What you need to know
Microsoft has already ended extended support for Dynamics NAV 2016 and earlier versions. Support for NAV 2017 ends in January 2027, and for NAV 2018, the final version, in January 2028. From 30 April 2031, Microsoft will also stop service plan renewals and sales of additional user licences for NAV. Manufacturers and distributors still running NAV should start planning their move to Business Central now.
For many organisations, Microsoft Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision) has supported business processes for many years, including finance, operations, projects, inventory, and day-to-day workflows.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV is now a legacy ERP platform, with support ending and already ended across the different versions. For businesses that are still relying on NAV, understanding the support lifecycle is a crucial step in managing risk and planning the move to Business Central.
Business Central offers a modern, cloud-based ERP system that helps organisations streamline operations, improve visibility across different systems and benefit from AI-powered productivity tools. The platform continues to evolve, providing businesses with access to new capabilities over time. For eligible NAV customers, Microsoft’s migration programmes, such as Bridge to the Cloud 3 (available until 31 December 2027), can also help make the move to Business Central more cost-effective.
When does Microsoft Dynamics NAV support end?
The final version, Dynamics NAV 2018, was released in 2017, with extended support ending in 2028.
If your organisation is still running an older version of Dynamics NAV, such as 2013 to 2017, it is important to understand where your system will sit within the Microsoft lifecycle.
The extended support dates for the different versions of Dynamics NAV are:
| Version | Extended support |
|---|---|
| Dynamics NAV 2009 and earlier | Already ended |
| Dynamics NAV 2013 and 2013 R2 | Ended 10 January 2023 |
| Dynamics NAV 2015 | Ended 14 January 2025 |
| Dynamics NAV 2016 | Ended 14 April 2026 |
| Dynamics NAV 2017 | Ends 11 January 2027 |
| Dynamics NAV 2018 | Ends 11 January 2028 |
For the full version-by-version detail, see our Dynamics NAV end of support page.
This makes 2027 an important planning window for businesses that have yet to establish their migration strategy. Rather than waiting until the support and security updates deadline gets closer, businesses can use this time to:
- Review their current NAV environment
- Understand which customisations and integrations are in place
- Assess their data and reporting requirements
- Establish a structured path towards Business Central.
Download Qi’s project planner checklist to help organise your migration, assign responsibilities and keep track of the key decisions that need to be made before go-live.
What changes for Dynamics NAV customers on 30 April 2031?
Microsoft has announced that several licensing and service plan arrangements for on-premises Dynamics NAV will end on 30 April 2031. These changes will affect businesses that continue to rely on NAV, including:
- Annual service plan (Enhancement Plan, often known as BREP, and Advantage Plan) coverage will end. These are annual service agreements that provide NAV customers with benefits such as updates, support and other licensing entitlements.
- Additional perpetual user licences for existing Dynamics NAV deployments will no longer be available for purchase.
- Subscription licences for Dynamics NAV via a solution provider agreement (SPA) will no longer be renewable. This applies to customers who access NAV through this subscription licensing arrangement.
- Subscription use of Dynamics NAV through the Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) is expected to end. This applies to businesses accessing NAV through a service provider that hosts the software.
After 30 April 2031, customers will no longer be able to renew service plans or subscription licences, or purchase any additional perpetual users for existing Dynamics NAV on-premises deployments.
What does this mean for you?
Security risks
Once a version of Dynamics NAV reaches the end of extended support, it no longer receives standard security updates from Microsoft. This means newly discovered vulnerabilities may remain unpatched, leaving systems more exposed to cyber-attacks. Hackers could potentially exploit these weaknesses to gain access to business systems or sensitive data.
Compliance and audit considerations
Running unsupported software does not automatically mean an organisation will become non-compliant. However, organisations must assess whether their systems and security controls meet the requirements of relevant regulations, customer contracts, and supplier assessments. For example, Cyber Essentials, which many manufacturers and distributors need in order to supply larger customers or the public sector, requires in-scope software to be licensed and supported. Organisations should also check whether running unsupported software could affect their cyber insurance cover, as some policies may require businesses to keep their systems up to date and supported.
Ongoing support and compatibility
As NAV becomes increasingly outdated, maintaining integrations, customisations and any third-party solutions can become more challenging. Businesses may also struggle to integrate legacy NAV environments with newer technologies.
Is moving from NAV to Business Central the logical choice?
If you already have Dynamics NAV in place, moving to Business Central is usually the simplest route, rather than implementing an entirely new ERP system from scratch. It provides an opportunity to modernise your existing processes, retain the functionality your business relies on and take advantage of newer cloud-based capabilities.
For manufacturers, Business Central Premium helps manage production alongside inventory, purchasing and costing, with:
- Production planning
- Production orders
- Bills of materials and routings.
For distributors, Business Central supports warehouse management, multi-location stock control, item tracking, and purchasing and replenishment planning.
Moving from NAV also provides an opportunity to review existing processes and customisations and make use of newer Business Central capabilities.
Modern core operations
Business Central covers many of the same core areas as NAV, including finance, sales, manufacturing, inventory and projects. However, moving to the cloud means less time spent managing your servers and infrastructure, with Microsoft handling system maintenance and updates. Teams can also access the system remotely, without relying on traditional on-premises setups. This makes it easier for employees working across different locations or out in the field to access and update information, helping reduce reliance on paper records and manual data entry.
