Umbraco 13 is reaching End of Life

If your website runs on Umbraco 13, there's a date worth putting in your diary. On 14 December 2026, Umbraco 13 reaches End of Life. After that point it stops receiving security patches, bug fixes and official support.

There's no need to panic, but there is a good reason to plan. Leaving a site on an unsupported version is one of those things that feels fine right up until it isn't. The earlier you look at it, the more options you have and the less it costs in stress later.

What End of Life actually means, and why it matters

End of Life, or EOL, is the point where a version stops being maintained. Here's what that involves in practice, and what we'd suggest doing about it.

1. Security updates stop. This is the big one. Once patches end, any newly discovered vulnerabilities in Umbraco 13 stay unpatched. For a public-facing site, and especially anything handling logins, payments or personal data, that's a risk that grows quietly over time.

2. Bug fixes and support end too. If something breaks, there's no official fix coming. You're relying on workarounds rather than proper resolutions, which tends to cost more time in the long run.

3. Third-party packages drift away. Add-ons and integrations gradually stop testing against an unsupported version. Over time you can find yourself stuck, unable to update a package without breaking something else.

4. Compliance can be affected. If you hold certifications like Cyber Essentials, or you answer to procurement or security questionnaires, running unsupported software can count against you. Staying current keeps those conversations simple.

5. The longer you wait, the bigger the jump. Upgrades are far easier when tackled steadily. Putting it off doesn't make the work go away, it just makes the eventual move larger and more disruptive.

A particular note for public sector and regulated organisations

If you work in the public sector, or any setting with formal security and procurement requirements, the stakes are a little higher. Running an EOL CMS can affect your standing on frameworks, your answers to security questionnaires, and the outcome of audits and assessments. What feels like a quiet technical detail can become a procurement issue at exactly the wrong moment.

This is territory we know well. We're a Crown Commercial Service supplier and Cyber Essentials certified, so we plan and carry out these migrations with that level of scrutiny built in, keeping your platform both supported and defensible when someone asks the hard questions.

Your options from here

The recommended path is to upgrade to Umbraco 17, the current Long-Term Supported version, which keeps you on solid ground for years to come. We wrote about Umbraco 17 becoming the next Long-Term Support release when it was announced, which gives a useful bit of background if you'd like it.

If you genuinely need more time, Umbraco also offers XLTS (Extended Long-Term Support) for version 13, which buys you a defined extension while you plan the move properly. Either way, the right first step is the same: understand where your site stands today and map out a sensible route forward.

It's also worth saying that an upgrade doesn't always mean a big rebuild. Sometimes it's a clean move to the latest version, and sometimes it's a chance to improve a few things along the way. We'll tell you honestly which one you're looking at.

Already on Umbraco 13?

Then you're in a good position, and there's no need to rush. It's simply the right time to start planning. We can help you stay supported now and move to a newer version when it suits you, rather than leaving it until before the EOL deadline forces the decision.

As an Umbraco Platinum Partner, this is exactly the kind of work we handle day in, day out. We've been building on Umbraco since 2010 and have completed more than 25 Umbraco upgrades for organisations across the UK, auditing the existing setup, planning the migration path, and carrying out the move with minimal disruption to teams and users.

If your site is on Umbraco 13 and you're not sure what your next step should be, we're always happy to talk it through. You can read more about how our Umbraco upgrade service works, or get in touch. No sales pitch, just a straight conversation about what you're trying to do.

Get in touch or drop us a message.