👋 Farewell: Publishing InfoPath Forms in SharePoint Online (18 May 2026)

Hey Reader,

"I'll be honest, when I heard InfoPath was going away I thought we were in real trouble. Half our team's forms live in SharePoint and I had no idea what we'd replace them with. But once we spent a few hours in Power Apps, we realised we'd been sitting on something far better the whole time. Our forms actually look like they belong in this decade now."

What's Changing

If your team currently uses InfoPath to build or publish forms in SharePoint Online, that's about to change. From 18 May 2026, you won't be able to publish new forms or update existing ones. Then on 14 July 2026, InfoPath Forms Service shuts down entirely. The good news: existing forms keep working right up until that final date, so you have time to plan a proper migration. The recommended paths forward are Power Apps, Power Automate, and Microsoft Forms.

What's in it for You

1. Forms that actually look modern: Power Apps lets you build forms with proper layouts, conditional logic, and branding, without the limitations InfoPath imposed years ago.
2. Automation built in: Power Automate connects your forms to real workflows, so submissions can trigger approvals, notifications, and actions without anyone lifting a finger.
3. No more compatibility headaches: InfoPath was always fragile across browsers and devices. Power Apps and Microsoft Forms work cleanly across desktop, browser, and mobile.
4. Data you can actually use: Responses flow directly into SharePoint lists, Dataverse, or Excel, making reporting and auditing far simpler.
5. You're building on the future, not the past: Microsoft is actively investing in Power Platform. The skills your team builds now will compound over time, not expire.

Who it's Changing For

Primary audience: InfoPath designers, publishers, and site owners

• Impact: High. They'll lose the ability to publish or update forms from 18 May, and must migrate before 14 July.
• How they'll feel: Stressed about timelines, uncertain about which tool to use, and worried about breaking things that work today.

Secondary audience: End users who fill in InfoPath forms

• Impact: Low to medium. Existing forms continue working until 14 July, but they'll eventually be moved to a new experience.
• How they'll feel: Mostly unaware until something changes, then potentially confused if the transition isn't communicated well.

IT Teams/Administrators

• Impact: Medium to high. Responsible for scoping usage across the tenant, supporting migration, and communicating to site owners.
• How they'll feel: Concerned about the scale of the task, especially without a migration tool provided by Microsoft.

Why It's Changing

InfoPath was built in a different era of Microsoft. It was never designed to work well in a cloud-first, browser-based world, and Microsoft hasn't meaningfully invested in it for years. Power Apps, Power Automate, and Microsoft Forms are the tools Microsoft is building for, and they offer everything InfoPath did plus automation, integration, mobile support, and a far better user experience out of the box.

When It's Changing

• 18 May 2026: Publishing new InfoPath forms or updating existing ones is blocked for all tenants.
• 14 July 2026: InfoPath Forms Service is fully retired. All forms stop working.
• No extension available: Microsoft has confirmed there is no option to extend beyond the retirement date.

Use the Microsoft 365 Assessment tool now to scan your tenant and understand the scope of what needs to move. The Power BI InfoPath Report it generates will show you exactly which sites, lists, and content types are affected. Start conversations with site owners early, because there is no migration tool provided and adequate lead time matters here.

Remember: change succeeds when people understand not just what they must do differently, but why doing it differently serves them better.

Go well and feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Anthony

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Source: Message Centre - Message ID: MC1255407 | Published Date: 18 March 2026 | Services: SharePoint Online