Virto Web Parts for SharePoint Server Subscription Edition

Microsoft ended support for SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 on July 14, 2026. If you are building a SharePoint Server Subscription Edition farm, this page answers three questions for each Virto product: does it run on Subscription Edition, which package do you install, and what does moving your licence cost.

In short:

• All 12 Virto products for SharePoint Server have a Subscription Edition package.
• Microsoft upgrades SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 to Subscription Edition only by database attach to a new farm, so you install the Virto Subscription Edition packages on that farm before you attach your content databases, and switch the Virto features on again after it.
• A licence key is issued for one SharePoint version. While your updates and support are active, moving a licence to Subscription Edition costs 25% of the full licence price; once they have ended, it takes a new licence. The same rule covers Virto Tab Navigation, which uses one key on 2016, 2019 and Subscription Edition, and the Virto On-Premises Productivity Kit.
• Every product has a 30-day free trial with full functionality, so you can run it on the new farm before you buy.

Plan My SE Upgrade

Which Virto products run on Subscription Edition

Each package carries a SHA-256 checksum: in the download window on the product page and as a .SHA256 file next to the ZIP. Builds for SharePoint 2016 and 2019 stay available for farms that have not moved yet.

What to install, and in which order

Microsoft upgrades SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 to Subscription Edition only by database attach: you build a new Subscription Edition farm, copy the content databases to it and upgrade them there.

What moves with the content databases: pages with their web parts and web part settings, classic and modern; the lists in which Virto products keep their data, such as Notifications & Alerts rules, Kanban boards, Workflow Scheduler schedules, Form Designer forms and Cross-Site Lookup columns; workflow associations; and the App Catalog site with its packages.

What does not move: everything kept in the farm configuration. That is the timer jobs of the Virto products, their entries in web.config, the link between the App Catalog and its web application, and settings made in Central Administration. Step 6 below makes them again. Licence activations do not move either: step 7 covers them.

We followed these steps in November 2026 on a copy of our own SharePoint Server 2019 farm and on a content database from a SharePoint Server 2016 farm, moved to Subscription Edition version 16.0.20326.20190, the October 2026 update. Two of the commands below, Enable-SPLegacyWorkflow and Enable-SPToolPane, came with recent Subscription Edition updates: run them on an updated Subscription Edition farm.

1. Build the Subscription Edition farm. Create the web application without a root site collection: the root site comes with your content database. For modern Virto web parts, also create the App Management and Subscription Settings service applications, which the App Catalog needs, and the State Service. A farm on SharePoint 2013 goes through SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019 first, because Microsoft does not support a direct upgrade from 2013. That intermediate farm needs no Virto packages: Test-SPContentDatabase lists the Virto features as missing there, which does not stop the upgrade.
2. Download the Subscription Edition package of each Virto product you use and check it against its SHA-256 checksum.
3. Install Virto Web License Manager first, then each product, as a farm administrator: with the product’s setup program, or with the Deploy.ps1 script in its package, each run in a new PowerShell window. The Calendar and Password Reset & Recovery packages have the setup program only. Create your web applications before this step, so that each one gets the Virto web parts registered as safe controls.
4. Run Test-SPContentDatabase against each copied content database. A MissingFeature or MissingWebPart entry for Virto means a package is still missing. MissingSetupFile entries under Features\Virto… are expected: they name feature folders of older versions and do not block the attach.
5. Attach the databases with Mount-SPContentDatabase and upgrade the site collections. If the old web application used classic authentication, convert it afterwards with Convert-SPWebApplication -From Legacy -To Claims -RetainPermissions.
6. Switch the Virto products on again. The content database cannot carry this part:
   • In each site collection, deactivate and reactivate every Virto feature (Disable-SPFeature, then Enable-SPFeature -Force). This creates the timer jobs and web.config entries again. Without it, Notifications & Alerts sends nothing and Workflow Scheduler starts nothing. For Workflow Automation, then run (Get-SPWebApplication <URL>).Parent.ApplyWebConfigModifications().
   • Link the App Catalog to the new farm with Update-SPAppCatalogConfiguration -Site <App Catalog URL> and run iisreset. Then upload the Subscription Edition .sppkg of each product over the old one and deploy it. Without this, modern Virto web parts stay empty, although the catalog came with the database.
   • Where SharePoint 2010 workflows came with the database, switch the 2010 platform on: Enable-SPLegacyWorkflow -Identity <site collection URL> (see below).
7. Activate your Subscription Edition keys in Central Administration, online or offline. Until then, every product runs a new 30-day trial on the new farm. Activations from the old farm do not carry over; activate your Subscription Edition keys on the new farm. Keys for SharePoint 2016 or 2019 are not accepted on Subscription Edition. Import a demo key again if you used one.

Microsoft’s own steps: Overview of the upgrade process to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. Licence activation step by step: Moving to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition in our documentation.

If something does not work after the move

These are the problems we met on our own move, with the fix for each.

