thearchivist.funMicrosoft closes Encarta's online encyclopedia
Phys.org reported on 30 March 2009 that Microsoft would close its Encarta online encyclopedia. All Encarta websites were to be turned off on 31 October, except in Japan, where the service would end on the last day of December. The article does not mention the disc versions. Microsoft's stated reason was that 'the category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed', and that people seek and consume information very differently than in years past. The article describes Wikipedia, which was launched online in 2001, as the dominant force in the market Encarta competed in, and notes that suggested changes to Encarta had to pass editors before being added. Encarta had first been sold as a multimedia product on disc and later as an online subscription.
Context and provenance
The article does not say what Encarta's users received when it closed. It also gives no year for the Japan date beyond the context, so treat that date as probable rather than certain.
The comparison with Wikipedia is the reporter's. Microsoft's own wording is the first quotation above. A careful sentence attributes each: the company said the category had changed; the reporter pointed to Wikipedia.
When quoting Microsoft's reason, use the company's own words as the article reports them, and attribute the Wikipedia comparison to the reporter. If you need to know whether disc editions were sold or supported afterwards, find a source that covers them, because this article does not.
Transmission timeline
- 2009-03-30
The closing of Encarta websites is reported.
- 2009-10-31
All Encarta websites except Japan are to be turned off.
- 2009-12-31
The Japan service ends (year inferred from context).
Why it matters
A professionally edited encyclopedia ended, with the company citing changed habits and the reporter naming Wikipedia as the reason those habits changed.
What remains uncertain
The Japan date's year is inferred. What happened to disc editions is not covered.
Sources and evidence
- Phys.org: Microsoft closing Encarta online encyclopedia
31 October closing of Encarta websites, Japan later, Microsoft's quoted reasons, the reporter's comparison with Wikipedia, the product's history on disc and online.
Editorial review: 2026-10-22. New evidence may change this account.