> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://stackurity.ai/blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Windows Server 2016 end of life: dates and what to upgrade to - URL: https://stackurity.ai/blog/windows-server-2016-end-of-life/ - Published: 2026-11-01T03:05:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-01T03:05:03.000Z - Description: Windows Server 2016 extended support ends January 12, 2027. See every support date, what end of life means and which Windows Server to upgrade to. - Author: Stackurity Research Team - Tags: End of Life, #eol-guide ## TL;DR - **End date:** extended support for Windows Server 2016 ends on January 12, 2027, according to both endoflife.date and Microsoft's lifecycle page. - **Already ended:** mainstream support ended on January 11, 2022, and the product has been in its extended phase since then. - **After the end date:** no more security updates for newly found vulnerabilities, and more friction with auditors and application vendors. - **Upgrade to:** Windows Server 2025 (supported until November 14, 2034), Windows Server 2022 or Windows Server 2019. - **Do now:** list every Windows Server 2016 machine, pick a target, and schedule the move well before January 2027. ## What reaches end of life and when Windows Server 2016 was released on October 15, 2016\. Microsoft's lifecycle page says it follows the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, which gives each release a mainstream phase followed by an extended phase, each with a fixed end date. The page lists the editions Datacenter, Essentials, MultiPoint Premium and Standard, and adds that its container images share these dates. - **Mainstream support** ended on January 11, 2022\. This is the phase in which a release receives new features and design changes as well as fixes. It is over. - **Extended support** ends on January 12, 2027\. In this phase the release receives security fixes but no new features. This is the date that matters, because it is the day the product stops being supported. The two sources agree on every date above. Microsoft shows its dates in Pacific Time, so a server in another time zone may cross the line a few hours earlier or later, which is no reason to plan the migration for the last day. ## What end of life means When extended support ends, the operating system stops receiving security updates for vulnerabilities found afterwards. Attackers know this, and an unsupported server becomes a stable target: each new flaw in the operating system or its components stays open forever. The effects reach past the server itself: - **Security:** new vulnerabilities are not fixed, so the only protection left is isolation and monitoring. - **Compliance and audits:** an unsupported operating system is a common audit finding, and it can block a certification or a cyber insurance renewal. - **Application vendors:** software vendors drop support for operating systems that Microsoft no longer supports, so a database or line-of-business product may refuse to run, or refuse to give you help, on Windows Server 2016. The deadline is the fixed point. Migrations take longer than expected, especially for applications that nobody has touched for years, so the work should start now. ## What to upgrade to Three newer releases are supported today. Choose the one with the longest runway that your applications can run on: - **Windows Server 2025:** released on November 1, 2024, mainstream support until November 13, 2029 and extended support until November 14, 2034\. It has the longest support. - **Windows Server 2022:** released on August 18, 2021\. Its mainstream support ended on October 13, 2026 and extended support runs until October 14, 2031. - **Windows Server 2019:** released on November 13, 2018\. Its mainstream support ended on January 9, 2024 and extended support ends on January 9, 2029\. It buys the least time, so choose it only if an application requires it. For most teams the answer is Windows Server 2025\. Follow these steps: 1. Inventory every Windows Server 2016 machine, including virtual machines, test systems and servers that host only one forgotten application. Record the roles and applications on each one. 2. Check that each application and driver supports the target release, and choose Windows Server 2025 unless a vendor says otherwise. Plan an in-place upgrade or, better, a clean installation on a new server with the data migrated. 3. Build and test the new server, move the workload during a maintenance window, and keep the old machine offline but intact until the new one has proved itself. 4. Retire the Windows Server 2016 machine, remove it from your inventory, and confirm that no end-of-life finding remains for it. ## How to check one server by hand On the server, open a PowerShell window and read the operating system name and version: ``` Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, OsVersion (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).Caption systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version" winver ``` The first three commands print the product name and version in the console, and winver opens a small window with the same information. A server that reports Windows Server 2016 in its name is in scope for this deadline. To check the whole estate, run the same command remotely or through your management tool, and do not forget machines in cloud accounts and lab networks. ## How Stackurity flags it Stackurity keeps one live inventory of your servers, deployed applications, repositories and container images. Its agent also inventories Windows hosts and raises end-of-life findings for the Windows Server or Windows release they run. End-of-life data is synced and matched against that inventory every day, and each finding goes onto a short list of upgrades, most urgent first. To be plain about what Windows coverage means: the operating system is checked for end of life and for missing monthly cumulative updates, and installed programs are not matched against advisories. There is no program-by-program vulnerability matching on Windows. The [compatibility guide](https://stackurity.ai/docs/compatibility) lists what each platform supports. The core is open source, and Stackurity Cloud has a 14-day free trial without a card: [start a free trial](https://app.stackurity.dev/signup?utm%5Fsource=blog&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=end-of-life&utm%5Fcontent=windows-server-2016-end-of-life). For another end-of-life guide with the same approach, see [RHEL 8 end of life: dates and what to upgrade to](https://stackurity.ai/blog/rhel-8-end-of-life/). ## FAQ ### When does Windows Server 2016 reach end of life? Extended support for Windows Server 2016 ends on January 12, 2027\. Mainstream support already ended on January 11, 2022, so the product is in its extended phase today. ### Is Windows Server 2016 still getting security updates? Yes, until the extended support end date of January 12, 2027\. After that date Microsoft's lifecycle page lists no further support for the product, so new vulnerabilities will not be fixed. ### What should I upgrade Windows Server 2016 to? Windows Server 2025 has the longest support, with extended support until November 14, 2034\. Windows Server 2022 is supported until October 14, 2031 and Windows Server 2019 until January 9, 2029. ### What is the difference between mainstream and extended support? Mainstream support is the first phase of the lifecycle. Extended support is the later phase that Microsoft's lifecycle page ends on the date shown as the extended end date, and it is the date that matters for planning the move. ### Does Stackurity check Windows Server 2016 for end of life? Yes. Stackurity's agent inventories Windows hosts and raises an end-of-life finding for the Windows Server release they run. End-of-life data is matched against your inventory every day. ## Sources Dates come from [Microsoft's lifecycle page for Windows Server 2016](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2016) and [endoflife.date](https://endoflife.date/windows-server). Upgrade targets: [Windows Server 2025](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2025), [Windows Server 2022](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2022) and [Windows Server 2019](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2019). Product facts: [Stackurity](https://stackurity.ai/llms.txt).