Table of contents
- The shutdown timeline and what it means
- What happens to your data on September 30, 2026
- Your three transition options
- Planning your project online migration now
- Common challenges and how to solve them
The shutdown timeline and what it means
Microsoft announced Project Online’s retirement with specific dates you can’t miss.
- October 1, 2025 – Microsoft stops selling Project Online-only licenses to new customers. If you’re not already using it, you can’t start now.
- April 1, 2026 – Existing customers lose the ability to create new Project Online environments. You’ll still access what you have, but you can’t expand.
- September 30, 2026 – Complete shutdown. Project Online becomes permanently inaccessible. Your data disappears with no recovery option.
There’s no grace period. No read-only access. No archive mode. When September 30, 2026 arrives, everything stops working.
Why this change is happening
Project Online uses legacy architecture that limits innovation. The platform can’t support modern AI capabilities, deeper Microsoft 365 integration, or collaborative features today’s teams need.
Microsoft’s consolidating its work management tools. They’re investing in Planner (which absorbed Project for the web), Project Server Subscription Edition, and AI-powered features like the Project Manager agent.
Certain SharePoint Online workflow design tools are also deprecating in 2026. Since Project Online migration relies on these workflows, keeping it running would mean maintaining outdated infrastructure.
What happens to your data on September 30, 2026
Best suitable for: Compliance officers and data governance teams responsible for records retention
Let’s be clear: after September 30, 2026, you permanently lose access to everything in Project Online.
No data retention exists
Microsoft hasn’t announced any grace period for data access. The official guidance states data becomes permanently inaccessible on the retirement date.
Unlike some service retirements where Microsoft provides 90 or 180 days of read-only access, Project Online gets none. September 30, 2026 is a hard cutoff.
You won’t export data after that date. You won’t receive advance warning. You won’t get emergency access if you forgot something.
What you’ll lose
Every project plan you’ve created disappears. Active projects, archived projects, templates you’ve built over years gone unless you export it.
All custom fields, calculated fields, and enterprise custom field definitions vanish. Years of methodology refinement becomes inaccessible.
Resource assignments, capacity planning data, and historical utilization metrics disappear. Organizations relying on this data for forecasting lose that baseline.
Timesheets, approval workflows, and project site content in SharePoint need separate consideration. While SharePoint sites might persist, the Project Online integration that made them functional breaks.
Your data preservation responsibility
Microsoft puts data preservation on you. You must identify what needs saving, export it in usable formats, and store it somewhere accessible.
This means more than downloading MPP files. Export project schedules with custom fields, resource pools, timesheet records for compliance, portfolio analysis data, custom views and filters, and integration configurations.
Start your data assessment now. Waiting until mid-2026 creates unnecessary risk.
Your three transition options
Best suitable for: Decision-makers evaluating platform options and total cost of ownership
Planner with premium features
Planner is Microsoft’s strategic direction. It combines Project for the web (redirecting to Planner in August 2025), basic Planner in Microsoft 365, and To Do into one unified experience.
What Planner Premium includes:
Planner Premium (included in Planner and Project Plan 3 and Plan 5) delivers portfolios, baselines, dependencies with lead and lag, Gantt charts, and workflow automation through Power Apps/Accelerator and Power Automate.
You’ll get the Project Manager agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot users an AI assistant that automates task creation, status reporting, and execution. It adapts to your project’s context and generates professional reports across Planner views.
Additional premium features include Goals, Sprints, Task History, and advanced dependencies. The platform integrates deeply with Teams, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 apps.
What won’t transfer:
Roadmaps don’t move to Planner. You’ll need to recreate them as Portfolios. Portfolios don’t support adding rows for Azure DevOps or Project Online, and Roadmap data remains in Dataverse.
You can’t import .mpp files directly in Planner, though you can through Planner Power Apps/Accelerator.
The Roadmap tab in Teams isn’t available you can’t pin Portfolios as tabs.
Best for: Organizations using Microsoft 365 heavily, teams valuing collaboration over traditional PPM complexity, and companies wanting AI-enhanced project management.
Project Server Subscription Edition
Project Server provides on-premises infrastructure with full project and portfolio management capabilities built on latest SharePoint Server technology.
