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Windows Server 2016 End of Support on January 12, 2027: What It Means for Your Servers

Windows Server 2016 extended support ends January 12, 2027. The dates, the paid security update option, and what to check before moving older servers to Windows Server 2025.

Published 5 min readBy the NorthernITShop team

Microsoft ends extended support for Windows Server 2016 on January 12, 2027. After that date, servers still running it get no more security updates unless you pay for Extended Security Updates (ESUs). Many of the servers still in production on Windows Server 2016 are Dell PowerEdge 13th and 14th generation and HPE ProLiant Gen9 and Gen10 systems, so the deadline is also a hardware question: keep the server and move it to a newer Windows Server version, or replace it.

The dates

All dates are from Microsoft's product lifecycle pages.

Version Mainstream support ended or ends Extended support ends
Windows Server 2016 January 11, 2022 January 12, 2027
Windows Server 2019 January 9, 2024 January 9, 2029
Windows Server 2022 October 13, 2026 October 14, 2031
Windows Server 2025 November 13, 2029 November 14, 2034

Windows Server 2022 moved out of mainstream support on October 13, 2026. It still gets security updates until October 2031, but no new features or non-security fixes. For a server you plan to keep for five years or more, Windows Server 2025 gives the longest support window.

Your three options

1. Pay for Extended Security Updates

Microsoft offers ESUs for Windows Server 2016 through Azure Arc:

  • Critical and Important security updates for up to three years, through 2030. No new features or non-security fixes.
  • Standard and Datacenter editions only.
  • You need Software Assurance through a Volume Licensing program, or servers licensed through SPLA or a Server Subscription.
  • The server connects to Azure Arc with the Connected Machine agent (version 1.62 or later). Enrollment opened on August 3, 2026, and billing starts on January 13, 2027.

ESUs buy time for a planned migration. They suit servers you plan to retire or replace within the next one to three years.

2. Keep the hardware and move to a newer Windows Server

If the server is in good shape, upgrading the operating system is often the cheapest path. Check these points first.

Processor. Windows Server 2025 needs a 64-bit processor with support for the SSE4.2 instruction set and the POPCNT instruction, plus the requirements earlier versions already had (NX and DEP, CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF and PrefetchW, and Second Level Address Translation). Microsoft suggests the Sysinternals Coreinfo tool to check a processor.

Memory. Windows Server 2025 needs at least 2 GB of RAM for Server Core (4 GB recommended with the Desktop Experience) and ECC memory, or similar technology, on physical hosts. Server memory such as registered DIMMs is ECC, so this mostly matters if a lab or edge box uses desktop parts.

TPM and Secure Boot. A TPM is not needed to install Windows Server 2025. It is needed for certain features, such as BitLocker Drive Encryption, and the TPM must be version 2.0. Secured-core server features need TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and virtualization-based security. If you plan to use these, check that the server has a TPM 2.0 module fitted; on many rack servers it is an optional part.

Manufacturer support for your model. Microsoft's requirements are the minimum. Your server maker decides which operating systems it certifies, with drivers and firmware.

  • HPE lists the ProLiant DL360 Gen10 and DL380 Gen10 as certified for Windows Server 2025 in its Windows Server certification matrix. Some other Gen10 models stop at Windows Server 2022, so check your exact model in the matrix.
  • Dell lists supported operating systems per PowerEdge model in its OS support matrix (dell.com/ossupport), which its Windows Server 2025 installation guide points to. Check your model there before planning an upgrade, especially for 14th-generation servers such as the R640 and R740.

Before upgrading, update the BIOS, the management controller (iDRAC or iLO) and the RAID controller firmware to the versions your server maker lists for the new operating system.

3. Replace the server

If a server is not certified for the Windows Server version you need, is short on memory slots or drive bays, or is near the end of its hardware support, replacing it can cost less than keeping it running. Refurbished servers from a newer generation are a common middle path: a newer platform with longer operating system support, at a lower price than new.

A quick checklist

  1. List every server still on Windows Server 2016, with its model, generation and role.
  2. For each model, check your server maker's OS support matrix for Windows Server 2022 and 2025.
  3. Decide per server: ESU (retire within one to three years), operating system upgrade (hardware certified and healthy), or replacement.
  4. For upgrades, list the parts you need: memory to meet the new minimum, a TPM 2.0 module for BitLocker, or drives for a clean install.
  5. Book the work before January 12, 2027, or enroll the servers in ESUs before that date.

How we can help

If you need memory, drives, TPM modules or RAID controllers to bring a server up to a newer Windows Server version, or a refurbished replacement server, send us the part numbers or the server model and generation. We reply within 1 business day with pricing, condition options and lead time. See also buying end-of-life hardware, Dell PowerEdge 14th generation and HPE ProLiant DL380 and DL360 generations, or browse servers and server memory.

Sources

Dates and requirements as published by the manufacturers on October 27, 2026. Check the linked pages for any later changes.

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