It’s the end of an era. Apple has locked its official user-to-user help forums, Apple Support Community, and will close them for good on Friday, November 20, 2026. Here’s what happened, what becomes of the answers already posted, and where to get help from now on.
What happened
Since 5:49 p.m. PT on November 10 (8:49 p.m. ET), Apple Support Community no longer accepts new posts. Threads can still be read, but you can’t ask or answer anything. The sign-in button is still there, but it now leads to an internal portal for Apple employees.
A notice on the forum’s home page says the community will permanently close on November 20, 2026, and is read-only until then. For any questions, Apple points users to its official Support site.
As for why, Apple has only said it made the decision after carefully evaluating its strategy and customer needs. It hasn’t shared more details.
Nearly 30 years of forums
Apple’s user-to-user help forums date back to 1998, when they launched as Apple Tech Exchange. They became Apple Discussions in 2000, Apple Support Communities in 2011 and took their current name in 2022.
The writing was on the wall. In 2023, reports said Apple was eliminating its paid Community Specialist roles, along with human support on X and YouTube, and moving those staff to phone support.
What happens to the answers already posted?
They remain readable until November 20. Apple hasn’t said whether any archive will survive, so if a thread fixed a problem for you, save it now: take a screenshot or, in Safari, go to Share › Print › Save as PDF.
Where to get help now
- Apple Support app (iPhone and iPad) or Apple’s Support website.
- By phone: 1-800-275-2273 (1-800-MY-APPLE).
- In person: a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
- To report a bug: the feedback form on Apple’s website, or Feedback Assistant if you run betas.
- Other user communities: Reddit and the MacRumors Forums.
And if you want to return something you bought recently, here’s Apple’s holiday return policy and how long you have.
My take
Apple Support Community was full of outdated answers and repeated tips, but it was also where, after a lot of searching, you’d finally find the fix for that obscure problem nobody else had written up. Users built that knowledge for free over almost three decades, and Apple has given it ten days with no word on what happens to it next.
I get why Apple wants support in channels it controls. But shutting a forum down abruptly with no archive is like throwing out a library. Keeping it read-only indefinitely was the least it could do.
Did you use the forums? Where will you look for help now? Let me know in the comments or on social media.
Sources: MacRumors (closure), MacRumors (Apple’s statement), MacRumors (2023), Engadget. As of November 12, 2026.
