cPanel 110 LTS Reaches End of Life in December 2026: How to Plan Your Upgrade

If you run your own cPanel servers, December 2026 is a month to plan for. According to cPanel's own release table, cPanel & WHM version 110 LTS reaches its approximate end of life in December 2026, and the PHP project has said that PHP 8.2 reaches end of life on December 31, 2026. Neither date has to be stressful, but both are easier to handle with a few weeks of planning instead of a few days.

If you would like help with the planning and the upgrade itself, an Able Retainer gives you eight hours of senior time each month for $799, planned with you. Email greg@ableadmins.com to talk it through.

What the cPanel dates say

cPanel's Product Versions page lists these versions and approximate end-of-life dates: 110 LTS, released March 2023, end of life December 2026; 134 LTS, released January 2026, end of life June 2027; 136, end of life August 2026; and 138, end of life November 2026. The same page explains that unsupported versions do not receive security updates or bug fixes, and that servers on the LTS tier update to the next LTS version when it becomes available.

There is one important exception. cPanel says that CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 servers on version 110 are enrolled in its Extended Lifecycle Support program and continue to receive critical security updates through January 1, 2028. cPanel still recommends moving those servers to a supported operating system as soon as possible, using its Migration Tools or the ELevate tool.

Start with an inventory

Before changing anything, write down what you have. For each server, note the cPanel version and release tier (in WHM under Server Configuration, Update Preferences), the operating system and version, the PHP versions assigned to each account, and anything custom: extra Apache modules, cron jobs, mail filters, or applications that depend on a specific PHP version. That list turns a vague upgrade into a clear set of tasks.

Know the one-way doors

cPanel's documentation is direct about this: you cannot downgrade a cPanel & WHM installation between major versions or release tiers. That makes a backup and a tested restore the most important step of the whole project. Take full account backups, confirm they restore on a test server, and keep a copy off the server being upgraded.

Plan PHP at the same time

cPanel notes that EasyApache 4 profiles only provide PHP versions that php.net currently supports. With PHP 8.2 reaching end of life on December 31, 2026, any site still on 8.2 or older should be tested on PHP 8.3 or newer now. After the October 2026 PHP security release, it is also a good moment to confirm every site is on a patched build. For sites that truly cannot move yet, cPanel points to TuxCare Extended Lifecycle Support for PHP as an option.

A sensible order of work

Test each important site on a supported PHP version, beginning with the busiest or most valuable one.
Fix plugin, theme, or code issues that show up in testing.
Schedule the cPanel upgrade or operating system migration for a quiet window, and tell your customers ahead of time.
Upgrade, then check websites, email delivery, SSL renewals, cron jobs, and backups.
Keep the old server or snapshot available for a short period in case you need to compare anything.

What about the newer features?

Version 138 introduced Meridian, a new goal-based cPanel interface, along with optional AI features that hosting providers can choose to enable. They are worth a look once your servers are on a supported version, but the priority for most businesses is simply staying on releases that receive security updates.

How Able can help

Upgrades like this go best with a clear plan and someone who has done them before. Through an Able Retainer, I can take the inventory, test PHP compatibility, schedule the work with you, run the upgrade, and check everything afterwards. For larger fleets or multi-server environments, our infrastructure services start with a short conversation. And if something breaks during an upgrade you did yourself, Able Rescue is $199 for up to two hours of help, any hour.

Sources

If December is already on your mind, email greg@ableadmins.com and we can map out your upgrade together through an Able Retainer.