Guide
SQL Server 2016 end of support: what to do now
Published · 7 min read
Short answer
SQL Server 2016 extended support ended on 14 July 2026: no more free security updates or Microsoft support. Paid Extended Security Updates run in three yearly terms up to 17 July 2029, and Microsoft now charges for them even in Azure. Most small businesses meet SQL Server 2016 inside an accounts or ERP package, so the first step is to ask your software vendor which SQL Server version it supports today. Microsoft supports upgrading SQL Server 2016 SP3 straight to SQL Server 2025, and the Windows Server 2016 underneath usually needs replacing by 12 January 2027 as well.
The dates
| Version | Mainstream support | Extended support |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server 2016 | Ended 13 July 2021 | Ended 14 July 2026 |
| SQL Server 2017 | Ended 11 October 2022 | Until 12 October 2027 |
| SQL Server 2019 | Ended 28 February 2025 | Until 8 January 2030 |
| SQL Server 2022 | Until 11 January 2028 | Until 11 January 2033 |
| SQL Server 2025 | Until 6 January 2031 | Until 6 January 2036 |
SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2016 do not share a deadline. If one server runs both, the database lost support in July 2026 and the operating system loses it on 12 January 2027.
Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2016
| ESU year | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 15 July 2026 to 13 July 2027 |
| Year 2 | 14 July 2027 to 18 July 2028 |
| Year 3 | 19 July 2028 to 17 July 2029 |
Microsoft's lifecycle FAQ describes ESU as a last resort that covers security updates only, with no new features, no non-security fixes and no technical support. UK licensing trainer Licensing School reports that SQL Server 2016 ESU can be bought as one-year licences or pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc, and that, unlike SQL Server 2014, it is chargeable in every deployment, including Azure virtual machines.
Published price figures for SQL Server 2016 ESU vary between sources and we could not confirm one on Microsoft's own pages, so ask your licensing partner for a written quote. Eligibility depends on your edition and how it is licensed, so check that too before you count on it.
If SQL Server came with your accounts or ERP package
Many small firms never chose SQL Server: it arrived with Sage 200, Pegasus Opera 3 SQL SE or another business application. The vendor's supported list decides what you can move to.
| Software | SQL Server versions the vendor lists | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sage 200 Professional 2025 R2 | 2019, 2022, 2025 (Standard or Enterprise) | SQL Server 2016 is not on the list for the current release |
| Pegasus Opera 3 SQL SE (3.03.00) | 2016 SP2, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2025 | Pegasus says its support ends when Microsoft extended support ends |
Read together, both point the same way: a server still on SQL Server 2016 is outside what the vendor supports today. Ask your software partner which version to move to before you buy licences. Our pages on Sage 200 hosting and Pegasus Opera 3 hosting summarise each vendor's requirements.
Upgrade paths
- Straight to SQL Server 2025. Microsoft supports upgrading from SQL Server 2016 SP3 or later. SQL Server 2025 has no Web edition, so Web edition instances need a different target edition.
- To SQL Server 2022 if your application vendor has not yet certified 2025.
- Side-by-side migration to a new server is often cleaner than an in-place upgrade, especially when the Windows Server 2016 underneath is being replaced anyway: install the new SQL Server on a new server, back up and restore the databases, test, then switch the application over.
- 01
Ask the vendor
Which SQL Server versions and editions does your application version support, and does the application itself need upgrading first?
- 02
Check the edition
Express, Standard or Enterprise. Some applications require Standard or above; Express has database size and resource limits.
- 03
Back up and test a restore
Before anything changes, prove that you can restore the databases elsewhere.
- 04
Plan the Windows Server too
If the server runs Windows Server 2016, move both in one project rather than two.
Sources
- Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2016 (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2017 (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2019 (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Learn: Supported version and edition upgrades (SQL Server 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Learn: Lifecycle FAQ, Extended Security Updates (opens in a new tab)
- Licensing School: SQL Server 2016 ESUs (24 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Sage: Sage 200 Professional system requirements (2025 R2), PDF (opens in a new tab)
- Pegasus: Opera 3 Software Requirements Guide (June 2026), PDF (opens in a new tab)
Facts were checked against these sources on 21 October 2026. Vendor terms change; check the source before relying on a detail.