Extended Security Updates
The latest Extended Security Updates coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Microsoft Confirms: Exchange 2016/2019 Security Updates End Forever in October 2026
Microsoft has confirmed there will be no third Extended Security Update period for Exchange Server 2016 and 2019. The current Period 2 coverage—the final extension—expires when October 2026 ends....
Last Call for Windows Server 2012 R2 Security Patches: Deadline Is October 13, 2026
Microsoft has drawn a hard line under Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2: October 13, 2026 is the final date any new security patches will ship for these platforms....
Microsoft Ends SQL Server 2016 Support: Your Options from ESUs to SQL Server 2025 Migration
Microsoft is pulling the plug on SQL Server 2016’s extended support today, July 14, 2026, closing a 10-year lifecycle that began with its June 2016 release. The database engine won’t suddenly...
Windows 10 Endpoints Now Average 1,903 Security Holes Each, Lansweeper Finds
More than 16% of Windows enterprise PCs still run Windows 10, and each one carries an average of 1,903 actively tracked vulnerabilities, according to new telemetry from asset management firm...
Windows 10 LTSB 2016 Support Ends October 13, 2026: ESU, Migration, and Replacement Options
Machines running Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016 will stop receiving free security patches on October 13, 2026. That deadline—firm and non-negotiable—forces...
21% of Windows Devices Are Still on Windows 10. The Upgrade Rush Is Over—Now Comes the Hard Part.
Eight months after Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows 10 support, roughly 21% of Windows devices are still running the obsolete operating system, according to new inventory data from Lansweeper....
Exchange Server’s July Patches Fix Critical Flaws, but Don’t Remove the Old Mitigation Until July 16
On July 14, Microsoft released a set of security updates for Exchange Server that patch four newly disclosed vulnerabilities—including a remote code execution flaw—and deliver a permanent fix for...
KB5099539 Ships to Windows 10 ESU: OLE Automation Fix and Networking Crackdown
Microsoft delivered cumulative update KB5099539 to Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) and LTSC systems on July 14, 2026—the July Patch Tuesday—patching a disruptive OLE Automation...
Dual Retirement: Windows 11 24H2 and Office 2021 Both Exit Support on October 13, 2026 — What You Must Do Now
Microsoft has marked October 13, 2026, as the day when two of its most widely used products — Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro editions, and Office LTSC 2021 — will simultaneously reach the...
Microsoft Emails Say Windows 10 ESU Extended to 2027—Here's What You Need to Know
Microsoft has begun telling Windows 10 users what many had hoped: the security patches they rely on will keep coming through October 12, 2027. In an email that landed in Outlook “Other” folders...
Your Windows Server 2016 Deadline Isn’t July 2026 — It’s January 2027, and That Changes Everything
Microsoft’s end-of-support calendar just tripped up IT planners who assumed Windows Server 2016 and SQL Server 2016 share the same drop-dead date. They don’t. SQL Server 2016 leaves extended...
Microsoft Extends Free Windows 10 Security Updates Until October 2027 — What It Means for Your PC
Microsoft has quietly handed Windows 10 users a three-year reprieve. Consumer security updates, originally slated to end in October 2025, will now continue at no cost through October 12, 2027. The...