Upgrade MS SQL from Express to Standard Edition
Question / Problem
How can I upgrade the my MS SQL Server Express to the Runtime Standard edition that you are selling?
Answer / Solution
You can change the edition of SQL Server without interrupting operation using the SQL Server setup.
To do this, you need the SQL Server ISO file in the correct version (2022 or 2025) of the Runtime License of the Standard edition, which you can download in our customer area. Mount the ISO file on the SQL Server Express instance and start Setup.exe.
Start the edition upgrade in the Maintenance menu item. Select the option I only have one SQL Server license at the bottom right. Then select the Express database instance and confirm the following dialogs.
After completing the upgrade, you can check the edition in the database connection properties in SQL Server Management Studio or with select @@Version in sqlcmd.exe.