Microsoft has set a firm retirement path for classic SharePoint Online. Starting March 1, 2027, no one can create new classic publishing sites. Starting October 1, 2028, existing classic pages become read only. If your intranet, policy library, or department sites still run on classic pages, the work to move them needs to start now.
What Is Changing
Two Microsoft 365 Message center posts define the timeline. MC1117115 introduced controls for custom scripting and classic publishing site creation in 2025 and 2026. MC1464926 sets the retirement dates your planning should be built around.
March 1, 2027
- New classic publishing sites and publishing feature activation are disabled for all tenants.
- New tenants can’t create classic pages or add custom scripts by default.
October 1, 2028
- Classic user created pages become read only for existing tenants. That includes wiki pages, web part pages, blog pages, publishing pages, and custom ASPX pages built with SharePoint Designer or third-party tools.
- Custom script restrictions extend to all tenants.
What read only actually means
You lose the ability to create, edit, save, check out, check in, or publish a page. You can still view, delete, rename, move, copy, and restore versions, and you can still update page properties and permissions.
What isn’t changing
Microsoft won’t delete your content, and users can keep viewing it. Classic list and library views and list forms are outside the read only scope, though custom scripts inside them are still subject to script controls. Scripts already on your sites keep running, but you can’t add or update them.
Why This Matters Now
Microsoft is direct about this: treat the retirement as a modernization program, not a last-minute page migration. Its own recommended planning model puts discovery between now and December 2026. If you haven’t started, you’re already behind the pace Microsoft suggests.
Business critical content gets frozen. After October 1, 2028, people can still see your policies, HR guidance, and operational pages, but no one can update them.
Assessment scores can mislead. A page can show a 100 percent mapping score and still convert with missing content, broken links, or the wrong layout. Every pattern needs real validation, and that takes time.
Customizations don’t carry over. Script Editor web parts, custom master pages, page layouts, custom HTML, and third-party components have no direct modern equivalent. Each one has to be replaced, redesigned, or rebuilt.
Publishing portals need a redesign. Microsoft says classic publishing portals can’t simply be recreated as equivalent modern sites. Plan for information architecture, branding, testing, and adoption work, not just a content move.
Permissions can drift. Moving content across sites can change permissions, ownership, and governance. Regulated teams need compliance and records stakeholders involved early.
| Window | Focus |
|---|---|
| Now-Dec 2026 | Mobilize and discover – Name a sponsor and program owner, run assessments, and stop approving new classic designs. |
| Jan-Feb 2027 | Triage – Make sure no project depends on creating a classic publishing site after March 1. |
| Mar-Jun 2027 | Prove transformation patterns on representative pages and validate every result. |
| Jul-Dec 2027 | Scale in repeatable waves, starting with high value and frequently edited pages. |
| Jan-Jun 2028 | Tackle complex content: publishing portals, custom layouts, Script Editor solutions, and home pages. |
| Jul-Sep 2028 | Validate, train, communicate, and cut over before October 1. |
Microsoft notes this is a planning model, not a rollout schedule. Larger or more customized environments will need more time.
What to Do in the Next 30 Days
- Confirm the dates for your tenant: Check MC1117115 and MC1464926 in your Message center, including any cloud specific rollout dates.
- Run the Classic Pages assessment: The Microsoft 365 Assessment tool inventories wiki, web part, blog, and publishing pages, scores modernization readiness, flags unmapped web parts, and captures usage. It’s read only and doesn’t migrate anything.
- Pull audit data: Use Microsoft Purview Audit and the SharePoint Classic Activities events to separate pages people actually use from dormant content.
- Build a prioritized backlog: Give every active page an owner, a decision (modernize, rebuild, or leave read only), a target experience, a complexity rating, and a completion date.
- Start small: Pick a representative wave and agree on acceptance criteria before you transform a single page.
- Stop building on classic: Update migration and governance plans so no new project depends on classic publishing.
How Compass365 Can Help
The hardest part of this retirement isn’t the technology, it’s getting started. Microsoft’s own plan has discovery wrapping up by the end of December 2026, and most teams haven’t scoped the work, named an owner, or set aside budget yet.
A free SharePoint modernization strategy session with Compass365 is the fastest way to get the ball rolling. We’ll help you:
- Talk through where classic sites and pages live in your tenant and which ones still matter to the business.
- Flag publishing portals, custom scripts, and third-party components that will need a redesign, not a quick conversion.
- Outline a realistic path to March 2027 and October 2028 that fits your team, budget, and timeline.
From there, we can support the full program, from assessment and validated page transformation to publishing portal redesign, SharePoint Framework replacements for custom scripts, and governance that keeps your new environment healthy.
Don’t wait for 2028. Schedule your free SharePoint modernization strategy session and start planning your move off classic SharePoint today.