You’ll get comprehensive planning, scheduling, and resource management tools. Advanced portfolio management, resource capacity planning, and complex workflow automation all work like Project Online.
Project Server gives complete control over your data and infrastructure. Organizations with strict data residency requirements or compliance needs mandating on-premises hosting find this appealing.
The trade-offs:
You’re responsible for server maintenance, updates, security patches, and infrastructure costs. This increases both IT overhead and total cost of ownership versus cloud solutions.
You’ll need dedicated IT resources for server management, backup strategies, disaster recovery planning, and capacity monitoring.
Best for: Enterprises with existing on-premises infrastructure, organizations with data residency requirements, and companies needing full Project Online features without cloud dependency.
Dynamics 365 Project Operations
Dynamics 365 Project Operations targets project-based businesses needing integrated timesheet management, resource scheduling, and financial tracking.
It combines project delivery tools with ERP capabilities. You’ll manage projects alongside contracts, budgets, billing, and revenue recognition in one system.
Resource scheduling goes beyond simple assignment you’ll track utilization, costs, and profitability by project, client, or department. Timesheet integration flows directly into payroll and billing.
Best for: Project-based businesses needing end-to-end visibility from opportunity through delivery to billing, professional services organizations, and companies using Dynamics 365 ecosystem.
Planning your project online migration now
Best suitable for: Project management offices coordinating transition efforts
Assess your environment immediately
Start with complete inventory. How many projects exist? Which are active versus archived? What’s your total data volume?
Document every customization: custom fields, calculated fields, enterprise templates, workflow automations. Determine which transfer to your new platform and which require rebuilding.
Identify all integrations. Does Project Online connect to SharePoint, Power BI, custom applications, or external systems? Each integration needs evaluation.
Survey your users. Which features do teams actually use versus which exist but add no value? This assessment helps prioritize what must migrate.
Calculate timeline and resources
Small organizations with straightforward requirements might complete microsoft project online migration in 2-4 weeks. Larger enterprises with complex workflows typically need 2-3 months.
You’ll need dedicated resources: project manager to coordinate, technical lead for data extraction and import, business analyst to map workflows and validate data, training coordinator to prepare users, and executive sponsor to remove obstacles.
Budget for these roles even if they’re part-time assignments. Migrations fail when everyone treats it as something they’ll do “when I have time.”
Consider external expertise from specialists like Advaiya. Migration consultants bring experience from multiple transitions, proven methodologies, and the ability to accelerate timelines significantly.
Execute your migration
For Planner Premium:
Verify licensing first. Planner Premium requires Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 licenses.
Export data from Project Online using native export tools for MPP files, PowerShell scripts for bulk exports, or third-party migration tools for comprehensive data extraction.
Planner doesn’t directly import MPP files. You’ll use Planner Power Apps/Accelerator to convert MPP structures into Planner premium plans.
Start with 5-10 pilot projects covering your complexity range. Validate everything imported correctly before full-scale migration.
For Project Server:
You’ll need servers running Windows Server and SharePoint Server. Plan your farm topology single-server for small deployments, multi-server farms for performance and redundancy.
Install SharePoint Server first since Project Server builds on SharePoint infrastructure. Then install Project Server Subscription Edition and configure Project Web App (PWA).
Project Server supports direct migration from Project Online through Microsoft-provided tools. These handle project plans, resources, custom fields, and enterprise settings.
For both approaches:
Train users before cutover. Provide role-based training in multiple formats: live sessions, recorded videos, quick-start guides, and hands-on sandbox environments.
Schedule cutover during low-impact periods. Communicate timelines clearly so everyone knows when to switch systems.
Have support readily available during the first week post-migration. Quick, helpful responses establish confidence.
Common challenges and how to solve them
Best suitable for: Project teams preparing risk mitigation strategies
Data mapping complexity
Project Online’s data structure doesn’t perfectly align with destination platforms. Custom fields might not have direct equivalents. Workflow logic may need redesign.
Solution: Map your data schema early. Create detailed mapping documents showing each Project Online element and its equivalent. Identify gaps where functionality doesn’t transfer directly and decide your approach: platform customization, process changes, or accepting some functionality loss.
