SharePoint 2013 Workflow Retirement: What IT Professionals Need to Know

Microsoft is retiring SharePoint 2013 workflows, and the timeline is firm with no extensions available. If your organization still relies on these workflows, it's time to understand the critical dates and plan your next steps.

The Retirement Timeline

Here are the key dates that matter for your planning:

Microsoft 365 (Cloud) Environments

• April 2, 2024: SharePoint 2013 workflows disabled for all newly created Microsoft 365 tenants
• April 2, 2026: Complete retirement—SharePoint 2013 workflows removed from all existing tenants
• Applies to all Microsoft 365 environments including Commercial, GCC, GCC High, and DoD
• No extensions or exceptions will be granted
• All workflows stop functioning immediately after this date

On-Premises Environments

SharePoint 2013 workflow support varies by version:

• SharePoint Server 2016: Support continues until July 14, 2026 (end of extended support)
• SharePoint Server 2019: Support continues until July 14, 2026 (end of extended support)
• SharePoint Server Subscription Edition: Support continues beyond July 2026

Third-Party Workflow Solutions

• Nintex Workflow for Office 365: Support ends December 31, 2025
• This is several months before Microsoft's deadline
• Organizations using Nintex need to act even sooner
• Consider Nintex Automation Cloud as a migration path

What Happens on April 3, 2026?

Understanding the immediate impact helps prioritize your migration efforts:

Workflows will:

• Stop executing completely across your entire tenant
• Fail to trigger on any new items or changes
• Leave in-progress approvals and processes incomplete
• Become inaccessible through the SharePoint interface

What remains:

• Workflow definitions saved as raw XML files (not executable)
• Historical workflow data retained in lists (if previously configured)
• SharePoint lists and libraries remain unaffected

What you lose:

• All automation based on SharePoint 2013 workflows
• Ability to run or modify existing workflows
• Access to workflow history unless previously archived

Why No Extension Is Coming

Microsoft has been clear about this timeline for strategic reasons:

• SharePoint 2013 workflows rely on legacy infrastructure incompatible with modern cloud architecture
• The technology has been superseded by Power Automate, which offers significantly more capabilities
• Maintaining dual automation platforms creates security and compliance risks
• The workflow engine technology is over a decade old and cannot support modern integration requirements

Immediate Actions for IT Teams

If you're still running SharePoint 2013 workflows, take these steps now:

This week:

1. Run the Microsoft 365 Assessment Tool to inventory all SharePoint 2013 workflows in your tenant
2. Identify business owners for each workflow
3. Document which workflows are mission-critical

This month:

1. Assess the complexity of your workflows and determine migration approach
2. Review Power Automate licensing requirements
3. Create a prioritized migration timeline working backward from April 2026
4. Consider whether workflows should be migrated to Power Automate or retired entirely

Within 90 days:

1. Begin migrating or rebuilding your highest-priority workflows
2. Test migrated workflows thoroughly in a non-production environment
3. Train workflow owners on Power Automate if pursuing manual rebuilds
4. Engage Microsoft partners or consultants if needed for complex migrations

The Bottom Line

April 2, 2026 is a hard deadline. There will be no last-minute extensions, and workflows will simply stop working. Organizations that wait until late 2025 to begin migration efforts risk business disruptions, incomplete migrations, and emergency workarounds.

The good news is that you have time to plan and execute a thoughtful migration—but only if you start now. Use this retirement as an opportunity to modernize your automation capabilities while ensuring business continuity.

Refrences:

• SharePoint 2013 Workflow Retirement Announcement