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SQL Server End of Life: Every Version, 2012 to 2025, Support End Dates

By Scott Bissett  ·  Published: September 18, 2026  ·  Reference guide  ·  Dates are re-read from Microsoft's product lifecycle pages twice a day.

Microsoft SQL Server (MS SQL Server) end-of-life dates, newest deadline first: SQL Server 2016 ended on July 14, 2026; SQL Server 2017 ends on October 12, 2027; SQL Server 2019 ends on January 8, 2030. Those are the ends of extended support, the last day Microsoft ships a security fix without a paid program. Only SQL Server 2022 and 2025 are still in mainstream support. Microsoft sells Extended Security Updates for 2016 and 2014; the 2012 program has already finished.

The two phases, in one line each. Mainstream support is five years of fixes, features and design changes. Extended support is five more years of security fixes only. "End of life" for SQL Server means the end of extended support. After that, the only fixes are Extended Security Updates (ESU), a paid program of up to three years that Microsoft has offered for 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Quick answer: Microsoft SQL Server 2025 is supported until January 6, 2036, its end-of-support date. Active support for Microsoft SQL Server 2025 ends on January 6, 2031; security fixes continue until that end-of-life date. The next Microsoft SQL Server version to reach end of life is 2017 'Helsinki', on October 12, 2027. 32 of 36 tracked Microsoft SQL Server versions are past end of life; the most recent to reach it, 2016 SP3 Azure Connect Pack, did so on July 14, 2026. Every Microsoft SQL Server version's release and end-of-support date is on the Microsoft SQL Server lifecycle page.

Every version in one table

VersionInternal versionMainstream support endsExtended support ends (end of life)ESU ends
SQL Server 202517.0January 6, 2031January 6, 2036Not announced
SQL Server 202216.0January 11, 2028January 11, 2033Not announced
SQL Server 201915.0February 28, 2025January 8, 2030Not announced
SQL Server 201714.0October 11, 2022October 12, 2027Not announced
SQL Server 2016 (Service Pack 3)13.0EndedJuly 14, 2026July 17, 2029
SQL Server 2014 (Service Pack 3)12.0EndedJuly 9, 2024July 12, 2027
SQL Server 2012 (Service Pack 4)11.0EndedJuly 12, 2022July 8, 2025

SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 and everything older are long past every program. Our live status and EOL Risk Score for each version is on the SQL Server page.

Running SQL Server past end of life?
Extended support past the official EOL date exists for many products in this position — whether it covers SQL Server is exactly what we check. Tell us where to reach you and we’ll reply with matched options and pricing guidance — or an honest “no vendor covers this.” Free, no obligation.

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The service-pack trap on 2016 and older

Through SQL Server 2016, the dates above apply only to the final service pack. Each earlier service pack, and the original release, lost support much sooner: the original SQL Server 2016 release was out of support on January 9, 2018, Service Pack 1 on July 9, 2019 and Service Pack 2 on October 11, 2022. An instance that reports "SQL Server 2016" in an inventory may have been unsupported for years. Check the build number, not the product name. From SQL Server 2017 on, Microsoft stopped shipping service packs and services each version with cumulative updates, so one set of dates applies to the whole version.

This is also why a tool that reduces a build number to "13.0" and looks up a date gets the wrong answer. Our own API refuses to date a SQL Server build it cannot tie to one service pack, and says so.

Extended Security Updates

ESUs are security fixes only, sold in annual terms for up to three years after the end of extended support. SQL Server 2016 is in its first ESU year now and the program runs to July 17, 2029; the terms and which editions qualify are in our SQL Server 2016 guide. SQL Server 2014 is in its last ESU year, ending July 12, 2027. The SQL Server 2012 program finished on July 8, 2025. Microsoft has not announced ESUs for 2017 or later; do not plan on them.

What to do, by version

  1. 2012 and older: no fixes of any kind exist. Migrate, or isolate the instance and treat it as an accepted, documented risk with a date.
  2. 2014: the ESU program ends on July 12, 2027, and nothing follows it. Treat that as the migration deadline.
  3. 2016: out of support since July 14, 2026. Either buy ESUs this year or be on a supported version. Confirm the instance is actually on Service Pack 3 first: ESUs cover Enterprise and Standard editions running Service Pack 3 only.
  4. 2017: security fixes end on October 12, 2027. It is the next version to go, and no ESU has been announced. Start the upgrade early enough to finish before that date.
  5. 2019: security fixes only since February 28, 2025. Not a target for new deployments.
  6. Choosing a target: SQL Server 2022 or 2025. Check the Windows Server version underneath at the same time: Windows Server 2016 ends on January 12, 2027 and often sits under exactly these databases.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is SQL Server 2019 end of life?

SQL Server 2019 reaches the end of extended support on January 8, 2030. Mainstream support ended on February 28, 2025, so it now receives security fixes only.

When is SQL Server 2017 end of life?

SQL Server 2017 reaches the end of extended support on October 12, 2027. Mainstream support ended on October 11, 2022.

Is SQL Server 2016 still supported?

No. SQL Server 2016 reached the end of extended support on July 14, 2026. Microsoft sells Extended Security Updates for it, which run to July 17, 2029 and deliver security fixes only.

Which SQL Server versions are still in mainstream support?

SQL Server 2022, with mainstream support to January 11, 2028, and SQL Server 2025, with mainstream support to January 6, 2031. Every older version is in extended support or past it.

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