Transfer everything from old computer to new computer with Windows 11
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Research data: Windows and migration statistics
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Corporate Windows 11 migration
User Profile Migration to new PC / new domain
How To Migrate Local Profiles to Azure AD
Migration to Server 2019 / 2016
Transfer everything from old computer to new computer with Windows 11
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Research data: Windows and migration statistics
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Corporate Windows 11 migration
User Profile Migration to new PC / new domain
How To Migrate Local Profiles to Azure AD
Migration to Server 2019 / 2016
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Move To New PC - Compare Options
Migration Kit Pro - Advanced Transfer
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Updated June 2026 · 2 minute read
Windows Server 2016 End of Life: Your Migration Options
Windows Server 2016 is at the end of the road: mainstream support ended back in January 2022, and extended support ends on January 12, 2027. After that – no security updates. If your workloads still run on 2016, this is the planning window.
Your options
- In-place upgrade. Microsoft supports upgrading Server 2016 toward newer versions (including the Server 2025 generation). It keeps what’s on the machine – but it also keeps every problem the old installation has, and a failed upgrade takes the server down with it. Test thoroughly, snapshot first.
- Migrate to a fresh server (recommended). Stand up a clean Server 2025 / 2022 – new hardware or a VM – and migrate the workloads onto it. Clean OS, no inherited baggage, and the old server stays untouched as your fallback during the cutover.
- Move to the cloud. Same migration logic, with an Azure/AWS VM as the destination.
The hard part is the applications
Files and roles are the easy 20%. The applications – SQL Server, your line-of-business software, their configurations, shares and permissions – are what actually keeps you on 2016. Reinstalling them by hand (if anyone still remembers how) is what makes these projects take weeks.
To migrate the entire environment – applications included – use Zinstall WinServ: it moves applications, databases, settings, shares, permissions and data from the 2016 server to the new one, between any Windows Server versions.
Ready to retire your Server 2016 - applications included?
Looking for evaluation licenses / volume pricing / more information?
Email us at sales@zinstall.com for assistance.
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