Plesk 18.0.81 End of Life: Support Ends When 18.0.83 Ships
Plesk Obsidian 18.0.81 stays supported until the day Plesk releases 18.0.83. Plesk has not announced that day, so this guide does not print one. The rule comes from Plesk's lifecycle policy: for Plesk Obsidian, “software patches are provided and support requests are accepted for the latest available update of this major version as well as the preceding update.” The policy's own example says version 18.0.15 “will continue to be supported until version 18.0.17 is released.” Plesk released 18.0.81 on September 15, 2026, according to the Plesk Obsidian change log.
The supported pair and the releases before it
At publication, Plesk's change log listed 18.0.82 as the newest release, which makes 18.0.81 the “preceding update” that the policy still covers. Each earlier release's support ended on the day the release two versions after it shipped.
| Plesk Obsidian | Released | Support ends |
|---|---|---|
| 18.0.82 | October 27, 2026 | When 18.0.84 is released (not announced) |
| 18.0.81 | September 15, 2026 | When 18.0.83 is released (not announced) |
| 18.0.80 | August 4, 2026 | Ended October 27, 2026, when 18.0.82 was released |
| 18.0.79 | June 23, 2026 | Ended September 15, 2026, when 18.0.81 was released |
Recent releases have come six weeks apart: 18.0.80 on August 4, 2026, 18.0.81 on September 15, 2026 and 18.0.82 on October 27, 2026. Plesk does not publish the next release day in advance, and past spacing is not a commitment. Every release is on the Plesk page.
What end of life means at Plesk
Plesk Obsidian is one major version, 18, delivered as a stream of releases (18.0.80, 18.0.81, 18.0.82) and numbered hotfix updates for each. Once a release is neither the latest nor the preceding one, the policy's two promises stop for it: Plesk no longer ships software patches for it and no longer accepts support requests about it. Until then, hotfixes keep arriving for both supported releases. The change log shows updates for 18.0.81 published alongside updates for 18.0.82, including updates Plesk describes as addressing a critical security issue.
The lifecycle policy also sets a condition on support: “An up-to-date and supported Plesk installation with all the latest available updates installed is a prerequisite for technical support from Plesk.” Running a supported release is not enough on its own: the policy also asks for its latest available updates.
How automatic updates work
Plesk's policy strongly recommends allowing automatic updates, and states the consequence of turning them off: “Security patches, security updates and/or hotfixes are NOT shipped when automatic updates are disabled.” The server owner then takes responsibility for the resulting security risk, per the same page.
Hosting providers that need to control when a server moves to a new release can schedule it rather than switch updates off. Plesk's help center article on managing autoupdate dates and times describes an [updates] section in panel.ini (updateDays, timeFrameStart, timeFrameEnd, in UTC), and partners can set update times for license clusters. The schedule only applies to new releases: it “only applies to major updates (e.g. 18.0.66) and doesn't affect minor updates and hotfixes (e.g. 18.0.65.2).” Hotfixes are not held to that schedule.
What to do
- Find every server on 18.0.81 or earlier. On the server,
plesk versionprints the release. Releases older than 18.0.81 are already out of support. - Move Debian 11 servers first. They cannot go past 18.0.81. Dist-upgrade to Debian 12 or migrate the domains, then upgrade Plesk.
- Upgrade to the newest release in the change log. In Plesk, go to Tools & Settings, Updates and Upgrades, then Install or Upgrade Product, per Plesk's upgrade article. Plesk itself is unavailable during the upgrade; hosted websites stay online.
- Check integrations before 18.0.82. The 18.0.82 notes say support for XML RPC protocol versions earlier than 1.6.9.1 “has been deprecated and removed”, and requests that use an earlier version now return an error. Update any integration that calls the XML API to the 1.6.9.1 specification first.
- Leave automatic updates on, and use the update schedule if you need to control when new releases install.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Plesk 18.0.81 reach end of life?
On the day Plesk releases Plesk Obsidian 18.0.83. Plesk's lifecycle policy supports the latest available Obsidian release and the preceding one, so a release stays supported until the release two versions after it ships. Plesk has not announced the 18.0.83 release day; it appears in the Plesk Obsidian change log when the release ships.
Which Plesk release should I move to from 18.0.81?
The newest release in the Plesk Obsidian change log. When this guide was published that was Plesk Obsidian 18.0.82, released October 27, 2026. Servers running Debian 11 cannot take it: Plesk removed Debian 11 from its supported operating systems starting with 18.0.82.
What happens if automatic updates are turned off in Plesk?
Plesk's lifecycle policy says security patches, security updates and hotfixes are not shipped when automatic updates are disabled, and that an up-to-date, supported installation with all the latest available updates is a prerequisite for technical support from Plesk.
Related
- Plesk — every release and its dates
- Plesk 18.0.81 — the release page
- Debian 11 — the operating system 18.0.81 is the last Plesk release for