Everything You Need To Know About Umbraco 18
10 min read
The wait is over. Umbraco 18 officially arrives on 25 June 2026, bringing with it a collection of platform improvements designed to strengthen content management, improve editorial workflows, and continue the modernisation of one of the world's most popular .NET content management systems.
Unlike some major releases that completely redefine a platform, Umbraco 18 focuses on refinement. The headline feature is Elements, a new way of managing reusable content outside of the traditional page structure. Alongside this, Umbraco has introduced improvements to the editing experience, API capabilities, developer tooling, accessibility, and platform maintainability.
For organisations running enterprise websites, customer portals, ecommerce platforms, and digital experiences powered by Umbraco, the release represents an opportunity to reduce technical debt, improve operational efficiency, and prepare for future growth.
But what exactly does Umbraco 18 offer, and should your organisation be planning an upgrade?
What is Umbraco 18?
Umbraco 18 is the latest major release of the Umbraco CMS.
Officially released on Thursday 25th June 2026, it continues Umbraco's evolution as a modern, enterprise ready digital experience platform built on Microsoft .NET.
The release focuses on improving content management, simplifying reusable content administration, strengthening API capabilities, and providing a more maintainable foundation for future development.
For business leaders, Umbraco 18 is less about introducing flashy functionality and more about creating a stronger platform for long term digital success.
But what ARE the key features of Umbraco 18...?
Elements Arrives in Umbraco 18
The biggest feature introduced in Umbraco 18 is Elements.
For years, many organisations have used pages to store information that was never really intended to be pages. Website settings, footer content, reusable call to actions, promotion panels, navigation content and taxonomy data often ended up living inside the content tree simply because there was nowhere else to put them.
Elements changes this.
A new Library section within the Umbraco backoffice provides a dedicated location for managing reusable content independently of website pages.
Elements support:
- Reference tracking
- Scheduled publishing
- Rollback functionality
- User permissions
- Audit logs
- Global search integration
- Recycle bin management
This creates a clearer content management experience while helping organisations manage reusable information more effectively across complex digital estates.
What this means for your business
Marketing teams gain greater control over reusable content. Editors spend less time searching through page structures. Developers benefit from cleaner content architecture.
Enterprise organisations can manage shared content more efficiently across multiple websites and digital experiences.
It's important to note that this is only Phase One of the Elements roadmap. Future releases are expected to introduce deeper integration with Block Editors and more advanced content reuse capabilities.
A Better Content Editing Experience
One of the most visible improvements in Umbraco 18 is the continued evolution of the content editing experience. The Rich Text Editor is now nased on Tiptap, replacing TinyMCE and providing a more flexible and modern editing environment.
Editors can now benefit from features such as image resizing, improved embedded content management, and a more intuitive authoring experience.
Additional backoffice improvements include:
- Better media management
- Improved document picker navigation
- Enhanced icon search functionality
- User workspace improvements
- Accessibility enhancements
What this means for your business
Content teams can work more efficiently. Publishing workflows become smoother. Training requirements for new editors can be reduced.
Teams spend less time fighting technology and more time creating valuable content.
Stronger API Capabilities for Connected Digital Experiences
Modern organisations rarely operate a website in isolation.
Customer portals, mobile applications, ecommerce platforms, CRM systems and marketing automation platforms all need to exchange information effectively.
Umbraco 18 strengthens this capability through improvements to the Delivery API.
A key enhancement is support for typed OpenAPI schemas, allowing developers to generate more accurate integrations based on actual content models.
While largely a technical improvement, it creates significant benefits for organisations building connected digital ecosystems.
What this means for your business
Faster integrations. Reduced development complexity. Improved reliability between connected systems.
In short, improvements to the delivery API provides greater flexibility for your organisations future digital initiatives, allowing your website to be agile in its approach to fulfilling your business goals!¬
Platform Modernisation and Future Readiness
Another significant improvement in Umbraco 18 is the replacement of Swashbuckle with Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi.
While most content editors will never notice this change, it reduces platform dependencies and aligns Umbraco more closely with Microsoft's long term development direction.
The release also removes deprecated functionality and modernises several underlying services.
What this means for your business
Reduced technical debt. Improved maintainability. Better alignment with modern Microsoft technologies.
