Microsoft ends support for SQL Server 2016, but admits that it is still "heavily deployed"

Microsoft has ended support for SQL Server 2016 after a decade, despite acknowledging it remains heavily deployed across enterprises.

A lot of old Microsoft software products are reaching end of support this year including Windows 11 version 24H2, Windows Server 2022, and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016. Now, the Redmond tech firm has ended extended support for one of its most popular products, SQL Server 2016.

SQL Server 2016 followed Microsoft's fixed lifecycle policy after launching on June 1, 2016. It reached end of mainstream support on July 13, 2021, and hit of extended support very recently, on July 14, 2026. This makes its total lifespan over 10 years.

Just like with any Microsoft product that goes out of support, SQL Server 2016 will no longer receive feature updates, security updates, product support, or bug fixes. This may be a major concern for some firms as Microsoft has admitted that SQL Server 2016 remains "heavily deployed" in enterprise environments.

SQL Server 2016 was a milestone release that added new features that customers still use today. These include Query Store, Always Encrypted, native JSON support, and Stretch Database, aling with enhanced security and performance capabilities. Microsoft has noted how it became the staple relational database management system (RDBMS) for a lot of applications, thanks to its stability and performance.

Despite all this goodwill generated by the product, SQL Server 2016 has reached end of life. It is important to understand that it will not suddenly stop working, but you may become vulnerable to security threats as Microsoft will no longer issue updates for it.

Microsoft has urged impacted customers to upgrade to SQL Server 2022 or SQL Server 2025, which also has AI capabilities. Another option is to migrate to Azure SQL Managed Instance or perform a lift-and-shift activity to SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines. But perhaps, the most desirable option for customers who want to continue with SQL Server 2016 is to purchase Extended Security Updates (ESUs). This will allow your installation to receive an additional three years of "critical" security updates, but it may not be light on the wallet. Microsoft has emphasized that this should only be a temporary respite to plan migrations, not a long-term strategy.

All that said, the Redmond tech giant has highlighted the need to perform an assessment prior to migration. This will help IT admins identify deprecated capabilities, legacy workloads, compatibility issues, and more.

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Posted Saturday 18 July 2026 at 5:27 pm AEST (my time).

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