Windows Server 2022 vs 2025
Windows Server 2025 is the current release; 2022 still has years of security updates left. The question is usually whether to build new servers on 2025 and when to move existing 2022 servers.
Ask an engineer which fits
Free adviceWhich should you choose?
your application vendor only certifies 2022, or your servers are stable and you’d rather upgrade later in a planned window.
you’re building new servers, want the longest support (to 2034), fewer reboots with hotpatching, or the Active Directory and storage improvements.
Windows Server 2022 vs Windows Server 2025 at a glance.
| Windows Server 2022 | Windows Server 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | August 2021 | November 2024 |
| Mainstream support ends | October 2026 | November 2029 |
| Extended support ends | October 2031 | November 2034 |
| Hotpatching | Azure Edition only | Also on-premises via Azure Arc (subscription) |
| SMB over QUIC | Azure Edition | All editions |
| Active Directory | Previous functional level | New functional level and database improvements |
| Security baseline | Secured-core, TLS 1.3 | Builds on 2022 with further hardening |
Features and licensing change; check the vendor’s current pages before buying. We keep up with them on every server we manage.
The differences you’ll notice.
Windows Server 2022 vs 2025: questions.
Not urgently: 2022 has security updates until 2031. Plan it; build new servers on 2025.
On-premises hotpatching through Azure Arc is a paid subscription; on Azure it’s included with Azure Edition.
Both are licensed per core with Standard and Datacenter editions; 2025 adds a pay-as-you-go option via Azure Arc.
Yes, along with 2016 and 2019.