Updated Product Servicing Policy for SharePoint Server 2019

APPLIES TO: 2013 2016 2019 Subscription Edition SharePoint in Microsoft 365

During mainstream support, Microsoft releases new Public Update (PU) builds for SharePoint Server 2019 each month which contains the latest functionality, performance, and stability improvements for the product.

Policy overview

To ensure that customers have a high-quality experience, Microsoft is adopting the following product servicing policy for SharePoint Server 2019:

• All SharePoint Server 2019 builds will be supported for at least one year from its release date.
• Microsoft will update the minimum supported build of SharePoint Server 2019 on each anniversary of General Availability (GA).
• You must be running SharePoint Server 2019's minimum supported build or its higher version to remain supported.
• If you contact the Microsoft support team and your farm isn't running the minimum supported build or its higher version, you might be required to upgrade to that build before the Microsoft Support team can offer any further assistance.

The product servicing policy timeline for SharePoint Server 2019 is described in the following table:

SharePoint Server 2019	Support End Date
RTM (16.0.10337.12109) - October 2019 Public Update	10/31/2020
November 2019 Public Update - October 2020 Public Update	10/31/2021
November 2020 Public Update - October 2021 Public Update	10/31/2022
November 2021 Public Update - October 2022 Public Update	10/31/2023
November 2022 Public Update - October 2023 Public Update	10/31/2024
November 2023 Public Update - all future Public Updates	07/14/2026

Note

For information on the latest public updates for SharePoint Server 2019, see SharePoint Server update history article. To know more about the software update process, see Deploy software updates for SharePoint Server 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions

*Question: Why is Microsoft doing this?

Answer: Previously, servicing for SharePoint was tied to specific types of releases - the initial RTM release and service packs. However, Microsoft has no plans to release new service packs for SharePoint and will instead only update SharePoint by way of monthly Public Updates. This new servicing policy ensures that customers are running a build that contains fixes for the most common issues that customers have been reporting to us, even if no further service packs are released.

Question: Will Microsoft release service packs for SharePoint Server 2019?

Answer: No, Microsoft has no plans to release service packs for SharePoint Server 2019. Functionality, performance, and stability improvements for SharePoint Server 2019 will be delivered by way of our monthly Public Updates.

Question: Where can I find the Public Updates for SharePoint Server 2019?

Answer: The current list of Public Updates for SharePoint Server 2019 can be found in our SharePoint Updates article.

Question: Do the monthly Public Updates contain all of the fixes included in the previous Public Updates?

Answer: Yes, the monthly Public Updates are cumulative. Each Public Update contains all of the fixes provided in the previous Public Updates.

Question: Do I need to install an earlier Public Update before I can install the latest Public Update?

Answer: No, you don't need to install an earlier Public Update before you install the latest Public Update. You can install any Public Update directly on an RTM installation, or on top of any previous Public Update.

Question: Should I install the monthly Public Updates for SharePoint Server 2019 immediately or should I install them only if they contain a fix for a specific issue I'm having?

Answer: Microsoft recommends that all customers install Public Updates for SharePoint Server 2019 as soon as they become available. Microsoft performs rigorous validation of each Public Update, both internally and with a select set of partners and customers before it's released to ensure it has the highest quality.

Question: Why is the product lifecycle for SharePoint Server 2019 shorter than 10 years?

Answer: As previously announced in KB article 4086137, the Microsoft Office 2019 family of products will provide five years of mainstream support, followed by two years of extended support. This duration of support will allow Microsoft to better support our customers as we rapidly innovate these products and cloud services. SharePoint Server 2016 was released later than the other products in the Microsoft Office 2016 family and therefore has a later extended support end date. To ensure that SharePoint Server 2019 doesn't end support earlier than previous versions of SharePoint Server, SharePoint Server 2019 will align its extended support end date with the SharePoint Server 2016 extended support end date.