Dynamics GP Version History: Every Release from 1993 to 18.8
This page is the complete Dynamics GP version history. Every major release, from the early Fargo days through the Microsoft acquisition, through the latest build.
Microsoft Dynamics GP has gone through 30+ releases since Dynamics Release 1.0 launched in February 1993.
Originally built by Great Plains Software in Fargo, North Dakota, GP was acquired by Microsoft in 2001 and rebranded to its current name in 2006. The latest release is version 18.8 (October 2025). Microsoft will end support on December 31, 2029.
Dynamics GP started as Great Plains Dynamics in Fargo, North Dakota, survived a $1.1 billion Microsoft acquisition, three name changes, and 30+ version releases. The current version is 18.8, released October 2025. Microsoft has confirmed end-of-life for December 31, 2029, with security patches through April 2031. This page covers every major version, what changed, and what it means for companies still running GP today. Argus Consulting Group has supported GP since version 2.0 in 1993, and we’re not going anywhere.
This reference sits alongside the rest of our Dynamics GP work: GP support, optimization, cloud hosting and Business Central migration. For the verticals we configure GP for, see industries.
We started on version 2.0. That was 1993. A four-person team in Pasadena, California, learning a platform that most people in the accounting world hadn’t heard of yet. Great Plains Dynamics ran on Dexterity, a proprietary programming language that the company in Fargo built from scratch. It wasn’t flashy. It worked.
Thirty-three years later, we’re still here. Version 18.8. Same platform, same focus, same team supporting companies that depend on GP for their financial operations. We’ve seen every version, every rebrand, every policy shift Microsoft has thrown at this product. And we’ve watched dozens of partners come and go along the way.
If you’re running GP and you want to understand where this software came from, where it is now, and what the 2029 end-of-life date actually means for your business, this is the reference.
- Argus founded1989
- On GP since1993
- Version releases30+
- Current version18.8
Where Did Dynamics GP Come From?
Great Plains Software was founded in 1981 in Fargo, North Dakota. Not as a software company. It started as a retail computer store. Joseph Larson and James Turner launched the business, and in 1983 a young McKinsey consultant named Doug Burgum mortgaged $250,000 of inherited farmland to invest. By 1984, Burgum was president.
That bet paid off.
Burgum grew Great Plains from 15 employees into one of the most recognized names in mid-market accounting software. In the late 1980s, the team built Dexterity, a proprietary programming language designed to create platform-independent graphical accounting applications. Dexterity became the engine behind everything Great Plains shipped. It still runs GP today.
1993: Argus starts on Great Plains Dynamics
In February 1993, Great Plains released Dynamics Release 1.0 for Windows. It was one of the first multi-user accounting systems built to run as 32-bit software on Windows. That same year, Argus Consulting Group began working with the platform. We were a four-year-old firm, founded in 1989, looking for a serious accounting system to specialize in. Great Plains Dynamics was it.
By the mid-1990s, Great Plains was a legitimate force. Twenty-two modules across DOS, Mac, and Windows by 1996. An IPO in 1997 at $16 a share that closed its first day of trading at $32. The company acquired Solomon Software for $140 million in 1999. Under Burgum’s leadership, FORTUNE magazine named Great Plains one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” four times.
Then Microsoft came calling.
On December 21, 2000, Microsoft announced it was acquiring Great Plains Software for approximately $1.1 billion in stock. The deal closed on April 5, 2001, bringing 2,200 employees into Microsoft’s organization. It was, at the time, the largest acquisition of personnel Microsoft had ever made. Burgum became Senior Vice President of the newly created Microsoft Business Solutions group, based in Fargo. (For context, Burgum went on to become Governor of North Dakota and now serves as the 55th U.S. Secretary of the Interior.)
The product that started in a Fargo computer store in 1981 was now a Microsoft product. And the rebranding began.
