Windows Server release information

Microsoft has updated its servicing model. The Semi-Annual Channel is a twice-per-year feature update release with 18-month servicing timelines for each release. This page is designed to help you determine the end of support date for the Semi-Annual Channel releases.

The Semi-Annual Channel provides opportunity for customers who are innovating quickly to take advantage of new operating system capabilities at a faster pace, both in applications — particularly those built on containers and microservices. For more information see the Comparison of servicing channels. Customers also have the option to continue using the Long-Term Servicing Channel releases, which continue to be released every 2-3 years. Each Long-Term Servicing Channel release is supported for 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support.

Windows Server current versions by servicing option

Windows Server release	Version	OS Build	Availability	Mainstream support end date	Extended support end date
Windows Server, version 20H2 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	20H2	19042.508.200927-1902	10/20/2020	05/10/2022	Review note
Windows Server, version 2004 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	2004	19041.264.200508-2205	05/27/2020	12/14/2021	Review note
Windows Server, version 1909 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	1909	18363.418.191007-0143	11/12/2019	05/11/2021	Review note
Windows Server, version 1903 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	1903	18362.30.190401-1528	5/21/2019	12/08/2020	Review note
Windows Server 2019 (Long-Term Servicing Channel) (Datacenter, Essentials, Standard)	1809	17763.107.1010129-1455	11/13/2018	01/09/2024	01/09/2029
Windows Server, version 1809 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	1809	17763.107.1010129-1455	11/13/2018	11/10/2020	Review note
Windows Server 2016 (Long-Term Servicing Channel)	1607	14393.0	10/15/2016	01/11/2022	01/11/2027

End of service for Windows Server, version 1809 has been delayed due to the ongoing public health crisis. For more information, see our Support article.

Windows Server, version 1803 and later are governed by the Modern Lifecycle Policy. See the Windows Lifecycle FAQ and Comparison of servicing channels for details regarding servicing requirements and other important information.

Operating System Version

The Version API Helper functions are used to determine the version of the operating system that is currently running. For more information, see Getting the System Version.

The following table summarizes the most recent operating system version numbers.

Operating system	Version number
Windows 10	10.0*
Windows Server 2019	10.0*
Windows Server 2016	10.0*
Windows 8.1	6.3*
Windows Server 2012 R2	6.3*
Windows 8	6.2
Windows Server 2012	6.2
Windows 7	6.1
Windows Server 2008 R2	6.1
Windows Server 2008	6.0
Windows Vista	6.0
Windows Server 2003 R2	5.2
Windows Server 2003	5.2
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition	5.2
Windows XP	5.1
Windows 2000	5.0

* For applications that have been manifested for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Applications not manifested for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 will return the Windows 8 OS version value (6.2). To manifest your applications for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, refer to Targeting your application for Windows.

Identifying the current operating system is usually not the best way to determine whether a particular operating system feature is present. This is because the operating system may have had new features added in a redistributable DLL. Rather than using the Version API Helper functions to determine the operating system platform or version number, test for the presence of the feature itself.

To determine the best way to test for a feature, refer to the documentation for the feature of interest. The following list discusses some common techniques for feature detection:

• You can test for the presence of the functions associated with a feature. To test for the presence of a function in a system DLL, call the LoadLibrary function to load the DLL. Then call the GetProcAddress function to determine whether the function of interest is present in the DLL. Use the pointer returned by GetProcAddress to call the function. Note that even if the function is present, it may be a stub that just returns an error code such as ERROR_CALL_NOT_IMPLEMENTED.
• You can determine the presence of some features by using the GetSystemMetrics function. For example, you can detect multiple display monitors by calling GetSystemMetrics(SM_CMONITORS).
• There are several versions of the redistributable DLLs that implement shell and common control features. For information about determining which versions are present on the system your application is running on, see the topic Shell and Common Controls Versions.

If you must require a particular operating system, be sure to use it as a minimum supported version, rather than design the test for the one operating system. This way, your detection code will continue to work on future versions of Windows.

Note that a 32-bit application can detect whether it is running under WOW64 by calling the IsWow64Process function. It can obtain additional processor information by calling the GetNativeSystemInfo function.

