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| Windows Server | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Source model | |
| Initial release | July 27, 1993; 32 years ago (1993-07-27) |
| Latest release | Windows Server 2025 (10.0.x)[1]  / 1 November 2024; 15 months ago (1 November 2024) |
| Latest preview | vNext (10.0.26534) / December 5, 2025; 2 months ago (2025-12-05)[2] |
| Update method | |
| Default user interface | |
| License | Trialware,SaaS, orvolume licensing |
| Official website | www |
Windows Server (formerlyWindows NT Server) is a brand name forserver-oriented releases of theWindows NT operating system (OS) that have been developed byMicrosoft since 1993. The first release under this brand name is Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, an edition ofWindows NT 3.1. With the release ofWindows Server 2003, Microsoft started releasing new versions under the name Windows Server. The latest release of Windows NT under the Windows Server brand is Windows Server 2025.[3]
Microsoft's history of developing operating systems for servers goes back to Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server.
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Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was released on July 27, 1993[citation needed] as an edition of Windows NT 3.1, an operating system aimed towards business and server use. As with its Workstation counterpart, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a 32 bit rewrite of the Windows kernel that retained a similar use interface to Windows 3.1. Unlike the latter, however, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a complete operating system that did not need to be run fromDOS. Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, like its Workstation counterpart, featured new features such asmultiuser support andpreemptive multitasking.[4]In 1994, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.5. It introducedTCP/IP andWinsock support integrated into the operating system, alongside the ability to useFTP. It also supported VFAT.[citation needed]
In 1995, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.51, an update to Windows NT Server 3.5, which added NTFS compression and support for thePowerPC architecture.[citation needed]
In 1996, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 4.0. It added the new user interface introduced inWindows 95 the previous year. In addition, it dropped support for the PowerPC, Alpha, and MIPS architectures. Microsoft updated Winsock to version 2 and IIS 2.0 and FrontPage are included.[citation needed]
Windows 2000 Server was released on February 17, 2000, and mainly introducedActive Directory.
Windows Server 2003 is based on a modified version ofWindows XP.
Windows Server 2008 is based onWindows Vista, while Windows Server 2008 R2 is based onWindows 7.
Windows Server 2012 is based onWindows 8, while Windows Server 2012 R2 is based onWindows 8.1.
These versions of Windows Server are all based onWindows 10. Windows Server 2016 is based onWindows 10, version 1607, Windows Server 2019 is based onWindows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2022 is based on a modified version ofWindows 10, version 21H2.
This version of Windows Server is based onWindows 11. Windows Server 2025 is based onWindows 11, version 24H2.[5]
Main releases include:
Traditionally, Microsoft supports Windows Server for 10 years, with five years of mainstream support and an additional five years of extended support. These releases also offer a completedesktop experience. Starting with Windows Server 2008, Server Core and Nano Server configurations were made available to reduce the OS footprint.[16][17] Between 2015 and 2021, Microsoft referred to these releases as "long-term support" releases to set them apart from semi-annual releases (see below.)
For sixteen years, Microsoft released a major version of Windows Server every four years, with one minor version released two years after a major release. The minor versions had an "R2" suffix in their names. In October 2018, Microsoft broke this tradition with the release of Windows Server 2019, which would have been "Windows Server 2016 R2". Windows Server 2022 is also a minor upgrade over its predecessor.[18][19]
Certain editions of Windows Server have a customized name:
Following the release of Windows Server 2016, Microsoft attempted to mirror the lifecycle of Windows 10 in the Windows Server family, releasing new versions twice a year which were supported for 18 months. These semi-annual versions were only available as part of Microsoft subscription services, including Software Assurance, Azure Marketplace, andVisual Studio subscriptions,[29] until their discontinuation in July 2021.[30][29]
The semi-annual releases do not include any desktop environments. Instead, they are restricted to the Nano Server configuration installed in aDockercontainer,[17][29] and the Server Core configuration, licensed only to serve as a container host.[17][29]
Semi-Annual releases include:[31]
The Annual Channel was first announced in July 2023, with the first version being released on September the same year. Unlike the Semi-Annual releases, each Annual Channel release would receive six months of extended support in addition to the 18 months of regular support. Annual releases are made available every twelve months, hence the name. Datacenter is the only edition available.
Annual releases include:[36]
when reporting issues please refer to "VNext" rather than Windows Server 2025 which is currently in market.
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