Windows Server 2022

Windows Server 2022 is the thirteenth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It was announced at Microsoft's Ignite event from March 2–4, 2021.^[4] It was released on August 18, 2021,^[1][3] almost 3 years after Windows Server 2019, and a few months before the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows Server 2022

Version of the Windows NT operating system
Screenshot of Windows Server 2022
Developer	Microsoft
Written in	C, C++, Rust, C#, Assembly language
OS family	Windows Server
Working state	Current
Source model	Closed source
Released to manufacturing	May 24, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-05-24)
General availability	August 18, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-08-18)[1]
Latest release	21H2 (10.0.20348.3807) (June 10, 2025; 4 days ago (2025-06-10)[2]) [±]
Marketing target	Business
Available in	110 languages
Update method	Windows Update Windows Server Update Services SCCM
Package manager	Windows Package Manager
Platforms	x86-64
Kernel type	Hybrid (Windows NT kernel)
Default user interface	Windows Shell
License	Proprietary
Preceded by	Windows Server 2019 (2018)
Succeeded by	Windows Server 2025 (2024)
Official website	Windows Server 2022 (archived at Wayback Machine)
Support status
Mainstream support until October 13, 2026[1] Extended support until October 14, 2031[3]

Windows Server 2022 is based on the "Iron" codebase.^[5] It is similar to Windows 10 21H2, but its updates are incompatible with it.^[5] Like its predecessor, Windows Server 2019, it requires x64 processors.

It was succeeded by Windows Server 2025 on November 1, 2024.^[6]

History

Microsoft announced Windows Server 2022 on February 22, 2021, scheduled for March 2.^[4] On March 3, Microsoft started distributing preview builds on Windows Update. Windows Server 2022 reached general availability on August 18, 2021.^[1][3]

Microsoft Edge, showing Wikipedia on Windows Server 2022 (The Windows taskbar is visible at the bottom.)

Features

Windows Server 2022 has the following features:^[7][8]

Security

• Enhanced boot-time security via TPM 2.0 and System Guard (a component of Microsoft Defender Antivirus)^[9]
• Credential Guard^[10]
• Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI)^[10]
• UEFI Secure Boot^[7]
• Protection against malicious attacks via the DMA path^[9]
• DNS over HTTPS^[7]
• AES-256 encryption of SMB traffic^[7]
• SMB over QUIC instead of TCP^[9]

Storage

• Storage Migration Service (SMS)
• Compression of SMB traffic

Cloud

• Azure hybrid capabilities^{[clarification needed]}

Software

• Microsoft Edge

Editions

Essentials

• Only available through Microsoft OEM partners^[11]
• Intended for small businesses
• Supports a maximum of 25 users and 50 devices
• Requires no client access licenses (CALs)^[12]

Standard

• Intended for physical or weak VCC environments
• Only two virtual machines and one Hyper-V host are deemed usable.^[8][13][14]

Datacenter

• Intended for highly virtualized data centers and cloud environments

Azure Datacenter

• Designed for the Microsoft Azure platform^[8]

Hardware requirements

Minimum hardware requirements for Windows Server 2022^[12][15]

Hardware	Minimum requirement
CPU	1.4 GHz x86-64 processor
RAM	512 MB for Server Core or 2 GB for Server with Desktop Experience
Hard disk space	At least 32 GB free space
Display	1024 x 768 pixels resolution (only required for certain features)
Network	A wireless adapter that supports DW802.11, or An Ethernet adapter capable of at least 1 Gbit per second throughput, or NIC card with a minimum bandwidth of 1 Gbit[8]
Firmware	UEFI 2.3.1c-based system and firmware that supports secure boot (only required for certain features)
Security	Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (only required for certain features)