Информация о выпуске Windows Server Windows Server release information

Корпорация Майкрософт обновила модель обслуживания. Microsoft has updated its servicing model. Semi-Annual Channel — это канал, для которого дважды в год выпускаются обновления, с 18-месячными сроками обслуживания для каждого выпуска. The Semi-Annual Channel is a twice-per-year feature update release with 18-month servicing timelines for each release. На этой странице вы сможете определить дату окончания поддержки для выпусков Semi-Annual Channel. This page is designed to help you determine the end of support date for the Semi-Annual Channel releases.

Канал Semi-Annual Channel позволяет клиентам, быстро внедряющим инновации, раньше начать использование возможностей новой операционной системы. Это особенно касается приложений, основанных на контейнерах и микрослужбах. The Semi-Annual Channel provides opportunity for customers who are innovating quickly to take advantage of new operating system capabilities at a faster pace, both in applications — particularly those built on containers and microservices. Подробные сведения см. в статье Windows Server servicing channels: LTSC and SAC (Каналы обслуживания Windows Server: LTSC и SAC). For more information see the Comparison of servicing channels. Клиенты также могут продолжить пользоваться выпусками в канале Long-Term Servicing Channel, которые будут выходить каждые 2–3 года. Customers also have the option to continue using the Long-Term Servicing Channel releases, which continue to be released every 2-3 years. Каждый выпуск Long-Term Servicing Channel получает 5 лет основной поддержки и 5 лет дополнительной поддержки. Each Long-Term Servicing Channel release is supported for 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support.

Текущие версии Windows Server по варианту обслуживания Windows Server current versions by servicing option

Выпуск Windows Server Windows Server release	Версия Version	Сборка ОС OS Build	доступность; Availability	Дата окончания основной фазы поддержки Mainstream support end date	Дата окончания дополнительной фазы поддержки Extended support end date
Windows Server версии 20H2 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core) Windows Server, version 20H2 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	20H2 20H2	19042.508.200927-1902 19042.508.200927-1902	20.10.2020 10/20/2020	10.05.2022 05/10/2022	См. заметку Review note
Windows Server версии 2004 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core) Windows Server, version 2004 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	2004 2004	19041.264.200508-2205 19041.264.200508-2205	27.05.2020 05/27/2020	14.12.2021 12/14/2021	См. заметку Review note
Windows Server версии 1909 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core) Windows Server, version 1909 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	1909 1909	18363.418.191007-0143 18363.418.191007-0143	12.11.2019 11/12/2019	11.05.2021 05/11/2021	См. заметку Review note
Windows Server версии 1903 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core) Windows Server, version 1903 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	1903 1903	18362.30.190401-1528 18362.30.190401-1528	21.05.2019 5/21/2019	08.12.2020 12/08/2020	См. заметку Review note
Windows Server 2019 (Long-Term Servicing Channel) (Datacenter, Essentials, Standard) Windows Server 2019 (Long-Term Servicing Channel) (Datacenter, Essentials, Standard)	1809 1809	17763.107.1010129-1455 17763.107.1010129-1455	13.11.2018 11/13/2018	09.01.2024 01/09/2024	09.01.2029 01/09/2029
Windows Server версии 1809 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core) Windows Server, version 1809 (Semi-Annual Channel) (Datacenter Core, Standard Core)	1809 1809	17763.107.1010129-1455 17763.107.1010129-1455	13.11.2018 11/13/2018	10.11.2020 11/10/2020	См. заметку Review note
Windows Server 2016 (Long-Term Servicing Channel) Windows Server 2016 (Long-Term Servicing Channel)	1607 1607	14393.0 14393.0	15.10.2016 10/15/2016	11.01.2022 01/11/2022	11.01.2027 01/11/2027

Завершение работы службы для Windows Server версии 1809 отложено из-за проблем с состоянием здоровья населения. End of service for Windows Server, version 1809 has been delayed due to the ongoing public health crisis. Дополнительная информация приведена в статье о поддержке. For more information, see our Support article.

В отношении Windows Server версии 1803 и более поздних действует современная политика жизненного цикла. Windows Server, version 1803 and later are governed by the Modern Lifecycle Policy. Подробные сведения о требованиях к обслуживанию и другую важную информацию см. в статье с вопросами и ответами о жизненном цикле продуктов Windows и статье со сравнением каналов обслуживания. See the Windows Lifecycle FAQ and Comparison of servicing channels for details regarding servicing requirements and other important information.

