Microsoft Ends Support for Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 — Urgent Upgrades Recommended
The currently available Windows 10 operating system is not the only end of support that many IT departments are dealing with nowadays, as there are two additional versions of Exchange Server that ended their lives.
Urgent need for upgrades
According to the product life cycle site of Microsoft, mainstream support of Exchange Server 2016 was terminated way back in October 2020 and that of Exchange Server 2019 in January 2024. The long support is also now over. Once the last security patches have been released in October 2025, no further support, not even security fixes, bug fixes and time zone updates, will be provided.
As stated on Microsoft’s product lifecycle website, mainstream support for Exchange Server 2016 ended back in October 2020, and for Exchange Server 2019 in January 2024. The extended support phase has now also concluded. With the final security updates arriving in October 2025, all official support — including security fixes, bug patches, and time zone updates — will cease.
In a blog post, the Exchange team stressed:
“It is critical to upgrade now to remain secure and compliant.”
While current installations will continue to function, operating them without updates poses serious risks. Unpatched vulnerabilities could be exploited by attackers to compromise servers or steal sensitive data.
Recommended upgrade paths
Microsoft is recommending that administrators upgrade to Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE) or to move to Exchange Online, which is a cloud-based service. The cloud service comes both as an independent product and on a subscription of Microsoft 365. Exchange Server 2019 to the new Subscription Edition only has a direct upgrade path. Archaeic versions – like that of Exchange 2016 or Exchange 2013 – will have to undergo an upgrade to a modern version first before they can be migrated.
Detailed migration and upgrade guidance can be found in Microsoft’s documentation portal.
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