descriptions and estimated release dates.
Stay up to date on the latest announcements from the Planner and Project team by visiting the Planner Blog and Project Blog.
Visit the Planner help & learning page to learn more about existing capabilities in Planner.
Watch Planner demos for inspiration on how to get the most out of Planner in Microsoft Teams.

Updated Sep 05, 2025

Version 1.0

George Bullock

Microsoft

Joined October 05, 2017

View Profile

Planner Blog

Follow this blog board to get notified when there's new activity

87 Comments

Lucas-www4PMGTcom
Copper Contributor
Sep 26, 2025
Horrible decision from Microsoft. Instead of upgrade project online, professionals all around the world who really understand what is portfolio and program management, suddenly got surprised that entire solution will be retired. Shame on you Microsoft.
gwruck
Brass Contributor
Sep 24, 2025
Another issue I have with this shutdown with no viable replacement for people that need to do real construction planning is that we are being forced to move from something that has been adopted as a global standard for decades to having to take a punt on one of the myriad organisations trying to build an alternative.
In the construction industry, we need to be able to submit and share schedules etc. and having a global standard is very valuable. It's great to see people innovating, but if you make the wrong bet now, you may find yourself having to move again in the short term once the market has a chance to choose which solution will be the next "global standard".
As an aside, it has been very disappointing to see the number of obviously very experienced and knowledgeable partners / MVP's etc. that have been pushing the MS line for many years to migrate across to planner / P4W when it is plainly not up to the job. This decision, while brutal now, has been a long time coming. It has astounded me that MS didn't get much more pushback than they did over the last 5 years.
- Kelvin_Kirby
  Iron Contributor
  Sep 24, 2025
  If you want a solution specifically tailored for construction take a look at https://www.procore.com/ or https://www.4ps.co.uk/solutions/construction-project-management-software/. Project Online/Server can be configures for construction (and we have done so a number of times) but its a generic platfomr that requires configuration - that was the beauty of it - configuration was easy and flexible. The fact remains Microsoft is forcing customers to look elsewhere and like or not (and most don't of course) its a enforced move. An opportunity some might say to move to a more suitable product. It's clear that Microsoft has no interest in supporting a hugely successful product anymore which is both sad and very frustrating. If they had put their efforts into migrating Project Online to Dataverse seven years ago we wouldn't be in this situation today.
  - gwruck
    Brass Contributor
    Sep 24, 2025
    Kelvin_Kirby, I think that we have lost an awful lot more than we realise at the moment. MS Project had one job - to determine WHEN something was going to happen in some sort of logical order, generally following a set of agreed scheduling engine rules. It did it reasonably well - and where it didn't do it well, at least it was predictable. Where it went wrong was trying to do too much other stuff. I see very little opportunity in this. Somehow we are losing a very good and dependable tool that almost anyone could use. It is being replaced with some shiny new bling that once you get past the thin veneer, you realise that it really doesn't solve the same problem as the thing it is apparently meant to replace.
Kelvin_Kirby
Iron Contributor
Sep 24, 2025
Project Server SE is not visible as a IUR benefit for Partners right now, so this needs to change (and quickly please), along with the necessary IUR licences on which Project Server SE depends. If partners ar egoing to be able to test scenarios for migration this is going to be an absolute must going forwards. I also don't see this available as an option in CDX yet. I hope Microsoft gets their act together on this because making glib product retirement announcements without proper thought to the consequences for partners and customers is going to reflect very badly on Microsoft. If Microsoft wants customers to remain in the Microsoft stack with a full PPM capability (which Planner isn't) then they need to provide the tools to allow customers and partners to be effective in this extremely short migration timeline. There has been a serious underestimation of how long migrations would take for Enterprise customers that have years and years of report development, customisations and tools built around Project Online. Simply stopping the service without considering the time it takes to move is just unrealistic. Microsoft is forcing customer to move to 3rd party platforms because there is no viable alternative within the Microsoft stack.
- BrianSmithPhotos
  Iron Contributor
  Sep 24, 2025
  +1 - and although I keep hearing that partners/customers have been told SE will be available until at least 2031 - still no public commitment past the '1 year notice' that the modern lifecycle gives.
Joakim Andersson
Copper Contributor
Sep 23, 2025
Would be great if you would add the Planner Premium application as a selectable "template" in Gen Pages. would be great to have that as a base and be able to modify it with your own features/needs:) would most likely make the move to Planner premium much more fun.
Ivan_Lloyd
Copper Contributor
Sep 23, 2025
I'm seeing Project Server Subscription edition as an option that a. Microsoft provides/suggests and b. organisations are considering. Whilst I appreciate that as a migration option it potentially makes sense regarding continuity I can't see that it really makes business sense at all if it can be avoided. This is an On-prem solution that has seen no ongoing solution development functionality-wise for years. It requires a skillset to install and manage (or an outsourced partner) and is based on dated functionality and a poor historical user interface. I have not seen any guarantees of longevity other than the Modern Lifecycle Policy -https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/policies/modern which guarantees a years notice and don't forget there are a bunch of underlying components outside the Project teams control such as SharePoint that will influence this. For those moving from online to on-prem might you end up in six months migrating again?
For longevity I see the choice for the long term is realistically Planner Premium and Power Platform, if that provides enough capability for your use cases, or a third party solution that provides the modern SAAS experience for Enterprise PPM in a single Microsoft platform such as edison365
- gwruck
  Brass Contributor
  Sep 24, 2025
  A big problem with Project Server Subscription is that they have deprecated the OData reporting service. Anything that relies upon that will need to be rewritten. I also assume that any Power Automate jobs that use the connector will not work either and need to be rewritten. I'm assuming that the ProjectServer api's will continue to be supported.
- Adrian_Bear
  Copper Contributor
  Sep 24, 2025
  Planner is still a toy. It may have a more modern architecture and UI, but it can't scale to thousands of projects, and can't provide the features of realtime resource management and portfolio level reporting.
  Some customers require on premise isolated environments.
  And given Microsofts track record, there is no guarantee of Planners longevity or stability either.
gwruck
Brass Contributor
Sep 23, 2025
Do you really "fully understand the challenge associated with this or any product retirement. "? I don't think so. To even think that planner will support construction planning like MS Project / Project Online shows a complete lack of understanding of industry requirements.
Then I think, oh well, at least I can still go to Project Server Subscription Edition, but then I see that they are not supporting the OData reporting service.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-au/project/deprecated-removed-features-project-server-subscription-edition#features-removed-in-project-server-subscription-edition
We are supposed to go back to the nineties and connect directly to the database for reporting. A lot of my clients don't even employ dba's anymore.
What a way to kill a fantastic product and replace it with a toy.
- Adrian_Bear
  Copper Contributor
  Sep 23, 2025
  Why on earth would you want to keep the OData feeds in an on prem environment when you have direct access to the DB? Direct DB access is sooo much faster, more flexible and supported by all reporting tools worth using.
  - gwruck
    Brass Contributor
    Sep 24, 2025
    Yes, I love direct SQL connections - probably more than the next guy. However, POL had / has one of the best commercially available odata reporting apis I've used. I've built heaps of very useful things off it and they will all stop working now. Also, for the organisations that I work with, it is getting harder and harder to get access to the db (for good reason). Once I have admin rights on the pwa site, I don't need to get anyone's permission to do anything I need to with the data. It is a major retrograde step to remove that.
Gustavo_Bustos_Espinoza
Copper Contributor
Sep 22, 2025
After the retirement of Microsoft Project Online, what is the real difference between Planner 3 and Planner 5 licensing? I ask this because several of the features that distinguished the two licenses are related to specific Project Online features.
Can ERM or portfolio optimization be done with Planner?
- robhprojility
  Brass Contributor
  Sep 23, 2025
  The licensing page is confusing. Plan 3 is currently the highest level license a user would need if interacting with Planner Premium and the Power App, in a 'normal' environment. All the stuff you see on the licensing page around resource and portfolio management functionality, really relates only to Project Online, not Planner. There's no portfolio optimization or true ERM in Planner premium today out of the box.
- Paul_Mather
  MVP
  Sep 23, 2025
  Hello Gustavo_Bustos_Espinoza ,
  