The Complete Dynamics GP Version Timeline
GP has had over 30 releases across four distinct naming eras. The table below includes every major version with its release date, organized chronologically. This is the most complete GP version reference available from an active consulting partner.
| Version | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Era: Great Plains Dynamics | |
| Dynamics Release 1.0 | February 1993 |
| Dynamics Release 2.0 & C/S+ 2.0 | May 31, 1994 |
| Dynamics Release 2.04 & C/S+ 2.04 | February 1995 |
| Dynamics Release 2.11 & C/S+ 2.11 | September 18, 1995 |
| Dynamics Release 2.20 & C/S+ 2.20 | December 4, 1995 |
| Dynamics Release 3.0 & C/S+ 3.0 | May 9, 1996 |
| Dynamics C/S+ for SQL 3.15 | November 1996 |
| Dynamics C/S+ for SQL 3.17 | March 26, 1997 |
| Dynamics C/S+ ISAM 3.20 | May 19, 1997 |
| Dynamics (LAN) 4.0 | August 1997 |
| Dynamics (SQL) 4.0 | October 17, 1997 |
| Dynamics 5.0 & C/S+ 5.0 | September 9, 1998 |
| Dynamics 5.1 & C/S+ 5.1 | January 12, 1999 |
| Dynamics 5.5 & eEnterprise 5.5 | August 18, 1999 |
| Dynamics 5.51 | October 1999 |
| Dynamics 6.0 & eEnterprise 6.0 | July 24, 2000 |
| Dynamics 7.0 & eEnterprise 7.0 | June 25, 2002 |
| Era: MBS – Great Plains | |
| Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains 7.5 | April 8, 2003 |
| Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains 8.0 | June 2, 2004 |
| Era: Microsoft Dynamics GP | |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 | November 17, 2005 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 | May 4, 2007 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 (11.0) | May 1, 2010 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2 (11.0 SP2) | May 1, 2011 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 (12.0) | December 19, 2012 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2 | May 28, 2014 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 (14.0) | December 1, 2014 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 R2 | June 1, 2015 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 (16.0) | May 1, 2016 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 R2 | December 1, 2016 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 (18.0) | December 1, 2017 |
| Era: Modern Lifecycle | |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.2 (GP 2020) | October 2019 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.3 (GP 2021) | October 5, 2020 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.4 (GP 2022) | October 1, 2021 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.5 (GP 2023) | October 3, 2022 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.6 (GP 2024) | October 2, 2023 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.7 (GP 2025) | October 1, 2024 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.8 (GP 2026) | October 1, 2025 |
What Changed in Each Major Version?
Not every release above was a landmark. Some were service packs. Some were tax updates. But certain versions fundamentally changed what GP could do for the businesses running it. Here’s the version history through the lens of what actually mattered to the people using the system every day.
The Great Plains Era (1993-2002)
Version 1.0 was written entirely in Dexterity, Great Plains’ proprietary programming language. Built in C, designed for cross-platform accounting. The goal was simple: give mid-market companies a multi-user financial system that ran on Windows.
We picked up version 2.0 in 1993. By that point you could run it on Windows or on a client/server setup with SQL. The C/S+ line (client/server plus) gave companies their first real option for centralized database accounting without mainframe costs. That was the shift. Before GP, a company with 50 employees either bought a mainframe system or ran single-user software on individual machines. GP split the difference.
Versions 3.x through 5.x expanded the module library. Manufacturing, HR, project accounting. By version 5.5, Great Plains introduced “eEnterprise,” a heavier product aimed at larger mid-market companies. Then version 6.0 in 2000 and version 7.0 in 2002, which were the last releases under the original Great Plains name.
Couple of things stand out from this era. The product was remarkably stable. Companies that configured GP correctly in the mid-1990s ran those configurations for a decade. That’s not nostalgia. We have clients who started on versions from that period and still reference those original configurations when we’re troubleshooting today.
The Microsoft Acquisition Era (2003-2010)
Version 7.5 (April 2003) was the first release under the “Microsoft Business Solutions” branding. The product name became “Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains.” It’s a mouthful. Nobody called it that. Everyone still said “Great Plains.”
Version 8.0 came in June 2004. Then in November 2005, Microsoft dropped the Great Plains name entirely and released “Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0.” That was the first time anyone saw “Dynamics GP” on a login screen. Microsoft was consolidating its business software acquisitions (Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon) under one brand umbrella. GP was the North American mid-market product.
GP 10.0 (May 2007) was arguably the most significant upgrade in the product’s history to that point. New user interface. Role-based home pages. Business intelligence integration. Companies that had been running GP 8.0 or earlier faced a real decision: was the upgrade worth the disruption? For most of our clients, it was. The reporting improvements alone justified the project.
GP 2010 (version 11.0) continued that trajectory. Web client. Better workflow. More SQL Server integration. Then GP 2010 R2 in 2011. Microsoft was on a steady release cadence, and the product was genuinely improving.
