Last updated: 13 November 2026
Short answer: The Drupal 10 end of life date is 9 December 2026. After that date, the Drupal project releases no more security fixes for it. For most sites the sensible move is an in-place upgrade to Drupal 11, which is supported until early December 2028; moving to another CMS suits some sites, and staying on Drupal 10 works only as a short pause.
This post is for site owners, marketing managers and IT leads who run a Drupal 10 site, often without a Drupal developer on staff. It compares three options: stay, upgrade or leave. If you want a team to check your site first, see our Drupal development services.
Drupal 10 end of life: the key dates
These dates come from the Drupal project’s own release schedule. The schedule page was last updated on 11 November 2026, and we re-checked it on 13 November 2026.
| Milestone | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Drupal 10 end of life (security support for 10.6.x ends) | 9 December 2026 | Schedule |
| Last Drupal 10 minor version | 10.6.x | Schedule |
| Drupal 12 release | The week of 7 December 2026 | Schedule |
| Drupal 11 supported until | Early December 2028 | Schedule |
| Drupal 12 supported until | Early December 2030 | Schedule |
| Drupal 7 end of life (already passed) | 5 January 2025 | Schedule |
Drupal’s release cycle page says each major version is supported for four to four and a half years. A Drupal site needs a major upgrade every few years.
What “end of life” actually means for your site
Your site keeps working, but security fixes stop
Nothing breaks on 9 December. Your pages still load and your forms still submit. What stops is security updates for Drupal 10 core.
If someone finds a new flaw in Drupal 10 after that date, the project will not release a Drupal 10 patch for it. Flaws found in Drupal 11 will get fixed there. The longer a site stays on Drupal 10, the more unpatched flaws it can collect.
On extended support: drupal.org does not list any extended support for Drupal 10. If a host or vendor offers its own cover, ask exactly what it includes and for how long before you rely on it.
Hosting, PHP and compliance knock-on effects
End of life can reach beyond the code. Acquia, a Drupal hosting vendor, says on its Drupal 10 end of life FAQ that its own Drupal 10 support stops on 9 December 2026 and treats Drupal 10 as unsupported after that. If your host or support contract has similar terms, check them now.
Two other places to look:
- Hosting and PHP. Drupal 11 needs PHP 8.3 or later. If your server runs an older version, PHP must be updated first, and some hosting plans may need to change.
- Contracts and audits. Some customer contracts, insurers or auditors expect software that still receives security updates. Ask whoever handles that for your business.
Your three options
Option 1: Stay on Drupal 10 for now
You can leave the site as it is past 9 December. That avoids spending now, but it carries the risk described above and only delays the work.
Who might accept this for a short time:
- A small, low-traffic site that holds no personal data and has no login area.
- A site that is already planned for a rebuild or replacement in the near future.
If you choose this, set a date for the next decision and write it down.
Option 2: Upgrade to Drupal 11
For most Drupal 10 sites, this is the better choice. Moving from Drupal 10 to Drupal 11 is an upgrade of the same site, not a migration. That is different from the move from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10, which meant rebuilding and moving content. Your content and structure stay in place, though some code and modules need work.
Drupal 11 is supported until early December 2028, which gives you about two more years from the end of Drupal 10. It is also the step you need before Drupal 12, which we cover below.
Option 3: Leave Drupal
Drupal is a strong CMS, but it is not the right fit for every site. A forced upgrade is a fair moment to ask whether you still want to carry the cost of running it.
These signals suggest a move may be worth a look:
- Your team finds Drupal hard to use, and editors avoid the admin area.
- Your site is mostly pages and posts, with a simple content model that does not need Drupal’s depth.
- You have no in-house developer and each Drupal change needs outside help.
- Your Drupal hosting and maintenance costs feel high for what the site actually does.
The opposite signals matter too. If your site has complex content types, many editor roles, multilingual content or deep integrations, a move can cost more than an upgrade. Leaving Drupal is usually a bigger project than upgrading, so decide on the site’s needs, not on the deadline.
If you are weighing it, we have a separate guide to Drupal to WordPress migration steps, and a page on our website migration services. If your Drupal site is a store, see moving a Drupal store to WooCommerce.
Thinking of leaving Drupal? Get a free consultation before any migration.
Why “wait for Drupal 12” is not a plan
Drupal 12 is scheduled for release in the week of 7 December 2026, the same week as Drupal 10’s end of life. It is tempting to skip Drupal 11 and go straight there. We would not plan around that.
drupal.org’s in-progress Drupal 12 upgrade guide indicates you will need to be on a recent Drupal 11 release first. The exact minimum version was still listed as “to be announced” when we checked on 13 November 2026. Treat its details as provisional.
