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Active Directory Domain Services functional levels

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Applies to: Windows Server 2025 (preview), Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012

Functional levels determine the available Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain or forest capabilities. They also determine which Windows Server operating systems you can run on domain controllers in the domain or forest. However, functional levels don't affect which operating systems you can run on workstations and member servers joined to the domain or forest. This article describes which functioning levels are compatible with which versions of Windows Server.

When you deploy AD DS, set the domain and forest functional levels to the highest value that your environment can support in order to use as many AD DS features as possible. When you deploy a new forest, you need to set both the forest and domain functional levels. You can set the domain functional level to a value that's higher than the forest functional level, but you can't set the domain functional level to a value lower than the forest functional level.

Windows Server 2025 (preview) functional levels

Important

Windows Server 2025 is in PREVIEW. This information relates to a prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it's released. Microsoft makes no warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

You can use the following operating systems as domain controllers (DCs) with the Windows Server 2025 forest and domain function level.

  • Windows Server 2025

Windows Server 2025 forest and domain functional level features

The Windows Server 2025 domain functional level includes all features available in earlier domain functional levels, but also has the following new features:

To learn more about these new features, see What's new in Windows Server 2025.

Note

Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022 use Windows Server 2016 as the most recent functional levels.

Windows Server 2016 functional levels

You can use the following operating systems as domain controllers (DCs) with the Windows Server 2016 forest and domain function level.

  • Windows Server 2025 (preview)
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016

Note

Domains must use DFS-R as the engine to replicate SYSVOL. To learn more about migrating to DFSR, see Streamlined Migration of FRS to DFSR SYSVOL blog. Windows Server 2016 is the last Windows Server release that supports the File Replication Service (FRS). To learn more, see Windows Server version 1709 no longer supports FRS for information on how to work around this issue.

Windows Server 2016 forest and domain functional level features

All default Active Directory features in earlier forest functional levels plus the following features are available:

All default Active Directory features in earlier domain functional levels plus the following features are available:

  • DCs can support automatic rolling of the New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) and other password-based secrets on a user account configured to require public key infrastructure (PKI) authentication. This configuration is also known as "Smart card required for interactive logon".

  • DCs can support allowing network NTLM when a user is restricted to specific domain-joined devices.

  • Kerberos clients successfully authenticating with the PKInit Freshness Extension get the fresh public key identity security identifier (SID).

    For more information, see What's New in Kerberos Authentication and What's new in Credential Protection

Windows Server 2012 R2 functional levels

You can use the following operating systems as domain controllers (DCs) with the Windows Server 2012 R2 forest and domain function level.

  • Windows Server 2025 (preview)
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2012 R2 forest and domain functional level features

All default Active Directory features, all features from the Windows Server 2012 domain functional level, plus the following features:

  • DC-side protections for Protected Users. When Protected Users authenticate to a Windows Server 2012 R2 domain, they're no longer able to:

    • Authenticate with NTLM authentication

    • Use DES or RC4 cipher suites in Kerberos preauthentication

    • Be delegated with unconstrained or constrained delegation

    • Renew user tickets (TGTs) beyond the initial 4 hour lifetime

  • Authentication Policies

    • New forest-based authentication policies can be applied to accounts. The policies can control which hosts an account can sign on from, and apply access control conditions for authentication to services running as an account.

  • Authentication Policy Silos

    • New forest-based Active Directory object to be used to classify accounts for authentication policies or for authentication isolation. The new object can create a relationship between user, managed service, and computer accounts.

Functional and domain levels in a previous version of Windows Server

If you're looking to identify functional levels for a previous version of Windows Server, see Understanding Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Functional Levels.

Next steps

To raise the functional level of your domain or forest, you can use the following resources: