SQL Server Builds: Complete Version List and Support Lifecycle

---

This is the reference I keep open for every SQL Server environment I touch. One page with the latest build for every version from 2012 to 2025, what each build number means, and exactly when each version falls out of support.

Everything here is pulled from the official Microsoft build tables and the Microsoft Lifecycle pages, never from memory. Each version section below links its sources.

---

Latest Builds at a Glance

The build to be on is the latest Cumulative Update for your version. Where the CU train has closed, the security build column is the one that moves.

Note: Service Packs ended with SQL Server 2016. From SQL Server 2017 onward there are only Cumulative Updates and GDR security releases.

---

How to Read a Build Number

A SQL Server build number like 16.0.4265.3 breaks down as major version . minor . build . revision. The major number maps to the product version: 17 is SQL Server 2025, 16 is 2022, 15 is 2019, 14 is 2017, 13 is 2016, 12 is 2014 and 11 is 2012. The third part is the one to watch, since it moves with every CU and GDR.

Two servicing trains matter. The CU train (build numbers in the 4000s) carries all fixes and is what most environments should follow. The GDR train (always a lower build number than the CU train for the same version) carries security fixes only, for servers that deliberately never take CUs. Once you install a CU you are on the CU train and stay there.

To see where an instance sits right now:

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion')  AS build,
       SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel')    AS level,
       SERVERPROPERTY('ProductUpdateLevel') AS cu,
       SERVERPROPERTY('Edition')         AS edition;

For a fleet-wide view against this list, my Get Patch Level script does the mapping for every instance you run it on.

---

Version Details

SQL Server 2025

Mainstream extended support until 6 January 2036

Current release. First version offering Standard Developer edition alongside Enterprise-based Developer.

Sources: SQL Server 2025 build versions (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2025 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

SQL Server 2022

Mainstream extended support until 11 January 2033

The most widely deployed current version. Still receiving regular CUs.

Sources: SQL Server 2022 build versions (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2022 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

SQL Server 2019

Extended ends 8 January 2030

Mainstream support ended 28 February 2025. CU32 was the final cumulative update; patching now means the CU32 + GDR security builds.

Sources: Latest updates and version history (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2019 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

SQL Server 2017

Extended ends 12 October 2027

In extended support until 12 October 2027. Security fixes still ship as CU31 + GDR builds.

Sources: Latest updates and version history (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2017 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

SQL Server 2016

Out of support · ESU since 14 July 2026

Extended support ended 14 July 2026. No more free security updates; Extended Security Updates (paid, or free in Azure) are the only patch path. July 2026 GDRs were the final regular updates.

Sources: Latest updates and version history (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2016 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

SQL Server 2014

Out of support · ESU since 9 July 2024

Extended support ended 9 July 2024. Last free security update was the October 2023 GDR. ESU coverage (paid, or free in Azure) runs to mid-2027.

Sources: Latest updates and version history (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2014 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

SQL Server 2012

Out of support since 12 July 2022

Fully out of support, including ESU. The February 2023 SP4 GDR is the last update that will ever ship.

Sources: Latest updates and version history (Microsoft Learn) · SQL Server 2012 lifecycle (Microsoft Lifecycle). Accessed 15 August 2026.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

---

Sources

Primary sources, checked 15 August 2026:

• Latest updates and version history (Microsoft Learn)
  Complete build tables (RTM/SP/CU/GDR + KB + release date) for every version, and the latest-updates summary table.
• SQL Server 2025 build versions (Microsoft Learn)
  SQL Server 2025 CU and GDR builds cross-check (doc dated 2026-08-13).
• SQL Server 2022 build versions (Microsoft Learn)
  SQL Server 2022 CU and GDR builds cross-check (doc dated 2026-07-16).
• ALTER DATABASE compatibility level (Microsoft Learn)
  Native (default) compatibility level and supported compat range per version.

If you spot a build I have missed, leave a comment and I will verify it against the Microsoft tables and add it.

---

The build ladder on this page is what the sqldba MCP server answers from. Its check_build tool turns a build number, a version year or a pasted @@VERSION string into the CU, the KB and the support dates, which is the one kind of answer that goes stale fastest when an AI works from memory.

Related

• How to Check SQL Server Version, turning a build number into a release
• Get Patch Level, where every instance sits against this list
• Get Version Upgrade Readiness, what to check before moving off an unsupported build
• Version Upgrade Runbook, the cutover itself once the target is chosen
• Patch SQL Server, the one-shot script that applies the latest CU when this page says you are behind