Umbraco 13 reaches end of life on 14 December 2026: after that date it receives no further updates, including security patches, and sites still running it should move to Umbraco 17, the current long-term supported version, before the deadline. The site keeps working after end of life, but it stops being protected, and that is a different thing entirely.
For most organisations that leaves months, not years, to plan and complete a major platform move. For anyone in a regulated or trust-sensitive field, such as legal or professional services, an unpatched public website is not a risk worth carrying into 2027.
Here is what the move involves, what your options are, and how to decide.
What does "end of life" actually mean for your website?
End of life means no more fixes, not a site that breaks on 15 December. When a security vulnerability is found after that date, and they always are, there is no official patch coming. Your site sits exposed until you move off version 13.
For a brochure site that might be a manageable risk for a short window. For anything handling enquiries, client logins, document downloads, or payments, it is the kind of gap that fails a security review, worries an insurer, and is hard to defend if something goes wrong. The sensible plan is to be on a supported version before the deadline, not scrambling after it.
Can you upgrade directly from Umbraco 13 to Umbraco 17?
Yes, there is now a direct upgrade path from Umbraco 13 straight to Umbraco 17, the current long-term supported version. Until recently, moving up several major versions meant a stepped journey through each one in between. That is no longer the case, which makes the move cleaner and more predictable than it would have been a year ago.
That said, a major version jump is rarely just a technical update. Umbraco changed significantly between 13 and 17, including a complete rebuild of the editing interface your team uses day to day. So the real question is not whether to move, but how.
Should you upgrade in place or rebuild on Umbraco 17?
There are two sensible ways to get from 13 to 17, and the right one depends on the state of your current site.
Upgrade what you have. If your site is in good health, well built, and does not lean on heavily customised features, we upgrade the existing site in place and bring everything forward. This keeps your content, your history and your setup intact, and it is usually the faster, lower-cost route. For a lot of sites, this is exactly the right call.
Rebuild fresh on Umbraco 17. If your site has grown complicated over the years, carries features that no longer fit, or was built in a way that is now holding you back, a clean rebuild on version 17 often makes more sense. We move your content and structure across deliberately, leaving the accumulated clutter behind. You pay a bit more up front and get a site that is genuinely easier and cheaper to run afterwards.
We assess which fits before quoting, rather than defaulting to the one that suits us.
Why is this the moment to rethink your hosting?
A major upgrade is the natural point to look at where and how your site is hosted, because you are already opening up that part of the project. This is where we usually recommend Umbraco Cloud.
Umbraco Cloud is the official platform run by Umbraco itself. It bundles the hosting, the deployment process and the upgrade tooling into one managed service, with a dedicated support team behind it. In plain terms: fewer moving parts, a more secure and stable setup, and a clear line of support if anything needs attention. For most of our clients it removes a whole category of things that can go wrong, and it keeps the platform maintained rather than leaving it to drift towards the next end-of-life deadline.
We are an Umbraco partner, so we can set this up, manage it on your behalf, and fold it into a single arrangement with us. You deal with one team, not three.
What if you cannot upgrade before 14 December 2026?
Extended Long-Term Support is Umbraco's paid bridge: it keeps version 13 receiving security and compliance updates for a further 6, 12 or 24 months if a full move before 14 December 2026 is not realistic. It buys you time to plan and budget properly without leaving the site exposed.
It is a stopgap, not a solution. You are paying to delay the upgrade rather than avoid it. But for an organisation that genuinely cannot complete the work this year, it is a responsible way to stay protected while you do.
What should you do now?
The single most useful thing you can do today is find out which route your site needs and what it will cost, while there is still time to act.
We offer a fixed-scope upgrade assessment: we review your current Umbraco 13 site, tell you whether an upgrade or a rebuild is the right call, and give you a clear plan and quote to be on a supported, secure platform before the deadline. Get in touch to see how we can help.
December 2026 is closer than it looks for a project this size. The sites that move calmly will be the ones that started planning well ahead of the deadline.