  Here are some docs, some still are only available for "Project for the web" but this will give you a good idea of what is available for Planer Premium in Plan 3 and Plan 5. Hopefully Microsoft get around to updating all the docs....
  
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/project-online-service-description/project-web-service-description
Adrian_Bear
Copper Contributor
Sep 18, 2025
Is there any chance Microsoft can provide us with an option to download the back-end databases from Project Online /PWA instances to then use in setting up an On-premise Project Server Subscription Edition environment?
This is likely the ONLY way we will be able to provide customers with a fully featured migration path in the time frame allowed.
- JakeP
  Brass Contributor
  Sep 20, 2025
  I like your thought here. Can we just attach the databases and avoid a full migration? Its the least they can do to ease the pain with this fiasco
- BrianSmithPhotos
  Iron Contributor
  Sep 19, 2025
  I've not seen Microsoft reply or comment on anything in this thread, so I'd suggest opening a support case to ask. I'd think if they were preparing to make content databases available it would have been in their post. Although technically possible, versioning and more particulalry security and privacy make it a harder job than Microsoft will be willing to take on (my 2 cents). Unless of course they get a very large customer pushing very hard. To get to Project Server, FluentPro, who have posted in this thread too, have some tools that get pretty much everything across. Project Data Suite are another option - and many other partners may have their own solutions or work with these two companies. I have no affiliation with either but do know that they know what they are doing, throughyears of history.
  - Adrian_Bear
    Copper Contributor
    Sep 23, 2025
    I have customer in particular where it took us 18 months to migrate from project server to online (between in 2019 and 2021). We used a combination of Fluent tools, others for item versions and custom developed scripts for quality validation. It was a huge job. Seems doubtful we can move back again in less than 12 months without DB download and attach methods available. Moving to planner or Dynamics would cut functionality and take even longer to rebuild all integrations.
    I am sooo, disappointed in Microsoft over this. There appears to be no concern for existing customers at all.
    I'll raise a ticket, but it feels fruitless.
DarrylRosin
Copper Contributor
Sep 17, 2025
What data are we losing access to? Will sharepoint content in the site collection with PWA still be available? Will data in the connected project sites still be available?
AmandaCarlson
Copper Contributor
Sep 17, 2025
One thing we’ve already been noticing with how some clients are preparing for Project Online’s retirement is that dependencies built over years (custom fields, reports, automations) are getting overlooked. Even teams that think they have a clear path can run into unexpected challenges when moving historical data or workflows. Curious how others are approaching this: are you auditing existing processes first, or jumping straight into a migration plan?