On October 14, 2025, one month from now, Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 will reach end of support. It’s critical to upgrade now to remain supported and secure.
After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, meaning that Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019 users will no longer receive:
- Bug fixes for issues that may impact the stability and usability of the server.
- Security fixes for vulnerabilities that may make the server vulnerable to security breaches.
- Time zone updates.
Customer installations of Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019 will 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.
Our recommendation is for customers to migrate to Exchange Online or to upgrade to Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE).
Migrate to Exchange Online or Microsoft 365
We strongly believe that customers get the best value and user experience by migrating fully to Exchange Online or Microsoft 365. Migrating to the cloud is the best and simplest option to help you retire your Exchange Server deployment. When you migrate to the Microsoft cloud, you make a straightforward hop away from an on-premises deployment and benefit from new features and technologies, including advanced generative AI technologies that are available in the cloud but not on-premises.
If you’re migrating to the cloud, you might be eligible to use our Microsoft FastTrack service. FastTrack shares best practices and provides tools and resources to make your migration as seamless as possible. Best of all, you’ll have a support engineer helping you, from planning and designing to migrating your last mailbox. For more information about FastTrack, see Microsoft FastTrack.
Upgrade to Exchange Server SE
In July 2025, we announced the general availability of Exchange Server SE with details on how to upgrade if you intend to continue to run Exchange Server on-premises.
- If you are running Exchange 2019, we recommend that you upgrade in-place to Exchange Server SE.
- If you are running Exchange 2016, we recommend that you perform a legacy (a.k.a. side-by-side) upgrade directly to Exchange Server SE.
Note: If you still have Exchange Server 2013 or earlier in your organization, you must first remove it before you can install Exchange Server 2019 CU15 or upgrade to Exchange Server SE.
Exchange Server Technology Adoption Program
If your organization intends to continue running Exchange Server and you want to test and evaluate pre-release builds of Exchange Server SE releases, you can apply to join the Exchange Server Technology Adoption Program (TAP).
Joining the Exchange Server TAP has several advantages, such as the ability to provide input and feedback on future updates, develop a close relationship with the Exchange Server engineering team, receive pre-release information about Exchange Server, and more. TAP members also get support from Microsoft at no additional charge for issues related to the TAP.
All nominations are reviewed and screened prior to acceptance. No customers are allowed access to any pre-release downloads or information until all legal paperwork is properly executed. Nomination does not mean acceptance, as not all nominees will be chosen for the TAP. If you are preliminarily accepted, we will contact you to get the required paperwork started.
Whether or not you join the TAP program, you can evaluate Exchange SE in your organization today by downloading it from Exchange Server Subscription Edition RTM.
Exchange Server Engineering Team
Microsoft
