Microsoft has ended support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016. Their final regular security updates were released on October 13, 2026. Windows Server 2016 reaches the end of extended support on January 12, 2027, leaving organizations with two closely spaced deadlines for migrating clients and servers.<\/p>\n
Extended Security Updates (ESU) can provide a temporary bridge, but the programs have different requirements. Organizations need to check eligibility, inventory affected systems, and plan migration work well before the server deadline.<\/p>\n
The Windows 10 LTSB editions lose support three months before Windows Server 2016. Paid ESU for the 2016 client editions became available on April 1, 2026. Organizations migrating clients and their related services separately should account for dependencies between them.<\/p>\n
Other products are reaching important support milestones, too. Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 ended support on October 13, 2026. Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 completed their final year of ESU, while Windows Server 2022 moved into extended support, which runs through October 2031.<\/p>\n
Windows Server 2016\u2019s end of support also affects components including Hyper-V Server 2016, Windows Storage Server 2016, Windows Server Update Services, Windows Defender, IIS 10, and .NET Framework 4.6.2. Support for the System Center 2016 products ends one day earlier.<\/p>\n
There is also an important distinction between the two Windows 10 LTSC successors. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 support ends on January 12, 2027, after which it has its own ESU program. Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, however, receives regular support through January 2032.<\/p>\n
ESU provides up to three years of security updates for issues rated \u201ccritical\u201d and \u201cimportant.\u201d It does not include new features, nonsecurity fixes, or regular technical support. It should be treated as a temporary measure while systems are migrated.<\/p>\n
Windows 10 Enterprise and IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016 require at least the September 2026 servicing stack update, KB5122874<\/a>, and security update KB5123099<\/a>, or newer updates, before activation.<\/p>\n For the Enterprise edition, administrators can obtain a Multiple Activation Key through the Volume Licensing section of the Microsoft 365 admin center. The relevant Entra ID account must have the Product Key Reader or VL Administrator role. The IoT edition\u2019s key comes from the device manufacturer\u2019s OEM partner, which may be difficult to locate for older industrial PCs.<\/p>\n Microsoft has not published a price for the LTSB 2016 ESU program. The often-cited $61 per device for the first year applies to a different program for Windows 10 Version 22H2, not LTSB 2016.<\/p>\n Windows Server 2016 ESU can be configured through Azure Arc, with billing beginning January 13, 2027, and coverage available through 2030. For on-premises workloads, organizations still need active Software Assurance or an equivalent Server Subscription. Azure Arc does not remove that licensing requirement.<\/p>\n Microsoft\u2019s statements about ESU costs for systems moved to cloud environments are not fully consistent. Azure Local is explicitly described as a paid case, while some documentation describes ESU for Azure VMs and Azure VMware Solution as free. Organizations should verify the terms for their specific deployment rather than assume that moving a server will eliminate ESU costs.<\/p>\n A migration or ESU decision should start with an inventory and licensing review. The assessment should include:<\/p>\n Some Windows Server upgrades can span multiple versions. With Windows Server 2025, nonclustered systems can, for example, be upgraded from Windows Server 2012 R2. An in-place upgrade can preserve settings, roles, and data, but it may also carry forward obsolete drivers, service accounts, and other accumulated problems. Administrators should test backups and schedule an adequate maintenance window. Clustered systems have separate upgrade paths.<\/p>\n For Active Directory Domain Services, Microsoft recommends rebuilding rather than performing an in-place upgrade: install and promote new domain controllers, then demote the old ones. Windows Server 2025 requires forest and domain functional levels of at least Windows Server 2016.<\/p>\n Windows Server 2025 is one possible migration destination. Its mainstream support runs through November 13, 2029, and extended support through November 14, 2034.<\/p>\n Supported installations can use hotpatching to apply security updates without restarting. Arc-managed servers do not incur an additional charge for this feature, though regular baseline updates that require a restart are still necessary. Requirements include Windows Server 2025 build 26100.1742 or later, an Azure Arc connection, and UEFI with Secure Boot and virtualization-based security enabled. Hyper-V virtual machines must be Generation 2.<\/p>\n For specialized industrial devices, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 has support through October 2034. The standard Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 edition reaches end of support in October 2029. The IoT edition is intended for devices with a fixed purpose, not as a replacement for general-purpose office desktops.<\/p>\n Organizations working toward the January 12, 2027, server deadline should resolve licensing, application compatibility, and maintenance windows now. Microsoft says an ESU activation key can take three to five business days to become available after purchase, before allowing for testing and deployment. Waiting until December could leave little time to address problems.<\/p>\n The choice between ESU and migration is not simply a price comparison. For Windows Server 2016, licensing remains a key condition even when Azure Arc is involved, while related components may also be nearing end of support. ESU can buy time, but a thorough inventory and migration plan are still essential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Microsoft has ended support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016. Their final regular security updates were released on October 13, 2026.\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":11462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cheapwindowsvps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Inventory and assess before choosing a path<\/h2>\n
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Longer-term targets<\/h2>\n
Plan ahead<\/h2>\n