Windows Server Download: 2025 & 2022 Evaluation ISOs

Before you download Windows Server — or hand the build to a Windows Server support team — decide which source fits your license situation. Microsoft distributes Windows Server 2025 and 2022 evaluation ISOs from its own Evaluation Center at no cost, and licensed media comes through the volume licensing download area in the Microsoft 365 admin center, Visual Studio subscriptions, or cloud marketplace images. This page lists each official source, the command that converts an evaluation install to a licensed edition, and how to verify the ISO before installing.

Official download sources

The Evaluation Center ISOs are the same binaries as licensed media apart from the evaluation licensing components. Both the 2025 and 2022 evaluation editions expire 180 days after installation, and Microsoft notes that evaluation installs must activate over the internet within the first 10 days to avoid automatic shutdown. Registration (name, company, email) is required before the download link appears; no payment details are collected.

Standard vs Datacenter, Desktop Experience vs Core

One evaluation ISO covers four installation choices. During setup you pick an edition — Standard or Datacenter — and an installation option — Server Core or Server with Desktop Experience.

• Standard vs Datacenter: identical binaries; the difference is licensing (Datacenter allows unlimited Windows Server VMs on the licensed host) plus Datacenter-only features such as Storage Spaces Direct and shielded VMs. For evaluation purposes, install the edition you intend to buy.
• Server Core vs Desktop Experience: Server Core has no desktop shell and is managed remotely through Windows Admin Center, PowerShell, or RSAT. It has a smaller footprint and fewer patches requiring reboots, and Microsoft's Server Core documentation recommends it where the workload supports it. Desktop Experience is the full GUI install. The choice is permanent — since Windows Server 2016 there is no supported switch between Core and Desktop Experience after installation, and evaluation-to-retail conversion paths also differ between the two, so pick the option you will run in production.

Converting an evaluation install to a licensed edition

An evaluation install does not need to be reinstalled when you buy a license. Microsoft's edition conversion documentation describes an in-place conversion with DISM. First confirm the current edition and the valid targets with DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition and DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions, then run:

DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula

Substitute ServerDatacenter and your own key as appropriate. The server reboots twice to complete the conversion. Three restrictions apply: a Standard evaluation can convert to retail Standard or Datacenter, but a Datacenter evaluation converts only to retail Datacenter; a Desktop Experience evaluation cannot convert to a Core retail edition; and a domain controller cannot be converted at all — Microsoft's guidance is to stand up a new domain controller on retail media and migrate the FSMO roles instead.

Verifying the ISO

After downloading, compute the file hash and compare it against the value shown on the download page before writing the ISO to media or attaching it to a hypervisor:

Get-FileHash -Path C:\ISOs\windows_server_2025.iso -Algorithm SHA256

A mismatch means a corrupted or altered download; delete the file and download again. This check matters most when the ISO has been copied between machines or stored for later use.

Sources not to use

Third-party mirror sites, torrent trackers, and archive.org uploads redistribute Windows Server ISOs outside Microsoft's control. There is no way to confirm that such an image matches Microsoft's release, and modified Windows ISOs are an established malware distribution channel. Since the official evaluation ISOs are free and the licensed channels are tied to your agreement anyway, an unofficial source offers no advantage and removes the integrity guarantee. Download only from microsoft.com domains or your licensing portal.

Activation

Evaluation editions activate automatically over the internet as evaluations; the 180-day clock runs from installation. Licensed installs activate with a retail key, a MAK, or through KMS/Active Directory-Based Activation in volume environments. Generic KMS client setup keys (GVLKs) exist for every edition, but they only activate against a KMS host or ADBA — they are not licenses. Key types, GVLK values, and activation methods for both versions are covered in our Windows Server product keys reference, and the feature differences between the two releases are in our Windows Server 2025 overview.

FAQ

Is Windows Server free to download?

The 180-day evaluation editions of Windows Server 2025 and 2022 are free downloads from the Microsoft Evaluation Center after registration. Continuing past 180 days requires converting to a licensed edition with a product key.

Can I download Windows Server 2022 now that 2025 is released?

Yes. The Evaluation Center hosts both releases, and volume licensing customers retain download access to prior versions with downgrade rights under their agreement.

Does the evaluation ISO differ from the licensed ISO?

The operating system binaries are the same; the evaluation image carries evaluation licensing components and, on Server Core, a reduced set of conversion targets. Workloads tested on evaluation behave the same after conversion to retail.