Guide · checked against Adobe's documentation on 19 October 2026

AEM 6.5 end of life

AEM 6.5 is reaching the end of Adobe support in stages. Here is what ends when, what you can move to, and how to plan it.

Key dates

1. March 2025AEM 6.5 LTS becomes generally available (Java 17 and 21).
2. 21 May 2026Service Pack 25 (6.5.25.0) released.
3. 31 Aug 2026AEM 6.5 support ends for Adobe Managed Services customers.
4. 19 Nov 2026 (target)Service Pack 26, the last supported AEM 6.5 service pack.
5. 28 Feb 2027Core support for AEM 6.5 on-premise ends.
6. 28 Feb 2028Extended support (critical fixes only) ends.

Sources: Adobe's AEM release updates roadmap, the AEM 6.5 LTS FAQ and Adobe knowledge base article ka-42541. Full timeline with links.

What changes after core support ends

• No new service packs. 6.5.26 is the last one.
• Extended support covers critical fixes only, and only until February 2028.
• Security audits begin to flag the platform as unsupported.
• The gap to AEM as a Cloud Service keeps growing: Adobe removed a first group of APIs from Cloud Service in February 2026 and has a second group scheduled for March 2027.

Your options

1. Upgrade to AEM 6.5 LTS

In-place upgrade from any supported 6.5 service pack to a Java 17 or 21 platform that still receives features. Lowest disruption, but you keep running and upgrading the platform. Compare LTS and Cloud Service.

2. Migrate to AEM as a Cloud Service

Adobe runs the platform. Your code must follow Cloud Service rules: immutable /apps, .cfg.json configuration, supported run modes only, no Classic UI, no replication agents, no removed APIs. See every incompatibility.

3. Rebuild on Edge Delivery Services

For marketing sites where speed and simple authoring matter most. Adobe's Experience Modernization Agent automates much of the import. What Adobe's AI tools cover.

A plan that works for most estates

1. Run Best Practices Analyzer and our readiness scan to size the work.
2. Fix removed and deprecated APIs on 6.5 first. The fixes are needed on both paths.
3. Decide per site: Cloud Service, Edge Delivery, or LTS for now.
4. Restructure the repository (ui.apps, ui.content, ui.config) and convert configs and dialogs.
5. Run content transfer with top-ups, regression and SEO parity tests, then cut over.

