NAV 2016 Support Has Ended — Migration Roadmap to Business Central
Microsoft ended mainstream support for Dynamics NAV 2016 in April 2026. For organisations still running NAV 2016, this is not a future planning item — it is a present operational risk. Without mainstream support, Microsoft no longer releases security patches, regulatory updates, or compliance fixes. In a regulated manufacturing environment, running unsupported software is a finding waiting to happen.
Mainstream support end does not mean the software stops working. NAV 2016 will continue to function. What ends is Microsoft's obligation to release security patches. Known vulnerabilities discovered after the support end date will not be patched.
Two distinct risks
Regulatory risk: CSV documentation typically includes a statement about vendor support status. An unsupported system may be out of its validated operating conditions if the validation assumption included active vendor support. Quality teams must assess whether continued operation constitutes a deviation.
Security risk: known unpatched vulnerabilities in a system processing pharmaceutical batch records or quality data create exposure that may require a documented risk assessment and management decision.
The migration path
The migration path leads to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud. Business Central is the strategic successor to NAV, shares the same core data model, and is available as SaaS with automatic updates managed by Microsoft.
A NAV 2016 to BC migration in a regulated environment follows five stages:
- Assessment — scope, custom objects, integrations, validation status
- Migration strategy — what to migrate vs. rebuild
- Parallel validation — BC validation must be complete before NAV 2016 is decommissioned
- Data migration — master data and open transactions
- Cutover and decommission — formal decommission record for the NAV 2016 validation package
Planning horizons
Organisations on NAV 2017 have until January 2027. NAV 2018 users have until January 2028. The planning horizon should begin now — in regulated environments the validation lifecycle adds 6-12 months to any system change project.
Download the NAV 2016 migration roadmap as a PDF using the link below.