If you have been using any Windows operating system before you may be aware of what is known as end of life (EOL for short) and this is where you can expect the manufacturer (OEM) of the software you are using to cease support for your software product.
Quick Note: Read to the end of this article we have added a bonus section in where you can find the end of life for all different products and software’s from iPhones, Smartphones, Internet Browsers, and more.
We will explain more about the end of life below and what problems it can bring with Windows 2019 end of life or any Windows operating system.
What Exactly Is Windows 2019 End Of Life?
The Windows 2019 end of life is regarding the specific Windows 2019 server edition and how long Microsoft will continue to bring out updates and security patches for this specific Windows operating system.
But when someone talks about EOL dates they can be referring to any product you are talking about which can even be other software such as Adobe Photoshop, CAD programs right down to software such as music programs like Traktor.
See What Makes Windows Operating Systems So Popular In 2023.
What Is End Of Life In General?
In general end of life regarding software is when the software version or the product itself becomes not supported or even maintained by the app developer or vendor.
This means you would be forced to upgrade your software version or buy the latest software version of whatever software you using which has become end-of-life.
The Dangers Of Using End Of Life Software
So if you have a software such as Windows Server 2019 or a home-based Microsoft Windows such as Windows 10 and you allow the end of life (EOL) to pass then using the software can become dangerous for these reasons below.
- Security – The software will become more vulnerable to exploits and hackers due to the software developers or OEM not releasing the much-needed security patches when an exploit is found within their system.
- Lack Of Support – If your software has now become end of life you can expect little or no support from the software developers due to you needing to use the newer more updated version of the software.
- Obsolete Features – Due to you using an end-of-life product the features which the software has won’t be up to date and aligning up with the latest trends in technology advances.
- Compliance and Legality Problems – Depending on the software’s licensing agreements, continuing to use it after its end of life may result in legal and compliance issues
- Compatability Issues – If the software you using needs to talk to other pieces of hardware then you may find shortly the hardware can stop working and talking to your software causing reduced functionality and system crashes.
So as you can see with just some of the reasons above you must make sure to use an up-to-date version of the software and not to run end of life software especially when it comes to Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Now we have fully cleared what end of life is let’s look at end of life regarding Windows operating systems such as the Windows Server 2019.
When Is Windows Server 2019 End Of Life (EOL)?
Microsoft Windows has stated the end of life for Windows Server 2019 will be on September 30 2022 which has currently passed.
The Windows 2019 edition was discontinued on October 31st, 2022 which means this was the last day any of the licenses for Windows Server 2019 was shipped out.
Then finally on November 30 2022, there is no Windows Server 2019 to be distributed by official Microsoft distributors.
See our article on Windows XP End Of Life (Is It Still Usable).
Should I Be Using Windows 2019 – Server Edition?
No, you should not use Windows Server 2019 anymore ideally in an online environment.
The 2019 server edition will continue to receive security updates until the 1st of September 2029 which if you are still using this server edition, can keep it safe.
The reason why we say no is you will not receive any new features and regarding what you are using your Windows 2019 Server for you might find it can be unstable or buggy which is not ideal in a live environment where money is on the line.
See The Benefits Of Updating From Windows 10 To Windows 11.
Your IT department and technicians should have made the upgrade to Windows Server 2022 which is much better and has an end of life of October 2026 which is far away before you will need to upgrade the server edition again.
If you have not already upgraded from Windows 2019 end of life then think about going up to Windows Server 2022 for peace of mind and the latest in features and much more.
All Microsoft Windows Servers End Of Life Dates
Below we have put together a table of all the end of lifes of the Windows server eiditions up to the current Microsoft Windows Server 2022 edition.
Microsoft Windows Server Editions End of Life
| Server Edition | Release Date | End of Life Date |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2003 | April 24, 2003 | July 14, 2015 |
| Windows Server 2008 | February 27, 2008 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | October 22, 2009 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows Server 2012 | September 4, 2012 | October 9, 2018 |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | October 18, 2013 | October 9, 2018 |
| Windows Server 2016 | October 12, 2016 | January 11, 2022 |
| Windows Server 2019 | October 2, 2018 | January 9, 2024 |
| Windows Server 2022 | August 1, 2021 | October 13, 2026 |
See How You Can Change Microsoft Windows Hardware ID’s.
Bonus Section – End Of Life For All Software And Products
As promised we have added a bonus section in our article where you can not only find out the end of life dates for Microsoft Windows operating systems but also for smartphones such as iPhones, Google pixels, Mozilla Firefox, even down to databases such as MySQL, or programming languages such as Python and PHP.
To see a big database full of end of life dates for a range of digital softwares and hardware be sure to check out The End Of Life Date Website which will give you many EOL dates across all products.
Conclusion
So now you know everything you need to when it comes to software and operating systems such as Windows 2019 Server end of life and what you need to do to make sure you are keeping a safe server environment and how to get the latest security patches and updates.