This platform modernisation effectively provides a stronger foundation for future upgrades!
What Else Has Been Added Since Umbraco 17?
Organisations upgrading from earlier Umbraco 17 versions will also benefit from a range of enhancements introduced throughout the 17.x release cycle.
These include:
- AI ready API improvements
- Configurable website output caching
- Lightweight external member management
- Modular deployment capabilities
- Improved load balancing support
- Background job enhancements
- Database health monitoring
- Ongoing performance improvements
- Accessibility enhancements
Collectively, these improvements further strengthen Umbraco's position as an enterprise ready CMS.
Should You Upgrade to Umbraco 18?
The answer depends on your current version, business objectives and digital roadmap.
An upgrade may be particularly valuable if:
- Your platform is becoming harder to maintain
- Your site is hosted on a version that is no longer supported by Umbraco (an End of Life version)
- Content management processes are inefficient
- You are planning future website investment
- Technical debt is increasing
- You require stronger integration capabilities
- Future scalability is a priority
For many organisations, the business value extends beyond the platform upgrade itself.
An Umbraco migration often creates opportunities to improve SEO performance, strengthen user experience, optimise conversion journeys and modernise digital infrastructure.
Why Choose Cold Banana for Your Umbraco 18 Upgrade?
As an Umbraco Gold Partner, Cold Banana helps organisations maximise the commercial value of their digital platforms.
Our expertise spans enterprise web development, Umbraco upgrades, SEO, CRO and AEO, enabling us to deliver websites that support measurable business outcomes.
Whether you’re evaluating an upgrade from Umbraco 13, 16 or 17, planning a migration strategy, or reviewing your wider digital roadmap, our team can help ensure your investment delivers long term value.
Get in touch with us today to discuss your Umbraco platform, and discover how Umbraco 18 could support your organisations future growth!
Frequently Asked Questions About Umbraco 18
When was Umbraco 18 released?
Umbraco 18 was officially released on 25 June 2026 following a release candidate programme and community testing period.
Why should businesses upgrade to Umbraco 18?
Businesses may choose to upgrade in order to reduce technical debt, enhance content management workflows and support future digital growth.
For organisations approaching an Umbraco End of Life milestone, upgrading can help maintain access to ongoing platform improvements, future integration support options, and commitment to a more sustainable long term digital strategy.
What happens if my website remains on an older Umbraco version?
Over time, organisations may face increased maintenance requirements, growing technical debt and more complex future upgrade projects which may result in increased costs for future development.
How do I know if my organisation needs an Umbraco upgrade?
Common indicators include increasing maintenance costs, inefficient content management processes, ageing integrations. One common need for an Umbraco Upgrade is if your website is built on a legacy Umbraco system that is in/approaching its End of Life phase where it will no longer receive official support from Umbraco.
How much does an Umbraco migration cost?
The cost of an Umbraco migration depends on your current version, website complexity, required integrations, the presence of any custom functionality, and your specific business needs/goals.
How long does an Umbraco migration typically take?
Timelines vary depending on project scope and complexity. A technical audit is usually the best starting point for establishing realistic delivery expectations.
Can I upgrade directly from Umbraco 13, 14, 15 or 16 to Umbraco 18?
The upgrade path depends on your current implementation, installed packages and technical architecture. A migration assessment can help identify the most appropriate route.
Will my existing Umbraco packages work with Umbraco 18?
Compatibility depends on the packages used within your implementation.
Many website maintenance packages work alongside Umbraco release cycles to support new versions, but a technical review should always form part of migration planning to identify any package updates or compatibility considerations.
Will Umbraco 18 improve SEO performance?
Umbraco 18 provides a strong technical foundation for enterprise organisations websites; by supporting broader SEO initiatives when combined with technical SEO best practice, performance optimisation and high quality content.
What should I look for in an Umbraco development partner?
Look for an Umbraco Gold partner (like Cold Banana) with proven experience in Umbraco upgrades, enterprise web development, SEO, performance optimisation and long term digital strategy.
Which agencies specialise in Umbraco upgrades in the UK?
Specialist Umbraco agencies like Cold Banana are recognised by Umbraco via their partner program. When evaluating agencies, consider their experience with enterprise Umbraco projects, migration planning, technical SEO and digital growth strategies.