Windows Server release information

Windows Server is moving to the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) as our primary release channel. The Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) was retired on August 9, 2022. There will be no future SAC releases of Windows Server.

The focus on container and microservice innovation previously released in the Semi-Annual Channel will now continue with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), AKS on Azure Stack HCI, and other platform improvements made in collaboration with the Kubernetes community. A major new version of Windows Server will continue to be released every 2-3 years, so you can expect both container host and container images to align with that cadence.

Windows Server current versions by servicing option

(All dates are listed in ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD)

Windows Server release	Servicing option	Editions	Availability	Build	Mainstream support end date	Extended support end date
Windows Server 2022	Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)	Datacenter, Standard	2021-08-18	20348.169	2026-10-13	2031-10-14
Windows Server 2019 (version 1809)	Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)	Datacenter, Essentials, Standard	2018-11-13	17763.107	2024-01-09	2029-01-09
Windows Server 2016 (version 1607)	Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)	Datacenter, Essentials, Standard	2016-10-15	14393.0	End of servicing	2027-01-11

Note

Windows Server is governed by either the Modern Lifecycle Policy or the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, depending on the version or edition. See the Windows Lifecycle FAQ and Comparison of servicing channels for details regarding servicing requirements and other important information. To learn more about which Windows Server versions apply to the Modern Lifecycle Policy, see Windows Server Releases.