Time is running out for Windows Server 2022. In about 90 days its mainstream support ends, and the operating system drops out of the usual update rhythm. If you run Server 2022, now is the moment to decide what comes next.
Microsoft flagged this in the message center of its Windows Release Health notes. The October 2026 security update will be the last regular mainstream update. After that, Server 2022 moves into extended support, which still delivers monthly security updates at no extra cost, according to Microsoft, through 14 October 2031.
The difference from mainstream support sits in the details. There are no more new features or design changes, and non-security updates stop as well. In practice you get roughly what the paid ESU program offers, just without the invoice for now. Anyone who wants to keep Server 2022 running beyond 2031 can then receive further patches through the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Those carry an additional charge.
Upgrade path: Windows Server 2025
Microsoft points to Windows Server 2025 as its current server operating system in the Long-Term Servicing Channel. To keep full mainstream support, the vendor recommends planning the migration sooner rather than later.
Windows Server 2025 has been available since early November 2024 and brings a handful of solid improvements. Hotpatching cuts the number of required reboots to four per year, instead of scheduling one every month. OpenSSH can be switched on as a service with a single click for the first time, and the system serves SMB shares more robustly and securely. Mainstream support here runs until October 2029, followed by five years of extended security updates through October 2034.
For admins, the takeaway is simple: plan the move now, rather than scrambling under time pressure in the autumn of 2026.