Next.js 15 End of Life: Maintenance LTS Ends October 21, 2026

By Scott Bissett  ·  Published: September 18, 2026  ·  Reference guide  ·  Policy and upgrade notes read at nextjs.org on the day of publication.

Next.js 15 reaches end of life on October 21, 2026. The Next.js support policy keeps each major version in Maintenance LTS for two years from its initial release, and Next.js 15 was released on October 21, 2024. The policy page lists 15.x as Maintenance LTS and 16.x as Active LTS; it states the two-year rule rather than printing the end date, and the date above is that rule applied. Every version from 14 down is already listed as unsupported.

Next.js versions and their status

Status column: the Next.js support policy page. Where the release day differs by one day between sources we give the month only.

Why this one matters more than most framework deadlines

Next.js is not only a build tool. In most deployments it is the web server: it parses requests, runs middleware, handles authentication redirects and renders pages on the server. A security flaw in it is a flaw in the public face of the application. Once a major version leaves Maintenance LTS, a fix published for Next.js 16 is no longer ported back as a matter of policy, and the application keeps answering requests from the internet either way.

Moving from Next.js 15 to 16

Vercel publishes an upgrade guide for version 16 and a codemod that does the mechanical part: npx @next/codemod@canary upgrade latest. From that guide, the changes most likely to need real work:

• Node.js 20.9 or newer is required. Node.js 18 is no longer supported by Next.js 16. If the servers or build images still run 18, that upgrade comes first; see our Node.js dates.
• TypeScript 5.1 or newer.
• Request APIs are async only. Synchronous access to cookies(), headers(), draftMode(), params and searchParams, which version 15 still tolerated, is removed. A separate codemod covers it.
• Turbopack is the default bundler. A project with a custom webpack configuration fails next build until it migrates or opts out with the --webpack flag.
• middleware is renamed proxy, and runs on the Node.js runtime.
• Removed: AMP support, the next lint command, and serverRuntimeConfig / publicRuntimeConfig.
• next/image defaults changed, including a four-hour minimum cache time and a single default quality.

What to do, by where you are

1. On Next.js 14 or older: already unsupported. Plan the move to 16 directly; stopping at 15 buys only the weeks until October 21, 2026.
2. On Next.js 15: run the codemod on a branch now and see what breaks. The date is fixed and the work is mostly in the list above.
3. Cannot move in time: know exactly which version you run and watch its security advisories closely, because after the end date a fix is not promised. Commercial extended support exists for some older Next.js lines; the support options on our Next.js page show what is covered today.
4. Check the runtime underneath. Next.js is only as supported as the Node.js version it runs on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related

• Next.js — every version, live status and EOL Risk Score
• Node.js — the runtime underneath
• The 2026 end-of-life calendar
• How we verify our dates