SQL Server 2019 End of Life: January 8, 2030 (Extended Support)
SQL Server 2019 reaches end of life (EOL) on January 8, 2030. That is the end of extended support on Microsoft's product lifecycle page and the last day Microsoft ships a security fix for it. It is still supported today, with one large qualification: mainstream support ended on February 28, 2025, so the release receives security fixes and nothing else. No new features, no non-security fixes, no design changes. The release shipped on November 4, 2019 and follows Microsoft's Fixed Lifecycle Policy. The dates apply to all editions, on Windows and on Linux.
The dates, in one table
| Milestone | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Release | November 4, 2019 | Start of the fixed lifecycle |
| End of mainstream support | February 28, 2025 | New features and non-security fixes stopped |
| End of extended support (end of life) | January 8, 2030 | Last security fix |
Editions on Microsoft's page: all editions on Windows and all editions on Linux. SQL Server 2019 has no service packs, so one set of dates covers the whole version. Microsoft's page also notes that SQL Server Big Data Clusters, a feature of this release, were retired on the day mainstream support ended.
What "extended support only" means in practice
Under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy a SQL Server version gets two phases. Mainstream support brings fixes, features and design changes. Extended support brings security fixes only. SQL Server 2019 crossed from the first to the second on February 28, 2025. In practice:
- Security fixes continue until January 8, 2030. Keep applying them; an unpatched instance in extended support is no better off than an unsupported one.
- Non-security bugs stay. A functional or performance defect found now is not something to expect a fix for on this version. The fix, if there is one, is in a newer release.
- No new features. Whatever SQL Server 2019 does today is what it will do on its last day.
No Extended Security Updates have been announced
Microsoft has not announced Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2019. Its lifecycle page for the release lists the three dates above and no ESU program. Microsoft has offered ESUs for SQL Server 2012, 2014 and 2016, as covered in our SQL Server 2016 guide. Do not plan on one for 2019 unless Microsoft publishes it. Treat January 8, 2030 as the real deadline.
Who is affected
Two groups. The first is any instance whose engine is SQL Server 2019: internal version 15.0, a build number that starts with 15. The second is easy to miss. SQL Server 2019 is database compatibility level 150, and both SQL Server 2022 and SQL Server 2025 can run a database at level 150, per Microsoft's compatibility level documentation. A database at level 150 on a newer engine is supported by that engine's dates, not these. The lifecycle follows the engine, so check the build number, not the compatibility level.
Where to move
The targets are SQL Server 2022 and SQL Server 2025, the only two versions still in mainstream support. Every version's dates are in our guide to every SQL Server version.
| Target | Released | Mainstream support ends | Extended support ends | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQL Server 2025 | November 18, 2025 | January 6, 2031 | January 6, 2036 | The longest runway, and the newest release. |
| SQL Server 2022 | November 16, 2022 | January 11, 2028 | January 11, 2033 | Longer in the field, but it becomes security-only two years before 2019 ends. |
What to do with the time you have
- Do not build new on it. Anything deployed on SQL Server 2019 today inherits a deadline already in sight.
- Inventory by build number. List every instance whose version starts with 15.
- Find what pins each instance to 2019. Ask each application vendor which SQL Server versions they certify; that answer sets your target.
- Sequence it behind the nearer deadlines. SQL Server 2017 ends on October 12, 2027, and SQL Server 2016 is already past its end. Those come first.
- Check the operating system in the same pass. The Windows Server release under the database has its own dates; see our Windows Server 2019 guide. Our EOL Checker and API answer the rest of the stack.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is SQL Server 2019 end of life?
SQL Server 2019 reaches the end of extended support on January 8, 2030, per Microsoft's product lifecycle page. That is the last day Microsoft ships security fixes for it.
Is SQL Server 2019 still supported?
Yes, in extended support. Mainstream support ended on February 28, 2025, which stopped new features and non-security fixes. Security fixes continue until January 8, 2030.
When did SQL Server 2019 mainstream support end?
Mainstream support for SQL Server 2019 ended on February 28, 2025. The release shipped on November 4, 2019 and follows Microsoft's Fixed Lifecycle Policy.
Is there an ESU for SQL Server 2019?
Microsoft has not announced Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2019. Its ESU programs for SQL Server have covered 2012, 2014 and 2016. Plan on the extended support end date as the real deadline.
What should I upgrade SQL Server 2019 to?
SQL Server 2022 or SQL Server 2025. Both are still in mainstream support, and both can run a database at compatibility level 150, the SQL Server 2019 level, so the engine upgrade and the compatibility level change can be done as separate steps.
Related
- SQL Server 2019 — the live status page with its EOL Risk Score
- SQL Server · SQL Server End of Life — every version's dates
- SQL Server 2016 End of Life — what ended, and the ESU terms
- How we verify our dates — the rules every number on this site is held to