Salesforce ships three releases a year and modernizes the platform continuously. Part of that modernization is steady deprecation: legacy tools get superseded by newer ones, old technical dependencies are wound down, and outdated API versions are eventually switched off. If you administer or build on Salesforce, keeping an eye on the retirement roadmap saves you from forced, last-minute migrations.
This post rounds up the deprecations worth tracking in 2026 and the practical fix for each. One important caveat up front: the only item here with firm, publicly confirmed dates is Salesforce for Outlook. For everything else, treat the timing as a direction of travel rather than a hard deadline, and confirm specifics against the authoritative master list: Salesforce's official Product & Feature Retirements list. Dates in this space move, so the official page should always be your final word.
Salesforce for Outlook (retires December 2027)
This is the deprecation most teams need to act on, and the one with concrete dates. Salesforce for Outlook (the desktop integration that has connected Salesforce and Outlook for well over a decade) is scheduled for full retirement in December 2027, extended from the original June 2024 target. The product has been in maintenance-only mode (security and critical fixes only, no new features) since June 2019.
The reason matters, because it is often misreported. Salesforce for Outlook depends on Internet Explorer 11 to interpret the Apex calls behind its Salesforce-to-Outlook sync. As Salesforce winds down its own support for IE11 and the legacy stack underneath the product, the integration becomes impossible to maintain. The driver is Salesforce's own technical dependency plus a deliberate consolidation onto modern, web-based products. It is not Microsoft deprecating COM add-ins, despite how the change is sometimes described. Rather than rebuild the old tool, Salesforce is moving customers onto the Outlook Integration add-in and Einstein Activity Capture, which run across Outlook desktop, web, and mobile.
What to do: treat this as a forced migration and plan it now. Your replacement options:
- Outlook Integration add-in. Free with Salesforce licenses. It covers email logging and record visibility in a sidebar, but does not run Screen Flows.
- Einstein Activity Capture: automatic background email and calendar sync, around $25/user/month standalone.
- FlowRunner. Runs Salesforce Screen Flows directly in Outlook and Gmail, from €12/user/month plus €50/org/month. The fit if your team relies on custom Flows and wants reps to actually use them.
- Cirrus Insight: a fuller sales engagement platform with templates and tracking, $29-$59/user/month.
For a deeper breakdown of the four paths, see our Salesforce for Outlook replacement guide, and to scope the project itself, work through the Salesforce for Outlook retirement checklist. If preserving custom process automation in Outlook is the priority, the FlowRunner Outlook integration is purpose-built for that.
Workflow Rules & Process Builder → Flow
For years Salesforce has been consolidating its point-and-click automation tools into a single engine: Flow. The older tools, Workflow Rules and Process Builder, are on a path to retirement, and Salesforce has steadily directed customers to build new automation in Flow rather than the legacy builders.
This is a general direction rather than a single switch flipping on a date. Salesforce has published guidance and migration tooling to help teams move existing processes into Flow, and the broad message is consistent: Flow is where ongoing investment goes.
What to do: build all new automation in Flow today, and migrate existing Workflow Rules and Process Builder processes over time using Salesforce's migration tools. Because the exact timing has shifted before, confirm the current status against Salesforce's official Product & Feature Retirements list before committing to a migration schedule.
Legacy API versions
Salesforce periodically retires older versions of its SOAP, REST, and Bulk APIs. Each retirement is announced in advance, but integrations pinned to very old API versions can break when those versions are switched off. This is an ongoing housekeeping pattern, not a one-time event, and the specific versions and cutoff dates change from release to release.
What to do: keep your integrations, middleware, and custom clients on currently supported API versions, and audit anything still calling legacy endpoints. For the authoritative list of which API versions are retiring and when, check Salesforce's official Product & Feature Retirements list rather than relying on dates quoted elsewhere.
A note on Aura → LWC
At the component-framework level, Salesforce continues to steer custom development from Aura toward Lightning Web Components (LWC), the modern, standards-based framework. This is a long-running direction rather than a dated deprecation. But if you maintain custom Aura components, favor LWC for new work and plan to modernize older components over time. Check the official retirements list for any specific announcements that affect your org.
Summary table
| What's changing | What to do | Authoritative source |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce for Outlook retires December 2027 | Migrate to Outlook Integration, Einstein Activity Capture, FlowRunner, or Cirrus Insight | Confirmed retirement date (Salesforce) |
| Workflow Rules & Process Builder superseded by Flow | Build new automation in Flow; migrate existing processes over time | Check Salesforce's official retirements list |
| Legacy API versions retired | Keep integrations on supported API versions; audit legacy endpoints | Check Salesforce's official retirements list |
| Aura → LWC direction | Favor LWC for new components; modernize older Aura over time | Check Salesforce's official retirements list |
What to do now
You do not need to act on all of these at once, but you should know where each one stands for your org. A pragmatic order of operations:
- Prioritize Salesforce for Outlook. It has a real, confirmed deadline and a forced migration. Audit current usage, pick a replacement, pilot it, and roll out in phases well before December 2027.
- Default new automation to Flow. Stop building in Workflow Rules and Process Builder, and schedule migration of existing processes when you have capacity.
- Audit your API versions. Find any integration calling old API versions and plan upgrades before those versions are retired.
- Favor LWC for new components. Keep new development on the modern framework and modernize legacy Aura opportunistically.
- Bookmark the official list. Make Salesforce's official Product & Feature Retirements list a recurring check so nothing catches you by surprise.
Frequently asked questions
When does Salesforce for Outlook retire?
Salesforce for Outlook is scheduled for full retirement in December 2027, extended from the original June 2024 date. It has been in maintenance-only mode since June 2019. The driver is the product's own dependency on legacy technology. It relies on Internet Explorer 11 to interpret the Apex calls behind its sync, combined with Salesforce consolidating customers onto its modern, web-based products: the Outlook Integration add-in and Einstein Activity Capture.
Is Process Builder going away?
Salesforce is steering all point-and-click automation toward Flow, and has stopped letting customers create new Workflow Rules and Process Builder processes, directing teams to build new automation in Flow instead. Rather than rely on dates quoted secondhand, check Salesforce's official timeline for the authoritative status before you plan a migration. Practically, build new automation in Flow now and migrate existing Workflow Rules and Process Builder processes over time.
Where's the official list of Salesforce retirements?
Salesforce maintains an official Product & Feature Retirements list in Salesforce Help. It is the authoritative source for what is retiring and when, and it is the right place to confirm dates for anything beyond Salesforce for Outlook. That includes legacy API versions, Workflow Rules and Process Builder, and the broader Aura-to-LWC direction.