• Modern Virto web parts are empty, although the App Catalog shows them as deployed. The App Catalog is not linked to the new farm’s web application: Update-SPAppCatalogConfiguration -Site <App Catalog URL>, then iisreset.
• Notifications & Alerts sends nothing, Workflow Scheduler starts nothing. The timer jobs are missing: deactivate and reactivate the Virto features, as in step 6.
• A 2010 workflow does not start: “New instances of this workflow template are currently disallowed”. The 2010 platform is switched off in that site collection: Enable-SPLegacyWorkflow -Identity <site collection URL>.
• A 2010 workflow with a Virto action fails, and the ULS log says “Block the namespace: clr-namespace:Virto.Sharepoint.Activities”. The web.config entry for the Workflow Automation actions is missing: reactivate the Workflow Automation feature and run ApplyWebConfigModifications(), as in step 6.
• SharePoint Designer does not show the Virto actions for 2010 workflows on the new farm. Workflow Automation packages before version 6.1.9.9 left out the action files for the 2010 platform; existing 2010 workflows with Virto actions still run. Download the current Workflow Automation package from its product page (version 6.1.9.9 or later), install it and deploy its solution again: it puts the action files on every server of the farm.
• Pages show “Web Part Error” and “not registered as safe”. The web application was created after the Virto packages were installed. For each Virto solution, run Install-SPSolution <name>.wsp -WebApplication <URL> -GACDeployment -Force.
• “Edit Web Part” on a classic Virto web part shows “Sorry, something went wrong”. On Subscription Edition, the tool pane of classic web parts is switched off for the site collection: Enable-SPToolPane -Identity <site collection URL>.
• Pages open, but modern web parts fail with “Failed to fetch”, and /_api/ answers with error 500. Alternate Access Mappings are farm configuration and do not move. Add every address of the old farm with New-SPAlternateURL, each as the public URL of its own zone (Intranet, for example), not as an internal URL of the Default zone.
• A package does not deploy: “The feature … uses the directory “Virto.KanbanTaskManager.SE_…” in the solution. However, it is currently installed in the farm to the directory “Virto.KanbanTaskManager_…””. The farm still has the features of a SharePoint 2016 or 2019 build: either that build was installed on the new farm, or the server ran SharePoint 2016 or 2019 with Virto products before. Deploy.ps1 cannot fix it. Remove the old solution (Uninstall-SPSolution, then Remove-SPSolution), remove its remaining features with Uninstall-SPFeature <feature ID> -Force, and then install the Subscription Edition package.
• A second content database does not attach: “SiteOrphan”, the URL is already used by a different site. The root sites of two old farms collide. Attach the second database to its own web application, on another port or host header.

What moving your licence costs

A single Virto licence for SharePoint Server is perpetual: your 2016 or 2019 farm keeps running the last version released while your updates and support were active. For the Subscription Edition farm you need a key for Subscription Edition.

• Updates and support active: moving a licence to Subscription Edition costs 25% of its current list price, for each Web Front-End server. Once you have paid, we issue the Subscription Edition key; your updates and support keep their end date.
• Updates and support ended: you buy a new licence at the list price. It includes the first year of updates and support.
• Virto Tab Navigation: a yearly subscription per WFE server, and the same key works on 2016, 2019 and Subscription Edition. Moving it to the Subscription Edition farm still costs 25% of its price.
• Virto On-Premises Productivity Kit: one yearly subscription per WFE server covers its 11 products on SharePoint Server 2013, 2016, 2019 and Subscription Edition. While the subscription runs, moving it to the Subscription Edition farm costs 25% of the kit price, $1,375 per WFE server, and activation on the new farm goes through our support. If the subscription has ended, a new kit key for Subscription Edition costs half the kit price, $2,750 per WFE server.
• More servers on the new farm: licences are per Web Front-End server, so each server beyond the licences you move is a new Subscription Edition licence at the full price.
• Development and test servers need a Developer licence.

Each amount below is 25% of the list price for one Web Front-End server; two servers cost twice as much.

To plan the move, write to sales@virtosoftware.com with your SharePoint version today, the number of Web Front-End servers, whether your updates and support are active (yes, no or not sure), your serial numbers if you have them at hand, and when you plan to move. Renewal terms are also on our pricing page.

What Microsoft stopped supporting on Subscription Edition

A new farm is also the moment to deal with three features that Microsoft supported on Subscription Edition only until July 14, 2026: InfoPath Forms Services, SharePoint 2010 workflows and SharePoint Designer 2013 (Microsoft Learn). The first two also have an end date. The September 2026 public update switched them off by default, and the public update of July 13, 2027 removes both from Subscription Edition (KB5002945).

• InfoPath list forms. On an up-to-date farm, InfoPath forms open only after an administrator turns the service back on, and after the July 2027 update the forms that depend on it stop working. Virto Form Designer On-Premises builds New, Edit and Display forms for SharePoint lists, with tabs and a layout per content type, and keeps them editable after the move. It does not need InfoPath Forms Services, so that update does not touch it. Our InfoPath end-of-life guide covers the options.

