SharePoint Designer 2013 on-premises – Will it remain functional after end of support (July 14, 2026)?

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SharePoint Designer 2013 on-premises – Will it remain functional after end of support (July 14, 2026)?

Pablo Nuin Jaén 20

We are currently planning our migration strategy ahead of the SharePoint Designer 2013 end of support date (July 14, 2026). Our environment runs SharePoint Server SE on-premises.

While we understand that end of support means no further updates or security fixes will be provided, the official documentation does not clearly address the following points:

After July 14, 2026, will SharePoint Designer 2013 remain technically functional for connecting to SharePoint Server SE on-premises, or will Microsoft actively block its access?
Will it still be possible to open, view, and edit existing SharePoint 2013-based workflows using SharePoint Designer 2013 after that date in an on-premises deployment?
If the tool remains technically usable but unsupported, what specific risks or limitations should we expect (e.g., authentication issues, compatibility degradation)?

Any official clarification or pointer to updated documentation would be greatly appreciated, as this directly impacts our migration timeline to Power Automate.

Thank you.

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Hi @Pablo Nuin Jaén

Thank you for reaching out with your questions regarding the use of SharePoint Designer 2013 in an on‑premises SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (SE) environment after its end of support on July 14, 2026.

For your concerns:

Regarding SharePoint Designer 2013 functional after the support end date

Currently, I have not found any official Microsoft announcement or indication that SharePoint Designer 2013 will be technically blocked from connecting to SharePoint Server SE on‑premises after the end of support date yet.

SharePoint Designer 2013 is a locally installed client tool, and in an on‑premises scenario it communicates directly with the SharePoint farm. Microsoft has not published any statement, document indicating that the client will be disabled, server‑side endpoints will be removed, or access will be revoked for on‑premises environments after July 14, 2026.

Therefore, SharePoint Designer 2013 is expected to remain technically functional, though fully unsupported, after that date.

Regarding access to existing SharePoint 2013‑based workflows

Based on my research, you should still be able to open, view, and edit existing SharePoint 2013‑based workflows using SharePoint Designer 2013 after July 14, 2026, provided that the required underlying components (such as Workflow Manager) remain installed and operational in the environment.

Although SharePoint Designer 2013 is deprecated, SharePoint 2013 workflows remain available in SharePoint Server SE for backward compatibility. Microsoft's deprecated‑features documentation indicates that the workflow engine is not removed, and that organizations can continue managing SharePoint 2013 workflows, with Visual Studio identified as the supported authoring alternative going forward.

For specific risks or limitations

While the tool may remain usable, operating it beyond the end of support could carry increasing risk, such as:

Potential compatibility issues over time as SharePoint Server SE continues to receive cumulative updates.

Possible authentication or modern‑auth related issues if future security hardening is introduced that the legacy client cannot accommodate.

Operational and compliance considerations, as many organizations restrict or prohibit the use of unsupported client tools in production environments.

No new features or improvements, as SharePoint Designer 2013 will remain frozen at its final supported version.

References:

What's deprecated or removed from SharePoint Server Subscription Edition? - SharePoint Server | Mic…

SharePoint 2013 workflow retirement - Microsoft Support

SharePoint Designer 2013 reaches end of support on July 14, 2026 - M365 Admin

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

I hope this helps.

If you have any additional concerns, feel free to comment below. I would be more than happy to assist.

Note: Please follow the steps in [our documentation] to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Hin-V 15,085 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-09T22:39:53.7533333+00:00

Hi @Pablo Nuin Jaén

I hope the provided information were able to fully addressed your concern.

In case you require further assistance regarding this topic, feel free to reach out.

We more than happy to assist.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Pablo Nuin Jaén 20 Reputation points

2026-04-10T08:04:57.49+00:00

Hi,

Thank you very much for your response.

It more or less aligns with what I was expecting, but I wanted to get an official confirmation, so I really appreciate your clarification.

Kind regards, [Moderator note: personal info removed]
Hin-V 15,085 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-10T17:05:48.5033333+00:00

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the comment. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

Hi @Pablo Nuin Jaén

Thank you for your feedback.

I understand that this is necessary to ensure your tenant workflow. If I receive any updates or relevant information related to this matter, I will inform you as soon as possible.

Best regards,

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SharePoint Designer 2013 on-premises – Will it remain functional after end of support (July 14, 2026)?

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