Two dates matter for each product. The end of extended support is when free security updates stop. The final Extended Security Update (ESU) date is when even paid updates stop, and after that nothing patches the system, ever. The three that bite NZ small firms right now: SQL Server 2016 lost free updates on 14 July 2026, Windows Server 2012 R2 got its very last paid update on 13 October 2026, and Windows Server 2016 loses free updates on 12 January 2027, with three paid ESU years announced but not yet priced.
SQL Server
| Version | Mainstream ended | Extended (free updates) ended | Final paid ESU | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQL Server 2012 | 11 July 2017 | 12 July 2022 | July 2025 (ended) | Unpatched, no paid option left |
| SQL Server 2014 | 9 July 2019 | 9 July 2024 | July 2027 (Microsoft's pages give 8 and 12 July) | Paid updates only, Standard and Enterprise editions |
| SQL Server 2016 | 13 July 2021 | 14 July 2026 | 17 July 2029 | Paid updates only, Standard and Enterprise; Express not eligible |
| SQL Server 2017 | 11 October 2022 | 12 October 2027 | Not announced | Security updates only |
| SQL Server 2019 | 28 February 2025 | 8 January 2030 | Not announced | Security updates only |
| SQL Server 2022 | 11 January 2028 | 11 January 2033 | Not announced | Fully supported |
| SQL Server 2025 | 2031 | 2036 | Not announced | Fully supported, current release |
ESU for SQL Server covers Critical-rated fixes only, needs Software Assurance or Azure Arc, and excludes Express, Web and Developer editions. For 2014 it is a flat annual fee of roughly three-quarters of the licence price, and free on Azure virtual machines; for 2016 Microsoft changed the structure, analysts put it at 75%, then 150%, then 300% of the licence across the three years, and there is no free Azure path. If you are on 2016 and the edition is Express, there is no paid path: SQL Server 2016 is now unsupported sets out the three real options.
Windows Server
| Version | Mainstream ended | Extended (free updates) ended | Final paid ESU | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 | 9 October 2018 | 10 October 2023 | 13 October 2026 | Last paid update landed 13 October 2026; nothing after |
| Windows Server 2016 | 11 January 2022 | 12 January 2027 | January 2030 (three paid years, announced February 2026, price not yet published) | Free updates end 12 January 2027; paid ESU followswhat to do with the box |
| Windows Server 2019 | 9 January 2024 | 9 January 2029 | Not announced | Security updates only |
| Windows Server 2022 | 13 October 2026 | 14 October 2031 | Not announced | Mainstream ended 13 October 2026; security updates only to 14 October 2031 |
| Windows Server 2025 | 13 November 2029 | 14 November 2034 | Not announced | Fully supported, current release |
Windows Server ESU is priced at 100% of the licence per year on-premises and is free for servers moved into Azure virtual machines. Microsoft 365 Apps (Word, Excel, Outlook) have not been supported on 2012 R2 since January 2020 and stopped being supported on 2016 and 2019 on 14 October 2025, with security-only updates to 10 October 2028. What a 5 to 20 person firm does with a 2012 R2 box is in Windows Server 2012 R2 is now unsupported: what to do.
Access and Office
| Product | Support ended | Status today |
|---|---|---|
| Access 2016 and Access 2019 | 14 October 2025 | Unpatched. The database file still opens in Microsoft 365 Accesskeep the database, move the application |
| Access LTSC 2021 | 13 October 2026 | Support ended |
| Office 2016 and Office 2019 | 14 October 2025 | Unpatched |
| Office LTSC 2021 | 13 October 2026 | Support ended |
| Windows 10 | 14 October 2025 | Paid ESU to 10 October 2028 for Pro, Enterprise and Education |
| Access in Microsoft 365 | Ongoing | Supported; includes the export-to-Dataverse migration tool |
An Access database is a file, so the version that matters is the Access you open it with. If that is Access 2016 or 2019, the application itself is unpatched; the file will open fine in Microsoft 365 Access, and from there moving it off the shared drive into SharePoint or Dataverse is the usual next step.
What each date actually means
- End of mainstream support: no new features, no non-security fixes, no design changes. Security updates continue.
- End of extended support: free security updates stop. Microsoft calls this end of support. The product keeps running, and every vulnerability found from then on stays open unless you pay for ESU.
- Final ESU date: paid updates stop too. Nothing will patch the system after this, on-premises or in Azure. ESU covers Critical (and for Windows, Important) fixes only, with no bug fixes and no support.
For most firms under 20 staff the practical rule is: plan the move at end of extended support, and treat the final ESU date as the day the server must be off. Whether the move is an upgrade, Azure, or into Microsoft 365 is worked through on the Power Platform migration hub and in moving a SQL Server database into Microsoft 365.
Long past its date: Visual FoxPro 9.0 ended on 13 January 2015. What to do with the data still running on it.
Method, and citing this page
Every date is taken from Microsoft's lifecycle product pages and the SQL Server and Windows Server Extended Security Updates FAQs, checked September 2026. Where Microsoft publishes only a year (SQL Server 2025), the year is shown. Microsoft occasionally extends a date; if you find one that has moved, email me and it will be corrected with a note.
Cite it freely. Quote any date with a link back:
Microsoft end-of-support dates for small business systems, Kove, September 2026 check. kove.nz/microsoft-end-of-support-dates