Microsoft Windows Server OS (operating system)

Microsoft Windows Server OS (operating system) is a series of enterprise-class server operating systems designed to share services with multiple users and provide extensive administrative control of data storage, applications and corporate networks.

Development for Windows Server started in the early 1980s when Microsoft produced two operating system lines: MS-DOS and Windows NT. Microsoft engineer David Cutler developed the kernel of Windows NT with the intent to provide speed, security and reliability that large organizations require in a server operating system.

Prior to the release of Windows NT, many companies relied on the Unix operating system that required expensive RISC-based hardware to run file and printing services. Windows NT had the ability to run on less costly x86 machines.

A key feature in the NT architecture is symmetric multiprocessing, which makes applications run faster on machines with several processors.

Later iterations of Windows Server can be deployed either on hardware in an organization’s data center or on a cloud platform, such as Microsoft Azure.

Key features in later versions of Windows Server include Active Directory, which automates the management of user data, security and distributed resources, and enables interoperation with other directories; and Server Manager, which is a utility to administer server roles and make configuration changes to local or remote machines.

A timeline of Windows Server OS versions

Microsoft released its Windows NT operating system in two formats: one for workstations and the other for servers. The 32-bit operating system featured a hardware abstraction layer (HAL), which provided more system stability by blocking applications from direct access to system hardware. Companies could use Advanced Server as a domain controller to store user and group rights.

Microsoft updated key networking features in this server release and added integrated support for TCP/IP and Winsock. Other networking improvements allowed users on other non-Microsoft operating systems to access files and applications on the domain.

Microsoft fine-tuned this release to boost performance and reduce the amount of required memory. This server OS was optimized to deliver services faster to users through its updated networking stack. Microsoft added more connectivity support for companies in a mixed environment with both Windows NT and NetWare servers to allow users to get services from each with a single credential.

Microsoft borrowed the Windows 95 interface for this server OS release and also used many of the applications in the client OS, such as the File Explorer. Microsoft expanded the networking protocol capabilities in this release to make network resources available to a wider array of non-Microsoft machines. Key features in this release were the ability to use a server as an Internet Information Server — now called Internet Information Services (IIS) — and a domain name system server. This server OS also could walk administrators through various tasks, such as sharing a hard disk with a feature called Administrative Wizards.

Windows 2000 introduced Active Directory, a directory service that stores and manages information about network objects, including user data, systems and services. Active Directory lets administrators perform various tasks, such as virtual private network configuration, data encryption and granting access to file shares on networked computers.

Microsoft also introduced several other key features in this release, including:

• Microsoft Management Console (MMC),
• NTFS 3.0 file system and
• support for dynamic disk volumes.

Windows 2000 had three editions — Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter — that were built to work with Windows 2000 Professional, the client OS.

Microsoft introduced the «Windows Server» brand with the release of Windows Server 2003 and touted its security improvements over Windows 2000. Microsoft hardened IIS, the web server feature, and disabled more default services to reduce exploit opportunities.

Microsoft introduced server roles with this release, which allowed administrators to assign a specific function to a server, such as domain controller or DNS server.

Other new features in this release included expanded encryption functionality, built-in firewall, greater Network Address Translation (NAT) support and Volume Shadow Copy Service.

Windows Server 2003 had four editions: Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter and Web.

Rather than a version number, Microsoft began using the R2 — or release two — designation with Windows Server 2003 R2. Organizations always need to buy a new Windows Server license to use the new server operating system, but R2 releases used the client access licenses (CALs) of the immediately preceding server version to eliminate the need to upgrade those licenses.

This version improved on the security and safety features in Windows Server 2003.

Key new features in this release were:

• Active Directory Federation Services, which lets administrators broaden single sign-on access to applications and systems beyond the corporate firewall.
• Active Directory Application Mode, which stores data for applications that may be considered not secure enough to use in the Active Directory system.

This version also added enhancements to file replication and data compression for branch office servers. Among the security improvements in this release was the Security Configuration Wizard, which let administrators apply consistent security policies to multiple machines.

