Windows 10 LTSB 2016 out of support, Server 2016 follows on 12 January 2027: what admins should plan

On 13 October 2026 regular support ended for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 and IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016, with the last update that day. Windows Server 2016 follows on 12 January 2027. On 19 October heise put together what administrators now have to decide. The short version: two deadlines sit three months apart, and ESU buys time but not a solution.

Sources: heise, 19 October 2026, and Microsoft's lifecycle page for Windows Server 2016. Microsoft publishes no price for LTSB 2016 ESU. (Quelle: File via Wikimedia Commons)

The dates

Microsoft's lifecycle page lists Windows Server 2016 with a start on 15 October 2016, mainstream support ending 12 January 2022 and extended support ending 13 January 2027, 06:59, in Pacific Time. heise gives 12 January as the deadline. To be safe, plan with the earlier day.

Dates per heise; Microsoft's lifecycle page confirms the server end date to within a day (12 or 13 January). (Quelle: heise, 19 Oct 2026)

heise also reports that regular support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 ends on 12 January 2027, and that its ESU programme does not cover the IoT edition. Products tied to Server 2016 go with it: Hyper-V Server 2016, WSUS, IIS 10 and .NET Framework 4.6.2. The System Center 2016 family, including Operations Manager and Virtual Machine Manager, loses support one day earlier. Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 ended on 13 October 2026. Windows Server 2022 moves into extended support, which runs until October 2031.

What ESU covers and costs

ESU for Windows 10 LTSB 2016 is paid and runs for up to three years. The prerequisites are servicing stack update KB5122874 and security update KB5123099 from September 2026 or newer. The Enterprise edition gets its key (a MAK) through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, and the Entra account needs the Product Key Reader or VL Administrator role. For the IoT edition the key comes from the OEM partner. Per heise, Microsoft has named no public price.

For Server 2016, ESU can be configured through Azure Arc since 3 August, updates run to 2030, and billing starts on 13 January 2027. On-premises workloads require active Software Assurance or an equivalent server subscription, and SPLA is not available for this ESU. Whether moving to Azure automatically brings free ESU is unclear, says heise: Azure Local is documented as paid, while other Microsoft pages describe Azure VMs and Azure VMware Solution as free.

ESU delivers critical and important security updates only. New features, other fixes and regular technical support are excluded. heise sums it up this way: ESU can buy time for the move, but it replaces neither the inventory nor the migration.

Where the inventory starts

heise names an order that fits most environments:

Check hardware: Windows 11 needs TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and a supported CPU.
Test applications against a current .NET runtime.
Record server roles, licences and connected software such as backup agents and monitoring.
Settle Software Assurance or a server subscription before you build on Azure Arc ESU.

For domain controllers the article advises against in-place upgrades. Microsoft recommends installing new domain controllers, promoting them and then demoting the old ones. Server 2025 needs a forest and domain functional level of at least Windows Server 2016. On non-clustered systems in-place upgrades can skip several versions, though leftover legacy settings may remain.

One date is easy to miss: the MAK can take three to five working days after purchase. Ordering in December risks missing the deadline.

What we take from it

No blanket recommendation follows from the sources, because price and licence position depend on your contract. One step applies everywhere: a list of every system running Windows 10 LTSB 2016, Server 2016 and the companion products above, with role, owner and target date. Only then can you decide what to migrate and what to bridge with ESU.