The past year has marked an important step forward for Umbraco. Across 2025, the platform focused on long-term stability, improved content workflows, and preparing organisations for what’s next — from AI-assisted tooling to more scalable, performance-led digital experiences.
As we move into 2026, the direction is becoming clearer: less disruption, more enablement.
Here’s a look back at the most important updates from 2025, followed by what organisations should be thinking about in the year ahead.
A look back: the most important Umbraco updates from 2025
Umbraco 17: a new long-term foundation
The most significant milestone of 2025 was the release of Umbraco 17, the latest long-term support (LTS) version.
Built on the newest .NET LTS, Umbraco 17 provides a stable, future-proof platform designed to support organisations over the next several years. It delivers improvements in performance, security, and architecture, while offering a clearer upgrade path away from older, more complex versions.
For many organisations, Umbraco 17 represents a reset point — a version that enables long-term planning rather than short-term fixes. For teams looking to make this transition, structured upgrade planning and delivery is key.
Clearer support timelines and upgrade guidance
Throughout 2025, Umbraco placed a stronger emphasis on transparency around support lifecycles and end-of-life timelines.
With Umbraco 13 approaching the end of regular support and moving toward its final security-only phase, organisations were given clearer signals about when upgrades should happen and why. This shift helps teams plan proactively, reducing risk and avoiding last-minute migrations.
Many organisations are pairing upgrade work with ongoing platform care through managed support to ensure stability before, during, and after major changes.
Editor experience and workflow improvements
Another notable theme in 2025 was the continued evolution of the back-office experience.
Updates to Umbraco Workflow and broader interface improvements made it easier to manage content across larger teams, with clearer approval processes, improved permissions, and more consistent publishing behaviour. These changes reflect a broader move toward supporting complex content operations, not just small editorial teams.
Laying the groundwork for AI-assisted content
Rather than rushing into automation, Umbraco spent 2025 preparing the platform for responsible AI integration.
The introduction of the MCP Server opened the door to AI-assisted workflows while keeping governance, permissions, and control at the centre. This approach signals a focus on augmentation rather than replacement — enabling smarter content processes without compromising oversight.
Looking ahead: the big Umbraco themes for 2026
While 2026 is unlikely to bring another major LTS release, it will be a pivotal year for how organisations use Umbraco.
Personalisation becomes more practical
Personalisation is expected to continue evolving beyond experimentation. Umbraco’s direction suggests a move toward more accessible, built-in tools that allow teams to deliver more relevant experiences without heavy technical overhead.
Solutions such as Umbraco Engage reflect this shift, bringing segmentation and tailored experiences closer to the content workflow itself.
Editor experience as a strategic focus
In 2026, improvements to editor experience are expected to continue, particularly for organisations managing large volumes of content or distributed teams.
Faster publishing, clearer workflows, and reduced friction will remain a priority, helping teams move more efficiently while maintaining consistency and quality.
Performance as a core platform capability
Performance is no longer treated as a purely technical concern. Umbraco’s ongoing work in this area reflects its importance to usability, accessibility, and overall experience quality.
Expect continued focus on faster delivery, improved cloud optimisation, and better alignment between content structure and performance outcomes.
Upgrades as enablement, not disruption
By 2026, upgrades are increasingly framed as a way to unlock capability rather than simply reduce risk.
With Umbraco 13 reaching the end of its support lifecycle at the end of 2026, many organisations will use the year to transition to Umbraco 17 — not just to stay supported, but to enable future improvements across experience, performance, and scalability.
Early, controlled use of AI in content workflows
AI will continue to appear in practical, controlled ways — supporting tasks such as content creation, reuse, and optimisation, rather than fully automating decision-making.
The focus remains on assistance, transparency, and trust, ensuring AI supports teams rather than complicating processes.
In summary
2025 was a year of foundation-building for Umbraco. A new LTS release, clearer support timelines, and meaningful improvements to workflows and editor experience have set the stage for what comes next.
In 2026, the emphasis shifts from change to optimisation — making better use of the platform through personalisation, performance improvements, and more efficient content operations.
For organisations already on Umbraco 17, the year ahead is about building on solid ground. For those still on older versions, 2026 represents a timely opportunity to upgrade with confidence and clarity.
Plan for 2026, starting this January
As we head into 2026, now is a great time to reflect and start shaping priorities for the year ahead.
If you’re thinking about upgrades, performance improvements, personalisation, or longer-term platform planning, we’re offering a free 30-minute chat to help you sense-check your Umbraco setup and outline next steps.
Book now, meet in January, and start 2026 with a clear plan.
Schedule your free 30-minute Umbraco chat
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