Windows Server 2008 added new features such as:

• Hyper-V virtualization software,
• failover clustering,
• Event Viewer,
• Server Core — the minimal deployment option managed via the command line, and
• Server Manager console, used to add and manage server roles and features on local and remote machines.

Microsoft also overhauled the networking stack and Active Directory to enhance its Group Policy and identity management capabilities.

Windows Server 2008 came in four editions: Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter and Web.

Microsoft used its Windows 7 kernel for this server operating system and touted its improved scalability and availability features.

Microsoft enhanced Active Directory for improved handling of user accounts and more granular control with policies. The company also updated Terminal Services functionality and rechristened it to Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

New features in this release include BranchCache and DirectAccess, both aimed at improving how users in remote locations are able to get their work done.

This server OS, like its predecessor, shares some of the administrative and security functionality used in the Windows Vista client operating system. Windows Server 2008 R2 also marked a change from a 32-bit server operating system to a 64-bit version.

Microsoft embedded a number of cloud-related features to Windows Server 2012, going so far as to dub it the «Cloud OS,» so organizations could run services more easily in public or private clouds. The company also made significant updates to the operating system’s storage infrastructure and Hyper-V virtualization platform.

New features worth noting in this release were the Hyper-V virtual switch, Hyper-V Replica, Storage Spaces and ReFS file system.

In another change with this release, Microsoft switched the default installation option to Server Core, which requires administrators to use PowerShell. Upon this release, PowerShell had 2,300 cmdlets available for management.

This server version came in four editions: Essentials, Foundation, Standard and Datacenter. The Standard and Datacenter editions had the same feature set, but a Standard license permitted organizations to run two virtual machines (VMs), while Datacenter permitted an unlimited number of VMs.

Microsoft made expansive changes across the board with Windows Server 2012 R2, including significant updates to virtualization, storage, networking, information security and web services.

New features of note:

• Desired State Configuration (DSC) built on PowerShell to prevent configuration drift and maintain consistency across the organization’s machines.
• Storage tiering added to Storage Spaces boosts performance by automatically moving frequently called blocks of data to solid-state storage.
• Work Folders allow users to retrieve and save company files on work and personal devices through replication to servers in the organization’s data center.

Microsoft nudged enterprises closer to the cloud with a number of new features tailored to ease workload migrations, such as support for Docker containers and software-defined enhancements in networking.

Microsoft debuted Nano Server, a minimal server deployment option intended to boost security by shrinking the attack vector. Microsoft says Nano Server is 93% smaller than a full Windows Server deployment.

Another nod to security comes in the new Hyper-V shielded VM feature, which uses encryption to prevent data inside a VM from being compromised.

The Network Controller is a key new networking feature that allows administrators to manage the switches, subnets and other devices on the virtual and physical networks.

This server OS comes in Standard and Datacenter editions. In previous Windows Server versions, the Standard and Datacenter editions had the same feature set, but different license rights and use restrictions. In Windows Server 2016, the Standard edition does not have the more advanced features in virtualization, storage and networking.

In June 2017, Microsoft announced it would split Windows Server into two channels: the Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) and the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) — formerly the Long-Term Servicing Branch.

The SAC caters to enterprises with a DevOps framework that prefer a shorter term between feature updates to get the most recent updates for rapid application development cycles. SAC releases will come every six months — one in the spring and one in the fall — with mainstream support of just 18 months. Microsoft tailors the LTSC for companies that prefer the more traditional release cycle of two to three years between major feature updates with the typical five years of mainstream support followed by five years of extended support.

The LTSC naming convention will retain the Windows Server YYYY format — such as Windows Server 2016 — while the SAC releases will follow a format of Windows Server version YYMM. Microsoft said it plans to add most of the enhancements — with some variations — from the SAC releases into upcoming LTSC releases.

Microsoft released its first SAC release — Windows Server version 1709 — in October 2017. Highlights of this release were support for Linux containers with kernel isolation provided by Hyper-V and a refactored Nano Server strictly for use as a base OS container image.

Businesses with Software Assurance on their Windows Server Standard or Datacenter licenses or a Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) license can download the SAC releases from Microsoft’s Volume Licensing Service Center. Organizations without Software Assurance can use SAC releases in Azure or another cloud or hosting environment.