So the answer to “can I go straight from Drupal 10 to Drupal 12?” is: do not count on it. Drupal 11 is the stepping stone, and it is supported until early December 2028, so there is time to plan the next step.
How a Drupal 10 to 11 upgrade works
This is an overview, not a full guide. The official steps are in the Drupal 10 to 11 upgrade guide.
- Reach Drupal 10.3 or later. The upgrade needs at least Drupal 10.3.0. If you are on an older 10.x release, update core first.
- Check PHP. Drupal 11 needs PHP 8.3.0 or later. Confirm what your hosting runs.
- Run Upgrade Status. This module scans your site and reports which modules, themes and custom code are not ready for Drupal 11.
- Deal with contributed modules. For each module without a Drupal 11 release, you update it, replace it or remove it.
- Fix custom code. Drupal Rector can update some deprecated code in custom modules and themes automatically. The rest needs a developer.
- Update with Composer and Drush. These are the standard tools for changing code and running update steps.
- Test on a staging copy. Check key pages, forms, logins and integrations away from the live site.
- Go live. Take a backup, apply the update to the live site, and check it again.
What makes an upgrade quick or slow
We cannot tell you how long your upgrade will take without looking at the site. These are the things that decide it:
- Contributed modules without Drupal 11 releases. Each missing release means finding a replacement, applying a patch or removing the module.
- Custom modules and themes. More custom code means more to check and fix.
- Your current core version. A site on 10.6 is closer than one on 10.2.
- PHP and hosting level. If the server needs a PHP change, that is extra work with its own testing.
- Multilingual setup. More languages mean more to test.
- Integrations. Payment gateways, CRMs, search and single sign-on each need a check.
- How far behind updates are. Sites that kept up with minor updates are usually simpler.
Upgrade or move? A quick decision table
| Question | Points to upgrading | Points to considering a move |
|---|---|---|
| Site health | Core and modules are mostly current, and Upgrade Status shows few problems | Many abandoned modules, heavy custom patches, or a long update backlog |
| Budget for ongoing Drupal developers | You have in-house or on-call Drupal skills | Every change needs outside help, and that cost bothers you |
| Editor experience | Editors are comfortable with the current admin | Editors struggle, or avoid updating the site |
| Integrations | Several deep integrations that already work well on Drupal | Few integrations, or ones that are easier on another platform |
| Content model complexity | Many content types, roles, workflows or languages | Mostly simple pages and posts |
If most of your answers sit in the left column, upgrade. If most sit on the right, a move deserves a proper look. If it is mixed, get the site checked before deciding.
FAQs
When is Drupal 10 end of life?
Drupal 10’s end-of-life date is 9 December 2026. The Drupal release schedule lists security support for 10.6.x, the last Drupal 10 minor version, as ending in the week of 7 December 2026.
What happens to my site after Drupal 10 end of life?
It keeps running. But the Drupal project stops releasing security fixes for Drupal 10, so new flaws will stay unpatched on that version. Your host, contracts or auditors may also treat the site as unsupported.
Can I upgrade straight from Drupal 10 to Drupal 12?
Do not plan on it. drupal.org’s in-progress Drupal 12 upgrade guide indicates you will need to be on a recent Drupal 11 release first, and the exact minimum version was still listed as “to be announced” when we checked on 13 November 2026.
How long will Drupal 11 be supported?
Until early December 2028, according to the Drupal core release schedule. Drupal 12 is listed as supported until early December 2030.
Is Drupal 10 to 11 an upgrade or a migration?
It is an in-place upgrade of the same site. That is unlike moving from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10, which needed a migration. You still have work to do on modules, custom code and hosting, but you do not rebuild the site from scratch.
Is there extended support for Drupal 10?
drupal.org lists none. Acquia, a hosting vendor, says its own Drupal 10 support ends on 9 December 2026. If another provider offers cover, ask what it includes and for how long before you rely on it.
When is Drupal 12 released?
The Drupal schedule lists the week of 7 December 2026. Dates can move, so check the official schedule for the latest.
Get a free Drupal site check
Not sure which option fits your site? We check your Drupal version, modules and hosting, and tell you whether an upgrade to Drupal 11 or a move makes more sense.
Leaving Drupal instead? Ask for a free consultation before any migration.
