Windows Server 2025 feature list

Windows Server 2025 is the latest version of Microsoft's server operating system. This article lists the current features in a table.

Windows Server 2025 Features

The following table lists all functions of Standard, Datacenter and DC-Azure editions:

Function	Subfunction	Standard	Datacenter	Datacenter Azure
.NET Framework 3.5 Features		✔	✔	✔
.NET Framework 4.8 Features		✔	✔	✔
Activation		✔	✔	✔
	Automatic Virtual Machine Activation	⚠1	✔	✔2
	Key Management Service (KMS)	✔	✔	✘3
Active Directory Certificate Services		✔	✔	✔
	Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service	✔	✔	✔
	Certificate Enrollment Web Service	✔	✔	✔
	Certification Authority	✔	✔	✔
	Certification Authority Web Enrollment	✔	✔	✔
	Network Device Enrollment Service	✔	✔	✔
	Online Responder	✔	✔	✔
Active Directory Domain Services		✔	✔	✔
Active Directory Federation Services		✔	✔	✔
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services		✔	✔	✔
Active Directory Rights Management Services		✔	✔	✔
Azure Extended Networking		✘	✘	✔
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)		✔	✔	✔
BitLocker Drive Encryption		✔	✔	✔
BitLocker Network Unlock		✔4	✔4	✔4
BranchCache		✔	✔	✔
Client for NFS		✔	✔	✔
Data Center Bridging		✔	✔	✔
Device Health Attestation		✔	✔	✔
DHCP Server		✔	✔	✔
Direct Play		✔4	✔4	✔4
DLNA codecs and web media streaming		✔4	✔4	✔4
DNS Server		✔	✔	✔
Enhanced Storage		✔	✔	✔
Failover Clustering		✔	✔	✔
Fax Server		✔	✔	✔
File and Storage Services		✔	✔	✔
	BranchCache for Network Files	✔	✔	✔
	Data Deduplication	✔	✔	✔
	DFS Namespaces	✔	✔	✔
	DFS Replication	✔	✔	✔
	File Server	✔	✔	✔
	File Server Resource Manager	✔	✔	✔
	File Server VSS Agent Service	✔	✔	✔
	iSCSI Target Server	✔	✔	✔
	iSCSI Target Storage Provider (VDS and VSS hardware providers)	✔	✔	✔
	Server for NFS	✔	✔	✔
	SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support	✔	✔	✔
	SMB Bandwidth Limit	✔	✔	✔
	SMB over QUIC	✔	✔	✔
	Work Folders	✔	✔	✔
	Storage Migration Service	✔	✔	✔
	Storage Migration Service Proxy	✔	✔	✔
	Storage Spaces	✔	✔	✔
	Storage Spaces Direct	✘	✔	✔
	Storage Replica	✔	✔	✔
Group Policy Management		✔	✔	✔
Host Guardian Hyper-V Support		✘	✔	✔
Host Guardian Service		✔	✔	✔
Hotpatching		✔5	✔5	✔
I/O Quality of Service		✔	✔	✔
IIS Hostable Web Core		✔	✔	✔
IP Address Management (IPAM) Server		✔	✔	✔
Management OData IIS Extension		✔	✔	✔
Media Foundation		✔	✔	✔
Message Queuing		✔	✔	✔
	Message Queuing DCOM Proxy	✔	✔	✔
	Message Queuing Services	✔	✔	✔
Microsoft Defender Antivirus		✔	✔	✔
Multipath I/O		✔	✔	✔
MultiPoint Connector		✔	✔	✔
Network ATC		✔	✔	✔
Network Controller		✘	✔	✔
Network Load Balancing		✔	✔	✔
Network Policy and Access Services		✔4	✔4	✔4
Network Virtualization		✔	✔	✔
Print and Document Services		✔	✔	✔
	Internet Printing	✔4	✔4	✔4
	Line Printer Daemon (LPD) Service	✔4	✔4	✔4
	Print Server	✔4	✔4	✔4
Quality Windows Audio Video Experience		✔	✔	✔
RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK)		✔	✔	✔
Remote Access		✔	✔	✔
	DirectAccess and VPN (RAS)	✔	✔	✔
	Routing	✔	✔	✔
	Web Application Proxy	✔	✔	✔
Remote Assistance		✔4	✔4	✔4
Remote Desktop Services		✔4	✔4	✔4
Remote Differential Compression		✔	✔	✔
Remote Server Administration Tools		✔	✔	✔
RPC over HTTP Proxy		✔	✔	✔
