Everything you should know about Project 2016 and Project 2019 end of support
On October 14, 2025, Project 2016 and Project 2019 will reach end of support. After this date, Project 2016 and Project 2019 will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical support. Continuing to use software after end of support can leave your organization vulnerable to potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues.
Customer installations of Project 2016 and Project 2019 will continue to run after October 14, 2025; however, due to potential security risks, we strongly recommend customers upgrade from these versions before the upcoming end of support date.
Our recommendation is for customers to upgrade to Planner and Project Plan 3 to get the full-featured web and desktop apps. Additional options include upgrading to a Microsoft 365 plan to get Planner in Microsoft 365 or upgrading to Project Standard 2024 or Project Professional 2024. See the Planner and Project plans and pricing comparison, Microsoft Planner FAQ, and Project deployment guide to determine which option is best for your organization.
Upgrading to Planner and Project Plan 3
We strongly believe that you get the best value and user experience by upgrading to Planner and Project Plan 3. With Planner and Project Plan 3, you equip your organization with the Planner app in Microsoft Teams, Planner for the web, Project for the web, Project Online, and the Project Online desktop client. While final pricing for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Planner has not been announced yet, users with a Planner and Project Plan 3 license can also preview Microsoft 365 Copilot in Planner capabilities, such as creating a new plan, creating new goals, and creating new tasks.
Important! Given the upcoming end of support date for Project Server 2016 and Project Server 2019 on July 14, 2026, it is important to note that Planner and Project Plan 3 also includes the client software to connect to the on-premises Project Server and is a great option if this is how users are using Project 2016 or Project 2019 today.
Upgrading to Microsoft 365
Upgrade to a Microsoft 365 license to get Planner in Microsoft 365 for individual task management and project planning on the web. Planner in Microsoft 365 users get access to four unique views—Grid, Board, Schedule, and Charts—as well as editing access for premium plans created by users with a Planner and Project Plan 3 or Planner and Project Plan 5 license. This includes capabilities such as assigning a task, changing a task’s start and finish dates, and adding attachments to a task. However, accessing advanced capabilities with premium plans requires a subscription license.
If you’re upgrading to Microsoft 365, you might be eligible to use our Microsoft FastTrack services. FastTrack shares best practices and provides tools and resources to make your experience as seamless as possible. For more information about FastTrack, see Microsoft FastTrack.
Upgrading to Project 2024
Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 are available as a one-time purchase through a volume licensing agreement and do not receive regular feature updates. If upgrading to Project 2024 from Project 2016 or Project 2019, users will get all the features they’re used to, plus new features as well.
Related Microsoft products reaching end of support on October 14, 2025
In addition to the above Project products, several other products (some of which are often used with Project) also reach end of support or retirement on October 14, 2025. These include Microsoft Office 2016, Microsoft Office 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019, Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Word 2016, Word 2019, and more.
Learn about other Microsoft products reaching end of support in 2025 and bookmark the Microsoft Lifecycle page to stay informed about future events. You can also search product and services lifecycle information to get detailed information for your Microsoft products and services.
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