Historical data preservation
You need historical project data for compliance and reference, but importing years of archived projects isn’t always practical.
Solution: Import active and recent projects (typically last 12-24 months plus older in-progress projects). For older archived projects, export as MPP files and store in SharePoint document library or file share. Add metadata so they’re searchable.
Integration breakage
Project Online integrations with SharePoint, Power BI, custom applications, or external systems often break during migrate project server to project online transitions.
Solution: Inventory all integrations during planning. For each one, determine if it needs to continue, can be replaced with native functionality, or requires redevelopment. Budget more time for integration work than initially expected.
User adoption resistance
Users invested time learning Project Online. Now they must learn something new.
Solution: Focus on benefits rather than features. How does the new platform make their jobs easier? Identify power users who become internal champions. Provide excellent support during the first two weeks post-migration.
Advaiya’s team has worked with numerous organizations navigating these challenges. Their experience with project online migration transitions means they’ve developed playbooks for addressing common issues.
How Advaiya accelerates your transition
Best suitable for: Organizations lacking internal migration expertise or facing tight deadlines
Migration specialists have executed numerous Project Online transitions. Advaiya’s team specializes in Microsoft solutions with deep expertise in Project Online, Project Server, and Planner.
Their comprehensive methodology includes data assessment, migration planning, technical execution, testing and validation, and training support.
What might take internal teams months, experienced consultants accomplish in weeks. Time savings translate to cost savings you stop paying for both old and new platforms sooner.
Risk mitigation provides perhaps the most value. Failed migrations cost significantly: lost data, prolonged downtime, frustrated users, and project delays. Professional services dramatically reduce these risks through proven processes.
Getting started today
Best suitable for: Decision-makers ready to initiate migration planning
Immediate next steps
Week 1-2: Document your current Project Online usage. How many projects? How many active users? Which features see heavy use?
Identify key stakeholders and establish a migration steering committee.
Week 3-4: Choose your destination platform considering your organization’s strategic direction with Microsoft 365, infrastructure preferences, and specific project management requirements.
Develop a high-level migration plan with target completion date, major milestones, resource needs, and budget requirements.
Secure executive approval for budget and resources.
Week 5+: Assign roles and responsibilities for internal resources or engage external expertise. Contact Advaiya for free initial consultation.
Begin data cleanup and preparation. Cleaner data going into migration means a smoother process and better new environment performance.
Why starting now matters
September 30, 2026 sounds far away, but large organizations need 6-12 months for complex migrations. That puts your start date in early-to-mid 2025 which is now.
Waiting until 2026 creates resource constraints (everyone else migrating too, consultants booked), compressed timelines (rushing increases mistakes), and data risk (no safety margin if initial exports fail).
Organizations starting now complete migrations methodically, test thoroughly, train effectively, and go live smoothly. Organizations waiting face stress, errors, and potential data loss.
FAQ
When exactly does Project Online stop working?
September 30, 2026 is the complete shutdown date. After that, you lose all access with no recovery option. October 1, 2025 is when Microsoft stops selling licenses to new customers, and April 1, 2026 is when existing customers can’t create new environments.
Will I have any time to access my data after September 30, 2026?
No. Microsoft has not announced any grace period. Your data becomes permanently inaccessible on September 30, 2026 with no recovery option. You must export everything before that date.
What’s the difference between Project Online retiring and Project for the web redirecting to Planner?
These are separate changes. The project for the web is redirecting to Planner in August 2025 your plans automatically become accessible in Planner. Project Online is actually shutting down completely; you must migrate your data or lose it.
Can I use Planner if I only have Microsoft 365 E3 or E5?
Yes, but you’ll only have basic Planner features. For advanced project management capabilities like portfolios, baselines, dependencies, Gantt charts, and the Project Manager agent, you need Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5. The premium features replace Project Online functionality.
Should I migrate everything or just active projects?
Use a two-tier strategy. Migrate active projects and recent projects (typically last 12-24 months) to your new platform. For older archived projects needed for compliance or reference, export them as MPP files and store them in SharePoint library or file share. Don’t clutter your new system with projects nobody will actively work on.