The Named Version Era (GP 2013 through GP 2018)
GP 2013 (December 2012, version 12.0) introduced Word templates for reports, a web client, and improved workflow automation. R2 followed in May 2014. Then GP 2015, GP 2016, and finally GP 2018 (version 18.0, December 2017).
This era mattered for a specific reason. Each version introduced capabilities that companies had been doing manually. Electronic bank reconciliation. Multi-entity management. Workflow approvals that didn’t require a third-party add-on. Every release shaved hours off month-end close for companies that actually configured the new features.
The problem? Most didn’t. We’d walk into a client running GP 2016 and they were still doing manual AP data entry. Still reconciling in spreadsheets. They had 70% of the system sitting unused. That’s not a GP problem. That’s a configuration and training problem. And it’s one we’ve been solving for three decades.
GP 2018 was the last version under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, which gave each release 5 years of mainstream support and 10 years total. GP 2018 R2’s extended support runs through January 2028.
The Modern Lifecycle Era (18.2 through 18.8)
October 2019 changed the game. Microsoft moved GP to the Modern Lifecycle Policy with version 18.2, dropped the year from the product name (no more “GP 2020”), and shifted to three planned releases per year: June, October, and December. The October release is the major version bump. June and December are tax updates, compliance fixes, and patches.
18.3 (October 2020) added multi-factor authentication support and TLS 1.2 security. That mattered. COVID had just pushed every GP client to remote work, and the ones still on older versions couldn’t securely connect to Office 365 for email from GP. We upgraded more clients in 2020 and 2021 than in any two-year stretch before it.
18.4 (October 2021) was the first full version with modern authentication for email. 18.5 (October 2022) was confirmed as the last “major” feature release. Microsoft announced they’d continue annual releases but wouldn’t add significant new modules or capabilities.
That brings us to 18.7 (October 2024) and 18.8 (October 2025). Incremental improvements. Customer-requested fixes. SQL Server 2025 and Windows Server 2025 compatibility in 18.8. TLS 1.3 support. These aren’t transformational releases. They’re maintenance releases from a company that’s told you the product has an expiration date.
But here’s the thing. The product still works. It works well. Companies running GP 18.8 on current SQL Server have a stable, capable financial management system. The end-of-life announcement doesn’t change what GP can do today.
What’s the Current Version of Dynamics GP?
The current version is Dynamics GP 18.8, released October 1, 2025. You’ll sometimes see it called “GP 2026” informally.
To check your version, click the blue question mark icon in the top right of your GP toolbar, then select “About Microsoft Dynamics GP.” Your version number appears in the first line of the right column.
Version 18.8 supports SQL Server 2025 and Windows Server 2025, which is important for infrastructure planning. SQL Server gets 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support, so pairing GP 18.8 with SQL Server 2025 gives you the longest possible support window. It also supports TLS 1.3 and .NET Framework 4.7.2.
If you’re still on GP 2016 or earlier, there’s no direct upgrade path to 18.8. You’d need to step through intermediate versions first. If you’re on 18.6 or later, you can go straight to 18.8.
We support all versions. Every one listed in that table above. If you’re running GP 9.0, we can work with it. If you’re on 18.8, we can configure the new features. That’s not a marketing claim. It’s 33 years of accumulated configuration knowledge across every release this product has ever had.
What Does the 2029 End-of-Life Mean for Your Version?
Microsoft will end product support, updates, and enhancements for all versions of Dynamics GP on December 31, 2029. Security patches will continue through April 30, 2031. After that, no more updates of any kind from Microsoft.
Here’s the timeline that matters:
- April 1, 2025No new sales of GP perpetual licenses
- April 1, 2026No new customer sales of GP subscription licenses
- December 31, 2029End of product support, enhancements, regulatory/tax updates, and technical support
- April 30, 2031End of security updates and end of subscription billing
One thing that gets lost in the noise: your GP system won’t stop working on January 1, 2030. Nothing breaks. Nothing shuts off. End-of-life means end of Microsoft support, not end of function. The software keeps running. Your data stays right where it is.
What you lose is tax updates, security patches, and the ability to call Microsoft for help. That’s real. It matters. But it isn’t the “migrate now or face disaster” scenario that some partners use to create urgency.
