HarborlightThe timeline
According to Microsoft's support page on the retirement, its Message Center notice MC1441775 (updated 25 August 2026), and coverage in Windows Central and Neowin. An earlier notice gave 30 November for the apps; Microsoft's support page now says 16 October.
Work and school accounts keep Whiteboard, now stored in OneDrive for Business. Personal accounts have no such path. Windows Central sums up the options as moving to a Microsoft 365 business plan, switching tools, or backing up what you want to keep.
Save your boards before 16 October
- Open each board you care about and save it with Whiteboard's own export option (as an image). Microsoft's notice doesn't give step-by-step instructions, so do it while the boards still open.
- Prioritise boards you still use. Deleted boards can't be recovered after 16 October, according to the notice.
- Keep the exported images in one folder. Whatever tool you move to, an image of the old board is the simplest record.
Three reasonable paths
- Move to a Microsoft 365 business plan. If you need Whiteboard inside Teams with live co-editing, this keeps you with Microsoft, at a monthly cost per user.
- Try another hosted whiteboard. Plenty exist. Read the free plan carefully: many cap the number of boards, editors or pages, and your boards live on someone else's server again.
- Use a board tool with no server. For solo planning, teaching on one screen, or boards you pass along as a file or link, a browser-only board can't be retired or limited from the outside.
That last option is Corkboard
Unlimited boards with sticky notes, shapes, arrows, frames, images, voting dots, a timer and templates. Free, no account, works offline. Boards stay on your device; back them up as a file or share one as a link.
Tip: add your exported Whiteboard image to a new Corkboard board with Add image, then keep working on top of it with notes and arrows.
Corkboard doesn't import Whiteboard files and has no live multi-user editing or pen-and-ink drawing. It's built for one screen or for passing a board along.
Practical tips
- Export first, decide later. The deletion date is the only one that can't be undone.
- If you used Whiteboard on a Surface or with a pen, try any replacement with your pen before moving everything.
- With Corkboard, export a board file now and then: it's your backup, and it opens on any device.
- Microsoft Support — Retirement of the standalone Microsoft Whiteboard apps for Windows, iOS, and Android
- MC1441775 — Microsoft Whiteboard: retirement of legacy whiteboards (Message Center tracker, updated 25 Aug 2026)
- Windows Central — You now have a bit more time before Microsoft takes away your Whiteboard (26 Aug 2026)
- Neowin — Microsoft delays Whiteboard migration and retirement deadlines
Microsoft, Microsoft Whiteboard, Teams and OneDrive are trademarks of Microsoft. Harborlight and Corkboard are independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. Dates can change; check Microsoft's current notices.