Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › windows-server › get-started › extended-security-updates-overview
Overview of Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012, and 2012 R2 | Microsoft Learn
Extended support for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 ended on October 10, 2023.
Microsoft Community Hub
techcommunity.microsoft.com › microsoft community hub › communities › products › windows › windows it pro blog
Windows Server 2012/R2: Extended Security Updates | Windows IT Pro Blog
December 1, 2023 - You can now get three additional years of Extended Security Updates (ESUs) if you need more time to upgrade and modernize your Windows Server 2012, Windows Server R2, or Windows Embedded Server 2012 R2 on Azure.
Videos
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Windows Server 2012 und 2012 R2 End of Support - YouTube
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End of support for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 - YouTube
Reddit
reddit.com › r/sysadmin › microsoft extending server 2012 support
r/sysadmin on Reddit: Microsoft Extending Server 2012 Support
November 15, 2023 -
It would seem that microsoft has decided to extend support for 2012 another 3 years. Well at least we got some old stuff migrated that management might not have given the budget for in any other case.
https://blog.trustedtechteam.com/2023-11-13-microsoft-announces-three-year-extension-for-windows-server-2012-esus/
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https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/extended-security-updates-deploy You also have to buy special ESU License keys to qualify for the Extended support and updates So don't assume you'll just keep getting patches on your existing servers.
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Actually, I don’t get it why that is mentioned as a new information. Wasn’t it already published on the products' lifecycle website months ago?
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › lifecycle › announcements › windows-server-2012-r2-end-of-support
Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 reaching end of support - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Learn
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will end on October 10, 2023. After this date, these products will no longer receive security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates.
Keller Schroeder
kellerschroeder.com › home › windows server 2012 r2 extended security updates
Windows Server 2012 R2 Extended Security Updates - Keller Schroeder
November 14, 2023 - Although most IT departments have been able to upgrade or migrate away from these servers, there may still be mission critical applications running on Windows Server 2012R2 that do not have an update available yet. For those instances Microsoft is able to offer the Extended Security Updates program. What is the Extended Security Updates Program (ESU)? It is a last resort for customers who need to run legacy Microsoft products past the end of support date.
BleepingComputer
bleepingcomputer.com › home › news › microsoft › microsoft extends windows server 2012 esus to october 2026
Microsoft extends Windows Server 2012 ESUs to October 2026
November 10, 2023 - "You can now get three additional years of Extended Security Updates (ESUs) if you need more time to upgrade and modernize your Windows Server 2012, Windows Server R2, or Windows Embedded Server 2012 R2 on Azure," Microsoft said.
Directions on Microsoft
directionsonmicrosoft.com › home › microsoft adds another way to get windows server 2012 and 2012 r2 extended security updates
Microsoft adds another way to get Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Security Updates - Directions on Microsoft
April 19, 2025 - Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 will no longer be supported after October 10, 2023. This means organizations still using these server editions won’t be eligible for security updates after that date — unless they acquire Extended Security ...
Northwestern University
services.northwestern.edu › TDClient › 30 › Portal › KB › ArticleDet
Enabling Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012
To obtain Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Year 3, you must have previously purchased ESU licenses for Year 1 and Year 2.
Windows Central
windowscentral.com › software apps
Microsoft extends Windows Server 2012 lifeline to help admins transition to Windows Server 2022 (UPDATED)
November 13, 2023 - This shouldn't be a surprise, as Microsoft had already issued a reminder at the beginning of this year. The statement explains that extended support for all Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 editions is set to end on October 10, 2023.
Trellix
thrive.trellix.com › s › article › KB96825
Support for Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2
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FB Pro
fb-pro.com › home › windows server 2012/r2 – end of support: what you should do now
Windows Server 2012/R2 - End of support: What you should do now - FB Pro GmbH
August 4, 2025 - The German website Winfuture.de ... out in recent years that support for Windows Server 2012/R2 will be discontinued in October 2023....
Softlanding
softlanding.ca › extended support for windows server 2012 and windows server 2012 r2 is ending this year
Extended Support for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 is ending this year | Softlanding
September 25, 2023 - The official end date for both Server 2012 and Server 2012 R2 is set for October 10, 2023. Beyond this critical date, Microsoft will stop to offer vital services, including security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, ...
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › lifecycle › products › windows-server-2012-r2
Windows Server 2012 R2 - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Edge version 109 will receive critical security fixes and fixes for known exploit bugs until October 10, 2023, on these platforms. Please go here to learn more. Support dates are shown in the Pacific Time Zone (PT) - Redmond, WA, USA.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/defenderatp › when extended support ends for 2012r2 does that also mean ms defender will no longer be updated?
r/DefenderATP on Reddit: When extended support ends for 2012R2 does that also mean MS Defender will no longer be updated?
