# SQL Server 2016 end of support: what to do now > SQL Server 2016 support ended on 14 July 2026. What it means for Sage 200, Opera 3 and other apps, the ESU dates, and upgrade paths to SQL Server 2025. Source: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/guides/sql-server-2016-end-of-support · Last updated 21 October 2026 · WharfCloud Published 21 October 2026. Reading time about 7 minutes. ## 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 Table: SQL Server support dates (Microsoft lifecycle pages) | 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 Table: SQL Server 2016 ESU terms (Microsoft lifecycle page) | 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. Table: SQL Server support in two common UK business packages (vendor documents, checked 21 October 2026) | 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](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/sage-200) and [Pegasus Opera 3 hosting](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/pegasus-opera-3) 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. 1. **Ask the vendor.** Which SQL Server versions and editions does your application version support, and does the application itself need upgrading first? 2. **Check the edition.** Express, Standard or Enterprise. Some applications require Standard or above; Express has database size and resource limits. 3. **Back up and test a restore.** Before anything changes, prove that you can restore the databases elsewhere. 4. **Plan the Windows Server too.** If the server runs Windows Server 2016, move both in one project rather than two. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did SQL Server 2016 support end? Extended support ended on 14 July 2026, according to Microsoft's lifecycle page. Mainstream support had ended on 13 July 2021. ### Will SQL Server 2016 stop working? No. It keeps running, but new vulnerabilities found after July 2026 are not fixed unless you pay for Extended Security Updates. ### How long is SQL Server 2016 ESU available? Up to three yearly terms, from 15 July 2026 to 17 July 2029, according to Microsoft's lifecycle page. ### Can I upgrade SQL Server 2016 directly to SQL Server 2025? Yes, from SQL Server 2016 SP3 or later, according to Microsoft. Check that your application vendor supports 2025 first. ### Is SQL Server 2016 ESU free in Azure? Reportedly not. Licensing School reports that SQL Server 2016 ESU is chargeable across all deployment options, including Azure virtual machines, unlike SQL Server 2014. ### Does this affect Cyber Essentials? It can. Cyber Essentials requires software on in-scope devices to be licensed and supported. See our [Cyber Essentials guide](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/guides/cyber-essentials-unsupported-software). ## Sources - [Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2016](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/sql-server-2016) - [Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2017](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/sql-server-2017) - [Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2019](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/sql-server-2019) - [Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2022](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/sql-server-2022) - [Microsoft Lifecycle: SQL Server 2025](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/sql-server-2025) - [Microsoft Learn: Supported version and edition upgrades (SQL Server 2025)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/install-windows/supported-version-and-edition-upgrades-2025) - [Microsoft Learn: Lifecycle FAQ, Extended Security Updates](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/extended-security-updates) - [Licensing School: SQL Server 2016 ESUs (24 June 2026)](https://www.licensingschool.co.uk/licensing-blog/2026/06/24/sql-server-2016-esus/) - [Sage: Sage 200 Professional system requirements (2025 R2), PDF](https://desktophelp.sage.co.uk/sage200/PDF/2025/Sage%20200%20Professional%20System%20Requirements%20(4788).pdf) - [Pegasus: Opera 3 Software Requirements Guide (June 2026), PDF](https://docs.pegasus.co.uk/Guides/Latest/Software_Requirements_Guide.pdf) --- WharfCloud is a trading name of Sunucu Internet Services Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 12963678. Not VAT registered. Support: engineers Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time. Critical incidents: A person responds to critical incidents within 1 hour (Every day, 07:00 to 23:00 UK time). Automated monitoring and automated recovery overnight and at weekends. Contact: hello@wharfcloud.co.uk · https://wharfcloud.co.uk/contact