PSA: Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 Support Ends in 6 Months

Microsoft has issued a reminder to administrators: Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 will officially reach end of support this October. The company is urging IT teams to plan migration now to avoid security vulnerabilities and service disruptions.

Microsoft dropped mainstream support for Exchange Server 2019 on January 9, 2024, whereas Exchange Server 2016’s mainstream support ended in October 2020. Starting on October 14, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, and technical support for both Exchange Server 2016 and 2019.

“Customer installations of Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019 will of course continue to run after October 14, 2025. However, continuing to use these offerings after the end-of-support date invites potential security risks, so we strongly recommend taking action now,” the Exchange team explained.

What does the end of support for Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 mean for IT admins?

Microsoft recommends that administrators either migrate to Exchange Online or prepare to upgrade to the upcoming Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE). However, SE is not expected to launch until July 2025. This means that organizations will only have three months to complete their migration before support for Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 officially ends in October.

Microsoft clarified that Exchange Server SE is essentially a rebranded version of Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update (CU) 15. The initial release (RTM) of SE will share the same code base and include all subsequent security updates.

“If you are running Exchange 2016, we recommend that you perform a legacy (a.k.a. side-by-side) upgrade to Exchange 2019 now and then perform an in-place upgrade to Exchange Server SE once it’s released. You do have the option of a legacy upgrade from Exchange 2016 to Exchange Server SE RTM, skipping Exchange 2019 completely,” the Exchange team added.

Enterprise administrators are unlikely to deploy a new version of Exchange Server without thorough testing within their organizations. Microsoft has a history of releasing software that occasionally doesn’t perform as expected, and many administrators prefer to wait for the first Cumulative Update (CU) for Exchange Server SE. This initial CU typically includes crucial fixes and improvements based on early user feedback.

Earlier this month, Microsoft detailed its plan to increase prices for its standalone on-premises server products (including SharePoint Server, Exchange Server, and Skype for Business Server) by 10% in July. However, the pricing change won’t impact SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, or Microsoft Teams.