June 11, 2023 -
I've been asked to test onboarding of W2K12 R2 which seems like a waste of time since I realize extended support for 2012 R2 ends on 10/10/23. In order to support my argument against spending my time performing this task I'm seeking definitive clarification whether or not when extended support ends if that also means that 2012 R2 will no longer receive MS Defender related updates? I assume "security updates" includes Defender, but I would appreciate it if someone can point me to a KB that explicitly says that support for Defender is also ending, or that Defender updates are included in "security updates." Thanks in advance.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/announcements/windows-server-2012-r2-end-of-support
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You can buy ESU from Microsoft. It’s security only updates for additional 3 years. It’s free on Azure, on prem 75% licensing cost year 1, 100% year 2 and 125% year 3
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Historically I've seen critical vulnerabilities patched even outside support windows. However, msft staff isn't going to let you use their standard support path for direct support. You maybe able to purchase extended support and effectively create another support path to provide it. F/e I worked for a state government, and they have very old systems on extremely expired platforms. At that agency we purchased extended support licensing for sql 2003 I think. We hired an IBM DB3 exclusive contractor for ongoing operational support. (There are very few humans left that do this) So there are likely options to keep a legacy system running. I'd present those type of options unless running unsupported is a small risk scope.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/msp › best way to get extended support for server 2012r2
r/msp on Reddit: Best way to get Extended Support for Server 2012R2
May 9, 2023 -
Like everyone else, we are processing Server 2012R2 upgrades as fast as possible. Some of our larger clients are not ready to move their ERP systems and databases to newer versions yet or are exploring cloud solutions. What is the best way to get ESU on these Server 2012R2 production servers that wont be upgraded before their October EOL date?
I've read about Azure Arc being an option for on premise servers, but can't seem to find any pricing.
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https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/extended-security-updates On-premises and in hosted environments: Eligible customers will be able to purchase Extended Security Updates. Licenses are sold in 2 core packs for SQL Server and 16 core packs for Windows Server 2012, and are priced as below: Year 1: 100% of full license price annually* Year 2: 100% of full license price annually Year 3: 100% of full license price annually *SQL Server 2012 Year 1 ESUs were 75% of the full license price ---- What are the eligibility requirements for purchasing Extended Security Updates for use on-premises and in hosted environments? Software Assurance or an equivalent Server Subscription is required for customers to purchase Extended Security Updates on-premises and in hosted environments. Customers will be able to purchase Extended Security Updates via Enterprise Agreement (EA), Enterprise Subscription Agreement (EAS), a Server & Cloud Enrollment (SCE), and Enrollment for Education Solutions (EES). On Azure, customers do not need Software Assurance to get free Extended Security Updates, but Software Assurance or Server Subscription is required to take advantage of the Azure Hybrid Benefit.
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This comes up every time an OS goes EOL and the answer is that it's not cheap. I've found companies that couldn't pay to deal with upgrades in time almost never can pay for an ESU. The exception is if you can move to Azure and get the support benefit there, but again all these legacy environments probably don't want to move.
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Hello,
We have so many on prem virtual machines running windows 2012 servers in the environment and I was reading that there is buy option to extend the support for patching
and updates. I need help on how this can be accomplished.
Do we buy license from Microsoft ? What type of license?
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All covered here
learn.microsoft.comHow to get Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2,...
Learn how to get Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 after the end of their support lifecycle.
Note the specifics here about volume license requirements and what can be covered along with how
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowserver/forum/all/how-can-i-buy-esu-for-windows-server-2012-r2/6eaa67c0-0b0c-46ee-b48a-c548bb907b76
Broadcom
knowledge.broadcom.com › external › article › 407881 › extended-security-updates-for-windows-se.html
Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2
August 20, 2025 - In order to use IT Management Suite or Server Management Suite to distribute extended security updates for Windows Server 2012/R2, you must purchase an extended security update subscription for each server from Microsoft. In addition, you must purchase extended patch management support from ...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Windows_Server_2012
Windows Server 2012 - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - Windows Server 2012 reached the end of mainstream support on October 9, 2018 and entered the extended support phase, which ended on October 10, 2023. Microsoft announced in July 2021 that they will distribute paid Extended Security Updates for ...
Petri
petri.com › home › microsoft to offer three more years of windows server 2012 extended security updates
Microsoft Extends Windows Server 2012 ESUs Until 2026
November 14, 2023 - The company offered extended support for all editions of Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 until October 10, 2023.