To find out more about the benefits of SaaS and the differences between cloud and on-premises systems, read our article on the benefits of SaaS for operations teams.
Leverage AI and automation
Business Central’s growing range of built-in AI capabilities can help automate time-consuming tasks and support more informed decision-making. Unlike Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Business Central provides access to Microsoft’s built-in Copilot features, giving businesses new ways to improve productivity alongside the core ERP functionality they already rely on. For example, Copilot can suggest sales lines from a customer’s request, draft product descriptions for items and help with bank reconciliation.
See how we supported Possum’s operational efficiency through Business Central automation.
Stay current without disruption
Continuous updates provided by Microsoft reduce the need for large, costly upgrades while improving performance, security and functionality over time. For businesses running NAV on premises, there can also be ongoing costs associated with server replacements, support and protection. For example, Qi’s ROI comparison for a UK manufacturer turning over £3.5 million estimates these costs at £18,000 over five years.
Microsoft releases two major updates to Business Central every year, alongside smaller monthly updates.
Connect across Microsoft tools
Integration with Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, and Power Platform helps connect business processes and improve collaboration. For example, sales teams can view customer details and sales history and create quotes directly from Outlook using Business Central’s add-in. Colleagues can also share sales orders through Teams, and warehouse teams can use Power Apps to update stock levels directly in Business Central.
Reduce IT complexity
For organisations that operate across a range of legacy systems, such as a separate stock system, spreadsheet-based production planning or a standalone CRM, Business Central allows you to simplify this across your operations and create a more connected foundation for the future development of your business.
How do you plan a NAV to Business Central upgrade?
When planning the upgrade to Business Central, it is important to consider the challenges, especially if you have many years of bespoke development.
This could include reviewing:
- Legacy customisations and workarounds
- Existing business processes
- Reporting requirements
- Integrations with other systems
- Data quality and dependencies
- Functionality that needs to be retained
- Opportunities to simplify existing processes.
Moving from Dynamics NAV to Business Central should be treated as a structured business project rather than a simple software upgrade. Before migrating, it is important to understand how your NAV environment has evolved over the years, which customisations are still necessary, and where workarounds could be replaced with a more suitable process.
This gives your business the opportunity to establish what still delivers value, address legacy complexity and prepare for a modern ERP environment that better supports your future requirements.
Qi can help you maintain stability in your existing Dynamics NAV environment while developing a clear, structured path towards Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
How Qi can help
If your business still relies on Dynamics NAV, we strongly recommend that you don’t wait until the end-of-support deadline to start planning.
Qi has worked with manufacturers and distributors since 1994, keeping their current systems stable while identifying what should be retained, changed or improved ahead of a move to Business Central.
Qi can help you understand your existing NAV environment, identify risks and dependencies, support your current system, and develop a structured approach to moving to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Our structured approach helps deliver a cost-effective, managed upgrade project, bringing your data and required bespoke developments into a modern environment while keeping disruption to a minimum.
With Qi, you get the best value for money through our in-house development team, alongside our industry expertise to help you not only “lift and shift” your current set-up but optimise your processes to be best in class. Our friendly and responsive applications support team will keep you informed throughout the process and provide training and support after go-live.
Hear from businesses that have worked with Qi on their NAV and Business Central projects
“We recently underwent a Bridge to Cloud project, changing from our current service partner to Qi, to switch from our existing NAV 2018 system to Business Central. Qi was absolutely brilliant – responsive, flexible, and genuinely cared about making sure the solution they delivered perfectly fit our needs. Their ongoing support is also exceptional!”
Rob Williams, Marketing Director, GPE Scientific
“We’ve worked with Qi for more than 15 years, from Sage 50 and Manufacturing, to Nav in 2015 and then last year the upgrade to Business Central. The fact that we have chosen to stay with them, says a lot for the team at Qi, their knowledge, and their approach to their customers.
Over the years we had a lot of bespoke work done on Nav, they made sure all the changes we had were transferred. They spend time understanding what is required and don’t talk ‘technical’ to those of us who don’t understand it. They are always ready to help when things don’t go as expected or the occasional errors occur, even when it’s a PICNIC error – problem in chair, not in computer. The change from Nav to Business Central was managed smoothly, they spent time with all of us explaining how to negotiate our way around the new system and turned out not to be as scary as I was expecting.
We’ve seen Qi grow over the years and they’ve helped us to grow.”
Mandy Harris, Operations Service Co-ordinator, Adande Refrigeration Ltd
Frequently asked questions
Yes, until 11 January 2028. After that date, Microsoft will stop releasing security updates for NAV 2018, the final version of Dynamics NAV, so planning a move to Business Central before then reduces the risk.
Yes, NAV will keep working, but it will no longer receive security updates. From 30 April 2031 you also won’t be able to renew service plans or buy additional user licences, so growing or changing your system becomes much harder.
Not as they are, but they don’t have to be lost. Each customisation is reviewed: some are rebuilt for Business Central, some are replaced by standard Business Central features, and some are no longer needed.
Yes, if you use production orders, bills of materials, routings or capacity planning, because manufacturing is only included in the Premium licence. All full users in the same environment need to be on the same licence type.
Your existing NAV licences keep working, but you won’t be able to renew Enhancement or Advantage Plans, buy additional perpetual users or renew SPA subscriptions. Hosted NAV through SPLA is also expected to end.
Start a conversation
Speak to Qi about Dynamics NAV support and planning your move to Business Central today!