Guides in this series

• AEM 6.5 end of support: every date that matters, 2026 to 2028Adobe Managed Services support for AEM 6.5 ended 31 Aug 2026. On-premise core support ends 28 Feb 2027. The full timeline with sources.
• AEM 6.5 LTS or AEM as a Cloud Service: how to chooseA practical comparison of upgrading to AEM 6.5 LTS versus migrating to AEM as a Cloud Service: effort, cost drivers, risk and who each suits.
• How to read a Best Practices Analyzer report: every pattern code explainedWhat the BPA CSV columns mean, how to read importance levels, and a plain-English guide to every Pattern Detector code from ACV to WRK.
• Adobe's free AI migration tools for AEM: what they do and where they stopAdobe's Cloud Migration skill, MCP server and Experience Modernization Agent automate parts of an AEM migration. An honest look at their scope.
• What does an AEM 6.5 to Cloud Service migration cost?The cost drivers of an AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service migration, published AEM developer rates by region, and a way to estimate your own.
• Cloud Manager failing on deprecated APIs? Fix it in this orderSince 14 April 2026 Cloud Manager fails the Code Quality step for code that uses APIs Adobe removed. A practical order of work to get pipelines green and stay ahead of the 2027 removals.
• Service users and repoinit: replacing admin sessions properlyAEM as a Cloud Service code cannot use administrative sessions. How to create least-privilege service users with repoinit, map them to your bundle, and open a service resource resolver.
• AEM Managed Services support has ended: what AMS customers should do nowAdobe's roadmap says AEM 6.5 support for Adobe Managed Services customers ends by 31 August 2026. Your options, what to ask Adobe, and a 30-day plan.
• Sling Jobs vs schedulers vs listeners on AEM as a Cloud ServiceOn Cloud Service, instances can stop at any time. When to use Sling Jobs, why the Sling Commons Scheduler is not enough, and how to handle JCR and resource events safely.
• Custom Oak indexes on AEM as a Cloud Service: naming, deployment and testingHow custom and customised Oak indexes work on AEM as a Cloud Service: the naming convention, deploying through ui.apps, rolling reindexing, and what is not supported.
• The AEM 6.5 to Cloud Service migration checklistA printable, phase-by-phase checklist for moving AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service: assessment, code, repository, content, testing and cutover, with links to the details.
• SEO parity during an AEM migration: URLs, redirects and metadataHow to move AEM 6.5 sites to Cloud Service without losing search traffic: a URL map, permanent redirects at the right layer, canonical tags, sitemaps and monitoring.
• Dispatcher on AEM as a Cloud Service: conversion, validation and local testingWhat changes for the Dispatcher when moving from AEM 6.5 or AMS to Cloud Service: flexible mode, the immutable default files, enabled_* symlinks, the three-phase validator and local Docker testing.
• Content Transfer Tool: sizing, top-ups and freeze planningHow Adobe's Content Transfer Tool moves AEM 6.5 content to Cloud Service: extraction and ingestion, the size limits that need a support ticket, and how top-ups shorten the content freeze.
• Upgrading to AEM 6.5 LTS: Java 17/21, removed dependencies and a test planWhat changes when you upgrade AEM 6.5 to the 6.5 LTS line: Java 17 and 21, the new Uber JAR packaging, missing Guava, javax-only Sling APIs, the health check endpoint, and how to test.
• Asset microservices for teams with custom DAM workflowsOn AEM as a Cloud Service the DAM Update Asset workflow is gone. How custom rendition and metadata steps move to processing profiles, post-processing workflows and Asset Compute.
• Cloud Acceleration Manager: a practical walkthroughHow to use Adobe's Cloud Acceleration Manager for an AEM 6.5 migration: uploading the BPA report, reading the complexity assessment, running content transfer and planning top-ups for go-live.
• Repository Modernizer: restructuring an AEM 6.5 project for the cloudAEM as a Cloud Service needs code and content in separate packages. What Adobe's Repository Modernizer does, how to run it, and what to check by hand afterwards.
• Converting Classic UI dialogs and legacy components at scale: what the tools missClassic UI is not available on AEM as a Cloud Service. How to plan the conversion of ExtJS dialogs and Foundation components, which Adobe tools help, and where engineers still need to decide.
• Testing an AEM migration: visual regression, content QA and UATA test strategy for moving AEM 6.5 to Cloud Service: what to automate (visual regression, link and metadata checks), what to sample (content QA), and how to run UAT without slipping the date.
• Running AEM after go-live: what a managed ops retainer should coverAEM as a Cloud Service removes version upgrades, not operations. What to expect from a managed ops retainer: releases, monitoring, Adobe deprecations, incidents and a clear scope.
• Edge Delivery Services migration: when to rebuild instead of migrateEdge Delivery Services can replace parts of an AEM 6.5 estate faster than a component-by-component migration. How it works, which sites suit it, and how to decide per site.
• Universal Editor vs page editor for migrated sitesShould migrated AEM sites keep the page editor or move to the Universal Editor? What Adobe says about each, the Universal Editor's requirements and limits, and how to choose per site.
• AEM migration for manufacturers with multi-brand, multi-language sitesMoving a multi-brand, multi-language AEM 6.5 estate to Cloud Service: Multi Site Manager, language copies, Cloud Manager programs per brand, and what to test.
• AEM migration for banks and insurers: compliance and freeze windowsMoving a bank's or insurer's AEM 6.5 sites to AEM as a Cloud Service: outsourcing and change rules (RBI, IRDAI, DORA), Adobe's update controls, and release freeze planning.
• AEM migration for universities and public sectorMoving public sector and university AEM 6.5 sites to AEM as a Cloud Service: accessibility law (ADA Title II, EU, UK, GIGW 3.0), what AEM provides, and what to test.