.NET 9 is a Standard Term Support release, and Microsoft's support policy lists its end of support as 10 November 2026, the same day as .NET 8. Move to .NET 10, an LTS release supported until 14 November 2028, unless you have a specific reason to wait for .NET 11.
The dates
From the Microsoft .NET support policy page:
| Version | Type | Released | End of support |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NET 10 | LTS | 2025-11-11 | 2028-11-14 |
| .NET 9 | STS | 2024-11-12 | 2026-11-10 |
| .NET 8 | LTS | 2023-11-14 | 2026-11-10 |
The page also says .NET 11 is in go live preview and that .NET Conf 2026 (10 to 13 November) will launch it. .NET 11 would be an STS release under the even and odd pattern, though the page does not say so in so many words, so confirm the label at launch.
Why this surprises people
Many teams assume LTS means a long window and STS means a short one, and then forget that STS 9 shares a date with LTS 8. The policy says LTS releases get three years of support and STS releases get two. The final six months of any release receive only security mitigations. Customers must install the latest patch to remain supported.
Move or wait
Move to .NET 10 now if:
- You run .NET 8 or 9 in production.
- You want a three year runway without another upgrade next year.
- Your dependencies already list .NET 10 support.
Consider waiting for .NET 11 only if:
- You need a feature that ships in 11 and not in 10.
- You are comfortable upgrading again within two years.
For most teams, the first group is the answer. A hop from 9 to 10 is also a smaller change than from 8, and 8 teams can go directly to 10.
Steps
- Find every project target. Look for
TargetFrameworkvalues ofnet8.0andnet9.0in project files and shared props. - Change the target and the SDK. Pin the SDK with a
global.jsonfile in CI. - Read the breaking changes reference for each version you cross.
- Build, test, and look at build warnings.
- Update container base images to the matching runtime tag.
Try it yourself
The vulnerability management demo shows findings grouped by component. After a framework move, run a scan again and confirm that older runtime and package findings are closed.
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Safeguard's dependency scanning covers NuGet packages, and the free scan is at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Quick check
Does .NET 9 get support after 10 November 2026?
According to the support policy page, no. Both .NET 8 and .NET 9 end that day.
Can .NET 8 apps go straight to .NET 10?
Yes. You skip 9, but read the breaking changes for both versions.
See also When does .NET 8 reach end of support.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
