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Microsoft sets October 2026 cutoff for Office, Server, Entra
October 2026 will bring several Microsoft end-of-support deadlines, including Office LTSC 2021, Publisher, and Entra ID risk policies.
Image: The Register
October 2026 is shaping up to be a rough month for Microsoft admins. Within a few weeks of each other, the company is set to end support or retire several products and services, including Office LTSC 2021, Windows Server 2022 mainstream support, Publisher 2021, and Entra ID Sign-In risk policies.
After Windows 10 reaches end of support in October 2025, Microsoft’s next round of deadlines follows quickly. For organizations still on Office LTSC 2021, support is ending across the suite, from Access 2021 to Word 2021. Staying supported means moving to LTSC 2024 or switching to Microsoft 365.
That won’t suit every customer. As The Register notes, Microsoft 365 is not ideal for organizations avoiding the cloud, while the on-premises release remains a fixed snapshot of the product at launch, aside from ongoing security patches.
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On the server side, Windows Server 2022 leaves mainstream support on October 13, 2026, though extended support will continue until 2031. The same date also marks end of support for Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro. For Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise and Education, the deadline comes a little later, on November 10.
Publisher 2021 is also nearing the end. First released in 1991 as a desktop publishing app for Windows 3.0, the product will be retired in October 2026, ending the long run of the Microsoft Publisher brand. Unlike the rest of the Office 2021 LTSC lineup, it will not get a successor.
Another potentially disruptive change is the retirement of Entra ID Sign-In risk policies on October 1, 2026. The feature, formerly called Identity Protection, is being replaced by Conditional Access, and Microsoft wants administrators to migrate policies covering both user and sign-in risk before the cutoff. If they do not, that protection disappears after the retirement date.
As one Register reader put it:
“Given how many orgs use O365 I can’t see how disabling sign-in protection might go wrong.”
For now, October 2027 looks lighter, with SQL Server 2017 the main named product due to reach its end.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via The Register
