The short version: Microsoft ended all support for Visual FoxPro 9.0 on 13 January 2015, more than eleven years ago, so nothing has patched it since. Export a copy of the data this month, then move it. For a firm under 20 staff my bands are $4,000 to $10,000 into SharePoint lists or $8,000 to $18,000 into Dataverse, and FoxPro jobs sit toward the top.
What "dead" means, in Microsoft's own dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Visual FoxPro 9.0 released | 22 December 2004 |
| Mainstream support ended | 13 January 2010 |
| Extended support ended | 13 January 2015 (Pacific time; the lifecycle page lists 14 January 2015 UTC) |
Microsoft's end-of-support page for 2015 says that after that date there are no new security updates, no non-security updates, no free or paid assisted support and no online technical content updates. Visual FoxPro 9.0 follows Microsoft's Fixed lifecycle policy, and it was the last version. Source: Microsoft Learn, product lifecycle for Visual FoxPro 9.0 and Ending Support in 2015, read on 30 September 2026.
That does not mean your system has stopped working. It means it runs on whatever old computer still has it installed, nobody can call anyone for help, and the day that computer fails, the person who knows how it works is the only backup. For a firm under 20 staff that is the real risk: not a security headline, but an invoicing or job system with one keeper and one machine.
Step one this month: get the data out
Do this before any decision about where it goes next. It costs almost nothing and turns a single point of failure into a copy.
- Copy the whole data folder to somewhere safe, with the machine switched off from the system first if possible. FoxPro keeps each table as a .dbf file, with memo text in a matching .fpt file and indexes in a .cdx file, so all three types need to come along.
- Export each table to a text file. From inside FoxPro the usual route is the COPY TO command with a CSV type, one file per table. Open two or three in Excel and check the row counts against what FoxPro shows.
- Save the code as well. The forms, reports and programs are the business rules, and they are what a rebuild is written from. Copy the project folder, and print or screenshot the screens people use.
- Write down what only one person knows. The month-end steps, the file that has to be closed first, the report someone runs by hand.
These are the routes I would use, not a Microsoft procedure, and I confirm every export against row counts on a trial load before trusting it. Watch memo fields, empty dates and any column with mixed content; they are where old FoxPro data most often trips a new system.
Where the data can go
| Option | Cost for a firm under 20 staff | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Keep it running, with a backup and a written manual | Nearly nothing, but the risk stays | The system is small, one person uses it, and you accept the single machine. Only a holding position. |
| SharePoint lists and a Power App | $4,000 to $10,000, no licence on top of Microsoft 365 | A few tables, under about 20,000 rows each, no money on the records |
| Dataverse and a Power App | $8,000 to $18,000, plus NZ$32.40 per user per month for Power Apps Premium | Many related tables, money or hours on the records, several editors daily |
| Packaged software you subscribe to | Per user per month, see the price index | A standard trade or practice workflow that an existing product already does |
The two build bands are my fixed prices for firms under 20 staff for Access and SQL Server sources, from the services page. A FoxPro job is the same shape, but the logic lives in program files that are often undocumented, so as an estimate I would plan toward the top of the band until I have read the code. Ten people on Dataverse is NZ$324 a month; licence price is Microsoft's NZ list, September 2026. The method and the SharePoint-or-Dataverse test are on moving SQL Server to Dataverse and the Access equivalent; a FoxPro move follows the same steps, with the export as step zero.
What I would ask before choosing
- How many people use it every day? One or two suggests a small rebuild or a packaged product. Ten or more suggests Dataverse.
- Does money or stock move through it? If an accountant reconciles anything in it, it goes to Dataverse.
- Is there a packaged product that already does this? If so, buying may be cheaper than rebuilding. I will say so, and when Power Platform is the wrong answer has the tests.
- Who can explain the rules in the code? If nobody, the inventory comes first and the schedule stretches; see how long a move takes.
When I would not move it yet
If it is a small side system that one person uses monthly, runs fine and has a verified export, the export is the job and the move can wait for the next time something forces a change. Waiting has a cost, and rebuilding a system nobody depends on costs more. Anything that touches customers, invoices or compliance records is different: that one should not sit on a machine with no support for another year.
Common questions
When did Microsoft end support for Visual FoxPro?
Extended support for Visual FoxPro 9.0 ended on 13 January 2015 (Pacific time; Microsoft's lifecycle page shows 14 January 2015 UTC), and mainstream support ended on 13 January 2010. There are no security updates, no other updates and no assisted support of any kind.
Can I keep running a FoxPro system?
It will keep running for as long as the computer and the licence copy do, but nothing patches it and nobody supports it. The practical risk is one old machine and one person who understands it. If you keep it, take a copy of the data and code now and write the manual down.
How much does it cost to move off Visual FoxPro in NZ?
For a firm under 20 staff my fixed bands are $4,000 to $10,000 into SharePoint lists or $8,000 to $18,000 into Dataverse, plus NZ$32.40 per user per month for Dataverse. FoxPro logic is often undocumented, so I would plan toward the top of the band until I have read the code. That is an estimate.
How do I get the data out of FoxPro?
Copy the data folder with its .dbf, .fpt and .cdx files, then export each table to a CSV file from inside FoxPro and check the row counts against the original. Save the code and screenshots too. Memo fields and empty dates are where old data most often causes trouble.
Got a FoxPro system nobody dares touch?
Tell me what it does and who uses it. One free 30-minute call and you get an export plan and a band before anything is built.