The right response isn’t panic. It’s planning.
If you’re running an older version under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy (GP 2018 R2 and earlier), your support dates are even sooner. GP 2016’s extended support ends July 2026. GP 2015’s already ended. If you’re on those versions, upgrading to 18.x should be the first conversation, not migration.
And if you’re on 18.x and thinking about your options? You’ve got time. Use it wisely. Optimize what you have first. Figure out what GP can actually do for you before spending $200K on a migration you might not need yet.
We’ve Been Here Since Version 2.0
Argus Consulting Group was founded in 1989. We began working with Great Plains Dynamics in 1993, starting on version 2.0. We’re still here on 18.8.
That’s not a tagline. It’s a verifiable fact.
Our team has 80 years of combined GP experience. We’ve configured systems on every version in that table. When you call us with a GP problem, you’re talking to a senior consultant who’s seen your issue before, probably on a version you’ve never heard of. We don’t route you through a ticket queue. We don’t send a junior tech who has to look up the answer.
We also aren’t going anywhere. Argus has committed to supporting Dynamics GP through 2036, seven years beyond Microsoft’s December 2029 end-of-life date and five years beyond the April 2031 security patch cutoff. We call it the Argus 10-Year Commitment. When other partners move on, we’ll still be here. That’s the pledge.
But here’s what makes us different from a partner who just says “we’ll support GP forever.” We also handle Business Central migrations. If the right answer for your business is to migrate, we do that too. Same team, same knowledge of your system, same honest advice. We’ve always believed in giving clients options, not pressure.
Questions About Dynamics GP Versions
How many versions of Dynamics GP have there been?
Over 30 releases since February 1993 — the version table above covers every major release, from Dynamics Release 1.0 through the current version 18.8. That count includes point releases, R2 updates, and the Modern Lifecycle versions from 2019 onward. If you’re counting only major version bumps (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and so on through 18.8), it’s closer to 20.
Is Dynamics GP still being updated?
Yes, for now — Microsoft releases three updates per year: a major October release and smaller June/December updates for tax compliance, security, and bug fixes. These continue through December 31, 2029. After that, only security patches through April 2031. Version 18.5 (October 2022) was the last release with significant new features.
What version of GP should I be on right now?
18.8 if your infrastructure supports it — that gives you SQL Server 2025 compatibility and the longest support window. At minimum, you should be on a version under the Modern Lifecycle Policy (18.2 or later). Anything older than GP 2018 is either already out of extended support or about to be. If you’re on GP 2016 or earlier, talk to us. An upgrade to 18.x is a much smaller project than a full migration, and it buys you time.
Can I still upgrade from an older version of GP?
Depends on how old — the supported upgrade path to 18.8 starts at GP 18.6 or later for a direct jump. If you’re on GP 2016, you’d need to go through at least one intermediate version first. Anything earlier than GP 2016 requires a step-through upgrade plan. We’ve done these upgrades hundreds of times across every version. It’s not as complicated as it sounds when you’ve got someone who knows the path.
What happens to my GP system after 2029?
It keeps running. Nothing shuts off. You lose Microsoft support, tax updates, and security patches (security patches end April 2031). The system itself continues to function, your data stays intact, and your configurations don’t change. What you’ll need is a partner who can support the product after Microsoft stops. That’s exactly what the Argus 10-Year Commitment covers, through 2036.
Do I need to migrate to Business Central before the end-of-life date?
No — not unless it’s the right business decision for your company, on your timeline. Some organizations will benefit from migrating before 2029. Others won’t. The end-of-life date doesn’t mean your system stops working. It means you need a plan, and that plan might be to optimize GP, host it in the cloud, and keep running it well past 2029 with a partner who’s committed to supporting it. We help clients make that decision without pressure.
What’s the difference between the Fixed Lifecycle and Modern Lifecycle?
Fixed Lifecycle applied to GP 2018 and earlier. Each version got 5 years of mainstream support and 10 years total, including extended support. Once your version’s support window closed, Microsoft stopped updating it. You had to upgrade to keep getting patches and tax updates. The Modern Lifecycle Policy, introduced with GP 18.2 in October 2019, works differently. There’s one version of GP (18.x) with rolling updates. Stay current by installing at least one of the three annual releases, and you’re covered until the end-of-life date. It’s simpler, but it also means every GP customer is now on the same countdown.