Apple sets November 20 closure for its user-run Support Community forum

Apple is shutting down the Apple Support Community, the discussion forum where owners of its devices have long traded troubleshooting tips and advice, according to a report from The Verge. The forum has already stopped accepting new posts and now works only in a read-only state. A notice on the site says it will close permanently on November 20, 2026.

What Apple has said

The banner now shown on the forum tells visitors that the official Apple Support site remains available for guidance and help. It also thanks the members who gave their time and knowledge to assist other users with their Apple products.

In a statement given to MacRumors, Apple described the move as the result of a careful review of its strategy and of what customers need. The company has not given a more detailed explanation in public.

Decades of posts in question

The forum has a long history. It began in 1998 under the name Apple Tech Exchange and has been renamed several times since then, while keeping its basic role as a place for users to help one another with technical problems.

Apple has not said what will become of the large archive of questions and answers built up over that time. The Verge noted that, with no plan announced, the content may well vanish when the site goes offline. For now, existing threads can still be read until the closing date.

What it means for users

For people who rely on online communities to solve computer and device problems, the closure removes a large, searchable store of peer-to-peer advice. Anyone who has found useful solutions in old threads may want to note or save them before the site closes. After that, help will come mainly from official support pages and from independent forums, user groups and help sites, so knowing where to turn for reliable technical advice becomes more important.