Magento 2.4.6 reached end of standard support on August 11, 2026. See what it means for Open Source and Adobe Commerce stores, the deadlines that matter, and how to choose between upgrading and moving to Shopify.
Magento 2.4.6 reached the end of standard support on August 11, 2026.
Your store did not stop working that day. Orders still come in and checkout still runs. That is exactly why this deadline is easy to ignore.
What it means for you depends on one thing many store owners can't answer offhand: which edition of Magento you are running. This guide explains the dates that apply to your store and how to decide between upgrading Magento and moving to another platform.
The Short Version
- Magento Open Source 2.4.6: Adobe no longer releases patches for it. Your store is unsupported today.
- Adobe Commerce 2.4.6: you are on extended support until August 31, 2027, then a security-only period until May 31, 2028.
- Either edition: PHP 8.1 is already end of life, and PHP 8.2 reaches end of life on December 31, 2026. For most 2.4.6 stores, this is the real deadline.
- Adobe Commerce on Cloud: Adobe also enforces deadlines for outdated server software, the first on October 30, 2026.
- Your options: upgrade to Magento 2.4.8 or 2.4.9, or move to a platform such as Shopify. Skip 2.4.7, because its standard support ends on May 31, 2027.
Which Group Are You In?
| Your edition | What happened on August 11, 2026 | Your real deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Magento Open Source (free, self-hosted) | Standard support ended. Adobe offers extended support to Adobe Commerce customers only. | Already passed |
| Adobe Commerce (on-premises) | Moved into one year of extended support, at no extra cost | August 31, 2027, then security-only fixes until May 31, 2028 |
| Adobe Commerce on Cloud | Same as on-premises | Same dates, but enforced: from June 1, 2028, Adobe says it may suspend traffic to environments still on 2.4.6, taking the storefront offline, and may eventually decommission them |
How to check in two minutes
- Edition: if your business pays Adobe a licence fee, you are on Adobe Commerce. If not, you are almost certainly on Open Source.
- Version: the version is shown at the bottom of the Magento admin dashboard. Your developer can also run
bin/magento --version. - Patch level does not change the answer: 2.4.6-p15, the latest patch, is still part of the 2.4.6 release line.
- PHP version: check your hosting control panel, or ask your developer. Magento 2.4.6 runs on PHP 8.1 or 8.2.
What "End of Support" Actually Means
Your site does not switch off, apart from the Cloud enforcement above. What changes is the risk you carry from now on.
New vulnerabilities stay open. For critical issues such as zero-day vulnerabilities, Adobe provides hotfixes for customers on a supported version. Unsupported stores cannot count on one.
September showed how quickly this matters. CVE-2026-75650 was rated CVSS 10.0, needed no login to exploit, and was already being exploited when Adobe announced it.
Extensions move on. Payment, shipping and search extension vendors gradually stop testing against older release lines. Updates become harder, then impossible.
Card payments get harder to defend. PCI compliance is the merchant's responsibility. Running unpatched software makes that assessment difficult to pass.
The Second Clock: PHP
This is the part most store owners miss.
Adobe does not provide security or quality fixes for third-party software your store depends on, such as PHP and the database. Those have their own end-of-life dates, whatever your Magento support status.
| PHP version | End of life | What Adobe says |
|---|---|---|
| PHP 8.1 | December 31, 2025 (already passed) | "PCI compliance at risk … prioritize upgrading" |
| PHP 8.2 | December 31, 2026 | "Plan upgrade or migration before the end of 2026 to maintain PCI compliance" |
So even an Adobe Commerce store with extended support until August 2027 has a problem on January 1, 2027 if it runs PHP 8.2. Newer Magento versions need newer PHP (2.4.8 runs on PHP 8.3 or 8.4, 2.4.9 on PHP 8.5), so fixing PHP usually means upgrading Magento anyway.
On Adobe Commerce on Cloud, these dates are enforced. Adobe has set deadlines for outdated server software on Cloud environments: October 30, 2026 for older MariaDB, Elasticsearch and RabbitMQ versions, and May 31, 2027 for PHP 8.1 and older OpenSearch and Redis versions. Miss them and the same traffic suspension applies.
Your Three Options
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Magento | Complex stores that rely on Magento's flexibility | Extension, theme and custom-code compatibility |
| Move to Shopify | Simpler stores tired of maintenance | URL changes, app costs, less control |
| Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service | Existing Adobe Commerce on Cloud customers | A different hosted setup, scoped with Adobe |
Option 1: Upgrade Magento
Upgrade to 2.4.8 (supported until May 31, 2028) or 2.4.9 (supported until May 31, 2029).
