Updated: June 3, 2024 (June 3, 2024)

Exchange Server Customers Must Upgrade in 2025

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration and content management. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s technology... more

[June 3, 2024: Added links to detailed rollout guidance from the Microsoft Exchange team, security warnings]

Exchange Server customers should start planning to upgrade to a new version or migrate off the software by Oct. 2025.
The first move for Exchange 2016 customers who decide to upgrade: pre-upgrade to Exchange Server 2019, if possible.

Customers who keep Exchange Server should expect higher subscription fees, more frequent update rollouts, and few new capabilities.Customers who want to keep Exchange Server and Microsoft support should plan to migrate to a new version in Oct. 2025, when all other versions of Exchange Server leave support. (See “Exchange Server Roadmap Overview“.)

Another Version of Exchange Server: Why?

Most e-mail seats are now cloud-hosted, and Exchange Online should be the default choice for upgrades to current Exchange Server systems. Nevertheless, some customers still keep Exchange Server because (for example):

The customer fears that Microsoft cannot invest enough in

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