---
title: Upgrading Microsoft SQL Server Express edition
description: Options for upgrading Microsoft SQL Server Express editions.
---

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February 4, 2026

# Upgrading Microsoft SQL Server Express edition

## Ensure compatibility, security, and performance by keeping Microsoft SQL Server up to date

As a best practice, Acctivate only supports versions of SQL Server that are supported by Microsoft. This ensures compatibility, security, and performance.

Acctivate distributes the free, Express edition of SQL Server. Therefore **most** installs of SQL Server can be **upgraded at no cost**.

If you have a paid version of SQL Server, such as SQL Server Standard edition, and you wish to update, you must purchase a license for the version you want to upgrade to.

This article outlines the options to upgrade the **Express edition of SQL Server.**

### Getting Started

First, from within Acctivate, you can [identify the version, architecture, and edition of SQL Server](https://hub.acctivate.com/articles/sql-server-version?hsLang=en) installed.

Next, compare the currently installed version against the [Database Server requirements](https://docs.acctivate.com/docs/ResourceSystemRequirements.html#database-server) to determine whether SQL Server may need to be upgraded.

### Upgrade Options

There are three SQL Server upgrade options available to you

1. **[Install the next Acctivate update on the server](https://hub.acctivate.com/articles/upgrading-microsoft-sql-server-express-edition#use-acctivate-installer-to-upgrade-sql)** - Best for existing 64-bit installs of SQL Server.
2. [**Use the SQL Migration Utility**](https://hub.acctivate.com/articles/upgrading-microsoft-sql-server-express-edition#use-sql-migration-utility) - Best for existing 32-bit installs of SQL Server
3. **[Manually manage the upgrade or migration](https://hub.acctivate.com/articles/upgrading-microsoft-sql-server-express-edition#manually-upgrade-instance)** - Allows for more control on which version is installed, however **option 1 and option 2 are recommended**.

 All three options require a minimal amount of downtime, therefore plan the upgrade process accordingly.

#### **Option 1 - Install the next Acctivate update on the server**

The Acctivate installer will attempt to upgrade 64-bit versions of SQL Server Express running on Windows Server 2016, Windows 10, or later, to SQL Server 2022 Express 64-bit.

If your SQL Server install is a **32-bit instance**, you must use one of the other methods in this article.

To upgrade SQL Server using the Acctivate installer:

1. When the next Acctivate update is released, download the Acctivate update installer from the [Downloads page](https://acctivate.com/downloads/).
2. With all users logged out of Acctivate, install the Acctivate update on the **server** where SQL Server is installed. If you're unsure of which computer SQL is installed on, use [Acctivate Database Maintenance to view the Database Source](https://hub.acctivate.com/articles/locating-the-acctivate-database-path?hsLang=en) information.

If the Acctivate update is installed on the server where SQL Server is also installed, then both Acctivate and SQL Server will be upgraded.

#### **Option 2 - Use the SQL Server Migration Utility**

**Note:** This section applies to **SQL Server 32-bit Express** edition installs only.

Supported versions of Microsoft SQL Server are only available in the 64-bit architecture. 32-bit installs cannot be upgraded 64-bit, therefore we have created a utility that uninstalls the 32-bit instance of SQL Server, installs a 64-bit instance, and automatically moves the Acctivate database to the new instance.

This utility is available to you for **free** and the entire process can be completed with minimal steps in only a few minutes. 

1. Confirm you are logged into Windows under a **Local Administrator** account.
2. **Download** the [**SQL Migration Utility** (SQLMigrate.zip)](https://acctivate.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/SQLMigrate.zip) on the computer where SQL Server is installed and extract the contents by **right-clicking SQLMigrate.zip** and selecting **Extract All...**
3. Have all **Acctivate users log out**.
4. In the folder where the migration files were extracted to, **double-click SQLMigrate.exe** to run the migration utility on the computer where **SQL Server is installed.**

Check out the video below for detailed instructions.

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1154756706?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="SQL Server Migration Utility"></iframe>

 

#### **Option 3 - Manually manage the upgrade or migration**

**For existing 32-bit instances**

Rather than using the SQL Migration Utility (Option 2) to automatically perform the necessary steps, you can manually migrate the data to a new instance. There are many resources online, however the general steps are:

1. Use **SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)** to backup the Acctivate databases. These include Acctivate, Acctivate$*YourCompany*, Acctivate$*YourModelCompany*.
2. In SSMS, **Detach **the databases.
3. **Uninstall** the existing SQL Instance.
4. **Install **the new SQL Instance. Use the same instance name and password.
5. **Reattach** the databases to the new instance.

**For existing 64-bit instances**

64-bit SQL Server instances can be upgraded in-place. There are many resources online, however, the general steps are:

1. **Backup** the Acctivate databases.
2. Run the **SQL Server Setup **file for the newer version. This will upgrade your existing instance.

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