This fits when your store depends on things Magento does well: B2B pricing, large or complex catalogues, multiple store views, or deep ERP and warehouse integrations.
What is involved:
- Upgrading PHP and other server software
- Updating or replacing extensions
- Fixing theme and custom module issues
- Fully testing checkout, payments and integrations
Treat it as a project, not a one-click update.
Option 2: Move to Shopify
This fits when your catalogue and checkout are fairly standard, most customisations could be replaced by apps or settings, and your team would rather not manage servers, patches and upgrades.
What changes:
- Every URL changes. Shopify uses fixed paths such as
/products/and/collections/, so you need a complete redirect map to protect your search rankings. - Custom features need a new home. They become apps, settings or a small custom app.
- Costs shift. Hosting and maintenance costs go down, but monthly app fees go up.
You give up some control in exchange for far less to maintain. Our guide on redesign vs rebuild vs migration covers how to judge whether a platform change is really needed.
Option 3: Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service
Adobe describes this SaaS platform as its "recommended long-term destination for all Adobe Commerce on Cloud customers". Adobe runs the platform version, so the enforcement deadlines above do not apply to it. Ask your Adobe account team to scope the migration, and compare it with a standard upgrade before committing.
How to Decide
| If this sounds like your store | Lean towards |
|---|---|
| Heavy custom modules, ERP integrations, B2B rules, complex catalogue | Upgrade Magento |
| Standard catalogue, few customisations, small team | Move to Shopify |
| Every past patch was slow, risky and expensive | Seriously evaluate moving |
| Adobe Commerce on Cloud with an active Adobe relationship | Compare Cloud Service against an upgrade |
| Not sure | Do the extension test below first |
A quick test: list every extension and custom feature your store uses. For each one, ask whether Shopify's built-in features or an app could handle it.
- If most answers are yes, Shopify is a realistic option.
- If several are no, upgrading Magento is usually the safer path.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing 2.4.7 because it is the smallest jump. Its standard support ends in May 2027, so you would be upgrading again almost straight away.
- Treating extended support as the plan. Adobe's own advice is to treat the security-only period as migration time, not a long-term support tier.
- Forgetting PHP. A supported Magento version on an unsupported PHP version still leaves you exposed.
- Migrating without a redirect map. This is the most common way stores lose search traffic during a platform change.
- Planning before patching. If the September CVE-2026-75650 hotfix is not applied yet, do that first.
A Simple 30-Day Plan
- Week 1: Confirm the facts. Note your edition, exact version, patch level, PHP version and other server software, and confirm the September hotfix is applied.
- Week 2: List what you depend on. Write down your extensions, custom modules and integrations, and check each one's compatibility with 2.4.8 or 2.4.9, or its Shopify equivalent.
- Week 3: Compare both paths. Get upgrade and migration estimates side by side, including three years of running costs: licences, apps, hosting and maintenance.
- Week 4: Set a date. Schedule go-live outside your peak sales season and work backwards from your earliest deadline above.
If you move platforms, use the switch to fix what was already costing you sales. Our ecommerce conversion checklist is a good place to start.
FAQs
Will my Magento 2.4.6 store stop working?
No. It keeps running. The risk is that new security issues go unpatched. The one exception is Adobe Commerce on Cloud, where Adobe says it may suspend traffic to 2.4.6 environments from June 1, 2028.
I am on 2.4.6-p15. Am I still supported?
Your support status depends on the release line, not the patch level. Every 2.4.6 patch is out of standard support. Adobe Commerce customers are covered by extended support until August 31, 2027. Open Source stores are not covered.
Will moving to Shopify hurt my SEO?
It can if URLs change without redirects. With a complete redirect map, matched page titles and descriptions, and checks after launch, most search visibility can be kept.
How long does an upgrade or migration take?
It depends on how many extensions, custom modules and integrations your store has. A lightly customised store moves much faster than one with years of custom code. Get both paths scoped before deciding, and start early enough to finish before your deadline.
Can I upgrade now and migrate later?
Yes. Upgrading to 2.4.8 or 2.4.9 buys time and keeps you secure. You can then plan a platform change without deadline pressure.
Official Sources
- Adobe Commerce Software Lifecycle Policy
- Adobe Commerce Security Requirements for Cloud (enforcement dates)
- Adobe Commerce System Requirements
- Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-146 (CVE-2026-75650)
- Adobe: Urgent Action Required for APSB26-146
- Migrate to Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service
- PHP Supported Versions
- Shopify Help: Migrating to Shopify
- Shopify Help: URL Redirects