SQL Server 2016 After End of Support: Upgrade, Move or ESU

SQL Server 2016 reached the end of extended support on July 14, 2026. Microsoft no longer ships regular security updates for it. The only way to keep receiving security fixes is a paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) subscription. This post sets out the dates Microsoft publishes, what ESU does and doesn't cover, and the options Microsoft documents for moving off SQL Server 2016.

The Dates Microsoft Publishes

From Microsoft's SQL Server 2016 lifecycle page:

• Mainstream support ended in July 2021.
• Extended support ended July 14, 2026. Service Pack 3, the last service pack, ended with it.
• ESU Year 1 runs from July 15, 2026 to July 13, 2027.
• ESU Year 2 runs from July 14, 2027 to July 18, 2028.
• ESU Year 3, the last year, runs from July 19, 2028 to July 17, 2029.

Microsoft's lifecycle dates are shown in Pacific Time. After July 2029 there is no further ESU year for SQL Server 2016.

What ESU Covers, and What It Doesn't

According to Microsoft's ESU overview for SQL Server:

• ESUs are released only when the Microsoft Security Response Center rates a vulnerability as Critical, so there's no regular monthly cadence.
• They don't include new features, functional improvements or customer-requested fixes.
• Support is limited to deploying, installing and activating the updates themselves, not the underlying SQL Server version.
• ESUs include the most recent Cumulative Update. If you only applied GDR updates, Microsoft recommends installing and validating the latest CU when you subscribe rather than waiting for the first ESU.

Microsoft's end of support options page describes ESUs as costing approximately 75% of the on-premises licence cost each year, and the option lasts three years at most. Microsoft also notes that SQL Server 2016 ESUs introduce a change to the price structure, so confirm current pricing for your licensing and billing model before you budget.

The Azure Change for SQL Server 2016

For SQL Server 2014, moving an instance as-is to an Azure VM brought free ESUs. That no longer applies to SQL Server 2016. On Azure VMs (registered with the SQL IaaS Agent extension) and on Azure VMware Solution, SQL Server 2016 instances can subscribe to ESUs, but they aren't eligible for free ones. If a migration plan was justified by free security updates in Azure, the numbers need to be run again for 2016.

How You Subscribe

• On-premises and other clouds: connect the instance to Azure Arc (connecting is free), then subscribe. You need Software Assurance under an Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Agreement Subscription, Server and Cloud Enrollment or Enrollment for Education Solutions, or you can use Arc's pay-as-you-go billing without Software Assurance.
• Arc-connected subscriptions are billed hourly, run until cancelled, and cancel automatically when the instance is upgraded to a supported version or migrated to Azure.
• Instances that can't connect to Azure Arc may be eligible through volume licensing. Microsoft directs those customers to their Microsoft account team.
• Once subscribed, patches arrive through the usual channels, such as Microsoft Update, Windows Update, Configuration Manager or Azure Update Manager.

The Options Microsoft Documents

• Upgrade to a current version. SQL Server 2025 supports upgrades from SQL Server 2016 SP3 or later, per Microsoft's supported upgrades for SQL Server 2025. Web edition isn't available in SQL Server 2025, so Web instances move to Standard or Enterprise. Microsoft's lifecycle table shows SQL Server 2017 leaving extended support in 2027, which makes it a short stop.
• Move to a managed service. Microsoft describes Azure SQL Managed Instance and Azure SQL Database as fully managed services that never reach end of support. Check the Transact-SQL and feature differences against what your applications use.
• Move to SQL Server on an Azure VM. Upgrade during the move, or move as-is and subscribe to paid ESUs.
• Stay put on ESU for now. Keep the server and application as they are for up to three years while you certify the application on a newer version.

Check the Windows Server Underneath

If a SQL Server 2016 instance runs on Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2, the operating system's final ESU year ended on October 13, 2026. Microsoft notes that newer SQL Server versions might not support older Windows versions, and that a side-by-side migration can be the more prudent route when both need to move. Plan the database and the server together.

What This Work Looks Like in Practice

For a SQL Server build where high availability was designed in from the start, see our hospital data warehouse story. A database move is also a good time to check how you'd recover it. Our DR design and runbooks story shows how we approach that.

Next Step

Know your exposure and your exit plan before ESU Year 2 bills in July 2027. Start with a list of each SQL Server 2016 instance, its edition and service pack, the Windows Server version underneath, and the applications that depend on it. Book a SQL Server review with one of our senior engineers, and we'll help you decide, instance by instance, whether to upgrade, move or bridge with ESU.