On October 14, 2025, 9 months from today, Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 reach end of support. After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support for problems t...
Updated Jan 23, 2025
Version 3.0
Blog Post
Nino_Bilic
Microsoft
MicrosoftNote that the article you referred to works ONLY if you have Exchange 2019 management tools installed. This will NOT work with Exchange 2016 management tools. In other words - you will have to extend the schema and prepare AD for Exchange 2019 (today, the newest version is Exchange 2019 CU14) and then install "management tools" on let's say a Windows workstation. There are a few more steps needed as per this bookmark in the article: Manage recipients in Exchange Server 2019 Hybrid environments | Microsoft Learn
Once this is installed, the step 4 there will start the configuration of how to run PS from that workstation so it DOES NOT use the Exchange server you have installed currently. You will need to go through all of those steps, including on how to launch that PowerShell session on that workstation. That eventually gets you to Step 8 - which is where you should be able to create / manage objects even if you turned the Exchange 2016 server off (as a temporary test). Only after this works would you consider running the script mentioned later in the document to remove (not uninstall!) the last E2016 server.
Nino, We are also in same boat. we have one E2k16 server only to manage recipient. If I understand correctly, I just have to extend schema and prepare AD for Exchange 2019 CU15. After this we don't have to install full E2k19 but just Managment tools of E2k19 CU15. Then gracefully shutdown E2k16 server with out uninstalling server.
Will this allow us to in place upgrade to Exchange Server Subscription Edition when it is released?
I just want to make sure if we will be allowed to inplace upgrade to Exchange Server SE whenever it is available.
- Nino_Bilic
...gracefully shut down the E2016, yes and then validate that everything works as expected. Then, run the CleanupActiveDirectory script Manage recipients in Exchange Server 2019 Hybrid environments | Microsoft Learn.
Once the script runs, it will remove the server object for Exchange 2016 from Active Directory, and at that point you can reformat that Exchange server and use it for something else. Then when you introduce Exchange SE, no matter which version, it will not complain because Exchange 2016 will not be in Active Directory anymore...