Setup and Boot Event Collection		✔	✔	✔
Simple TCP/IP Services		✔4	✔4	✔4
SNMP Service		✔	✔	✔
Software Load Balancer		✔	✔	✔
System Data Archiver		✔	✔	✔
System Insights		✔	✔	✔
Telnet Client		✔	✔	✔
TFTP Client		✔4	✔4	✔4
Virtualization		✔	✔	✔
	Containers	✔	✔	✘
	Hyper-V	✔	✔	✔
	GPU partitioning	✔6	✔	✔6
	VM Shielding Tools for Fabric Management	✔	✔	✔
Volume Activation Services		✔	✔	✔
Web Server (IIS)		✔	✔	✔
	FTP Server	✔	✔	✔
	Web Server	✔	✔	✔
WebDAV Redirector		✔	✔	✔
Windows Biometric Framework		✔4	✔4	✔4
Windows Deployment Services		✔	✔	✔
Windows Identity Foundation 3.5		✔4	✔4	✔4
Windows Internal Database		✔	✔	✔
Windows PowerShell		✔	✔	✔
	Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine	✔	✔	✔
	Windows PowerShell 5.1	✔	✔	✔
	Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration Service	✔	✔	✔
	Windows PowerShell Web Access	✔	✔	✔
Windows Process Activation Service		✔	✔	✔
Windows Server Management enabled by Azure Arc		✔7	✔7	✔7
	Azure Update Manager	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Change Tracking and Inventory	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Azure Machine Configuration	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Windows Admin Center in Azure for Arc	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Remote Support	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Network HUD	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Best Practices Assessment	✔7	✔7	✔7
	Azure Site Recovery Configuration	✔7	✔7	✔7
Windows Search Service		✔4	✔4	✔4
Windows Server Backup		✔	✔	✔
Windows Server Migration Tools		✔	✔	✔
Windows Server Update Services		✔	✔	✔
Windows Standards-Based Storage Management		✔	✔	✔
Windows Subsystem for Linux		✔	✔	✔
Windows TIFF IFilter		✔4	✔4	✔4
WinRM IIS Extension		✔	✔	✔
WINS Server		✔	✔	✔
Wireless LAN Service		✔	✔	✔
WoW64 Support		✔	✔	✔
XPS Viewer		✔4	✔4	✔4

¹ As a guest, when hosted on a virtualization host enabled with Datacenter Edition

² Datacenter: Azure Edition can be used as a nested host or as a guest system

³ Activated by Azure and cannot be configured as a KMS host

⁴ If installed as a server with "Desktop Experience"

⁵ Available as an Azure Arc-enabled service

⁶ Available with Windows Server 2025 Standard. Designed for standalone servers. Live migration of VMs between standalone nodes for planned downtime. If a cluster is required for unplanned downtime, Windows Server 2025 Datacenter must be used instead.

⁷ Available for machines that are registered for Windows Server management through Azure Arc and have Windows Server licenses with active Software Assurance or Windows Server licenses with active subscription licenses.

References

Author: Stefan Bohn Stefan Bohn has been employed at Thomas-Krenn.AG since 2020. Originally based in PreSales as a consultant for IT solutions, he moved to Product Management in 2022. There he dedicates himself to knowledge transfer and also drives the Thomas-Krenn Wiki.

Translator: Alina Ranzinger Alina has been working at Thomas-Krenn.AG since 2024. After her training as multilingual business assistant, she got her job as assistant of the Product Management and is responsible for the translation of texts and for the organisation of the department.