You might have seen the 2026.Q1.0 breaking changes documentation or even the MAINTENANCE labels in the UI when using 2026.Q1.0 and navigating through Asset Libraries, Web Content, or Documents and Media and wondered what this actually means.

• Does it mean you have to migrate?  
• Is there a migration path defined?  
• Is your platform going to stop working?  
• What should you do now?

Let’s clear that up.

So… What Does “Maintenance” Actually Mean?

Short answer: nothing alarming.

The Traditional Liferay CMS is not going away. Your existing content, sites, and implementations will continue to work just as they do today.

What the Maintenance label really represents is a shift in focus. Liferay is going all in on Liferay CMS as the future of content management. That’s where new features will be built, where innovation will happen, and where areas like content promotion and AI integration will continue to evolve.

At the same time, the Traditional Liferay CMS is moving into a stable, supported state. It will not receive new features or enhancements, and it will not be updated to take advantage of new platform capabilities introduced for Liferay CMS.

But (and this is the part that matters most) it is still fully supported.

If something isn’t working, you can open a support ticket. Issues will be investigated and resolved just as they are today. There is no change in support coverage simply because something is in maintenance mode.

No, You Don’t Have to Migrate

There is no required migration path from the Traditional Liferay CMS to Liferay CMS.

More importantly, there is no need to migrate unless you decide there is value in doing so.

Your current implementations are safe. The Traditional Liferay CMS is not about to move from Maintenance to Deprecated and then disappear. We are talking about a long-term horizon here, not something that will happen in the next release or two.

If your current solution is working, you can continue to use it without concern.

When It Might Make Sense to Consider Liferay CMS

Where Liferay CMS becomes relevant is in forward-looking decisions.

If you are building new sites, starting new projects, or looking to take advantage of newer capabilities like structured content promotion or AI-assisted features, then Liferay CMS is where those investments are happening. Starting there puts you in the best position to benefit from what’s coming next.

That said, even in those cases, it’s still a choice, not a requirement.

“How Do I Get There?”

For those already using the Traditional Liferay CMS, the path to Liferay CMS is not automatic.

There is no migration tool because the systems are fundamentally different. Moving from one to the other is a manual effort.

Before going down that path, it’s worth pausing to evaluate the cost versus the benefit.

If you have a small amount of content, the effort might be minimal. If you have hundreds or thousands of content items, years of history, and complex structures, the migration could be significant.

That’s why the decision should be driven by value. If Liferay CMS offers capabilities that meaningfully improve your workflows or solve problems you have today, then it may be worth the investment. If not, there is no pressure to move.

What Maintenance Mode Means (Officially)

Liferay defines Maintenance Mode as a state where a product or capability is no longer being enhanced with new features. It does not mean that deprecation is planned, only that development efforts are focused elsewhere.

Support coverage remains the same. Liferay continues to resolve unintended behavior under standard support policies, regardless of whether something is in active development or maintenance mode.

If you want the official wording, you can review it here:  
https://support.liferay.com/w/maintenance-mode

A Practical Way to Think About It

A simple way to think about this is:

If something new is introduced in Liferay CMS (like improved content promotion between environments) it will not be added to the Traditional Liferay CMS.

But if something breaks in the Traditional CMS, it will still be supported and fixed.

That’s the distinction.

Final Thoughts

The Maintenance label is not a warning, it’s a signal about direction.

Liferay CMS is where the future is being built.  
The Traditional Liferay CMS remains stable, supported, and safe to use.

You don’t need to migrate because of the label. You don’t need to rush into a decision.

If and when you move, it should be because it makes sense for your organization, not because you feel like you have to.

When starting new sites or projects, lean towards the Liferay CMS since that's the future for Liferay.