- Microsoft has ended all support for the Vista/Server 2008 codebase
- Standard, ESU, and even PA support deadlines are all exceeded
- Windows Server 2012 is next, ESU ends October 2026
Microsoft has officially ended all remaining support for the Windows Vista codebase as of January 13, 2026, after approximately 18 years of support since the launch of Windows Vista, meaning that Windows Server 2008 has also ended.
Most customers lost support in January 2020, with Extended Security Updates (ESU) available for three more years until January 2023 (or four for Azure customers, until January 2024).
However, some organizations benefiting from Premium Insurance (PA) have been granted until January 2026. Although PA has long been phased out, existing contracts have been honoured, but the time has come for them too to end.
Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista finally rest in peace
Windows Vista was never particularly popular, accounting for about one in four Windows installations at its peak, and at a time when its predecessor Windows XP still accounted for more or less the other three in four installations.
XP remained more popular than Vista until the end, with both falling below 1% market share during the Windows 10 era.
Microsoft explained in a previous support article that free on-premises security updates, non-security updates, free support options, and online technical content updates would no longer be available. At that time, they were asked to migrate to Azure to benefit from three additional years of critical and important security updates.
While it’s entirely plausible that businesses will want to continue using Windows Server 2008, most will have already migrated to stay protected against bugs and vulnerabilities. More importantly, the news that the 2008 version has been completely retired comes just months before the same thing happens to Windows Server 2012.
Another support article confirms the ESU end date for Azure and non-Azure hosted versions: October 13, 2026.
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