• SharePoint 2010 workflows. The SharePoint 2013 workflow platform stays supported with SharePoint Workflow Manager. Virto Workflow Automation adds 49 actions to that platform, and a Scheduler and Status Monitor for running and watching workflows. On our own Subscription Edition farm, a 2013-platform purchase approval built with Virto actions sends the approval request by email within seconds of a new request.

  The 2010 workflows you still run move with the content database, but on Subscription Edition the 2010 platform is switched off in each site collection, and a workflow will not start: “New instances of this workflow template are currently disallowed”. Enable-SPLegacyWorkflow -Identity <site collection URL> switches it back on. On our test farm, 2010 workflows with Virto actions moved from SharePoint 2019 ran after that and after step 6. That buys time to rebuild them on the 2013 platform with the Virto actions for 2013, until the July 13, 2027 update removes 2010 workflows from Subscription Edition. It does not make the 2010 platform supported again.

• SharePoint Designer 2013. It is the tool that shows the Virto actions, for 2013-platform workflows and for 2010 workflows alike. Microsoft no longer supports it, but does not block it: with Subscription Edition it still opens and publishes workflows. The Virto actions do not appear in Visual Studio, so build and edit workflows with Virto actions in SharePoint Designer 2013.

Try it on your Subscription Edition farm first

Install any product with its 30-day free trial: full functionality, no key needed. The trial starts when you install the product. It runs on the new farm only and does not touch the licences on your current farm.

If the old and new farms run side by side for longer than 30 days, write to support@virtosoftware.com: we issue a temporary key for the time of the move.

The interactive demos of Virto Calendar, Kanban Board, Workflow Automation, Cross-Site Lookup, Tab Navigation, Form Designer, Related Items, Slideshow & Image Carousel and Password Reset & Recovery were recorded on our own Subscription Edition farm. See all demos.

For your security review: the brief for your IT team covers what runs in the farm and what leaves it, installer checksums and the NATO NCSC tests.

Moving to SharePoint Online instead?

Some organizations use the end of support to leave SharePoint Server. If that is your plan, see the Virto apps for Microsoft 365 and our comparison of SharePoint on-premises and SharePoint Online.

FAQ

Do Virto web parts run on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition?

Yes. All 12 Virto products for SharePoint Server have a Subscription Edition package: Kanban Board, Calendar, Notifications & Alerts, Form Designer, Workflow Automation, Multiple File Operations, Cross-Site Lookup, Related Items, Slideshow & Image Carousel, Password Reset & Recovery, Active Directory User & Password Manager and Tab Navigation.

Can I use my SharePoint 2019 licence key on Subscription Edition?

For most products, no: a key is issued for one SharePoint version, and the registration page of a Subscription Edition product rejects a 2016 or 2019 key. While your updates and support are active, moving it costs 25% of the full licence price and you get a key for Subscription Edition. Virto Tab Navigation uses the same key on 2016, 2019 and Subscription Edition, but moving it to a Subscription Edition farm still costs 25%.

Do I install the Virto packages before or after I attach the content databases?

Before. Install the Subscription Edition package of each Virto product on the new farm, then run Test-SPContentDatabase and attach the databases. Otherwise the upgrade reports the Virto features and web parts as missing. After the attach, reactivate the Virto features and link the App Catalog to the new farm, as in step 6.

Our farm still runs SharePoint 2013. Do we need Virto builds on the intermediate farm?

No. The content databases upgrade to SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019 without Virto packages; Test-SPContentDatabase lists the Virto features as missing, which does not stop the upgrade. Install the Virto products once, on the Subscription Edition farm.

Where do we build workflows with Virto actions, now that SharePoint Designer 2013 is out of support?

In SharePoint Designer 2013. Microsoft stopped supporting it on July 14, 2026, but it still works with Subscription Edition, and it is the only tool that shows the Virto actions, for the 2013 and the 2010 platform. The Virto actions do not appear in Visual Studio. If SharePoint Designer does not show the Virto actions for 2010 workflows, install the current Workflow Automation package, version 6.1.9.9 or later.

Our web application gets a new address on Subscription Edition. What do we set up again?

Little. Virto products keep relative links and list IDs, so Kanban boards and Form Designer forms do not depend on the address. Check the addresses someone typed in by hand: Workflow Automation actions with a URL field, such as creating a site or list on another site or calling a web service; Cross-Site Lookup columns whose source is in another site collection; and Calendar sources from Exchange, ICS feeds or Google.

Our updates and support ended long ago. Can we still move?

Yes, with a new licence at the list price, which includes the first year of updates and support; for the Virto On-Premises Productivity Kit, a new key costs half the kit price. The licence of a single product keeps working on your current farm.

Can we try the Subscription Edition build first?

Yes. Every product has a 30-day free trial with full functionality; it starts when you install the product. If the old and new farms run side by side for longer than that, write to support@virtosoftware.com for a temporary key.

Does the Virto On-Premises Productivity Kit cover Subscription Edition?

Yes. One yearly subscription per Web Front-End server covers its 11 products on SharePoint Server 2013, 2016, 2019 and Subscription Edition. Moving it to a new Subscription Edition farm while the subscription runs costs 25% of the kit price, as for a single product; after the subscription has ended, a new key costs half the kit price.