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Windows Server 2022 Hotpatching Extended Through October 2027
Still using Windows Server 2022? Here’s important news: the Hotpatching feature, which lets you apply security updates without restarting the server, was originally set to end in October 2026, at the end of mainstream support. It has now been extended by one year, through October 2027. Good news on paper, but not everyone will benefit. Here’s what you need to know.
A one-year reprieve, but limited to a single edition
Servers already enrolled in the Hotpatch program will continue to receive monthly security updates without a reboot through October 2027, at the same pace as today. This new date, officially mentioned by Microsoft, suggests to me that Hotpatching was supposed to end in October 2026, at the same time as the mainstream support for Windows Server 2022.
This extension does not apply to all Windows Server 2022 servers. It is limited to a single edition: Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition, which runs only in Azure Cloud and Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI). The other editions (Datacenter, Standard, Essentials) are not affected by this change.
As a reminder, Hotpatching applies security fixes directly in the in-memory code of running processes, without having to stop them or restart the server after each installation (although reboots are still required once per quarter). The benefits for IT teams are clear: higher availability, fewer service interruptions, and a shorter response time to vulnerabilities.
In its Windows Server 2022 dashboard, Microsoft states that "devices enrolled in Hotpatch updates will continue to receive monthly security updates without requiring a restart."
A Hotpatch strategy that keeps expanding, edition by edition
This decision is part of a broader trend around Hotpatching, which Microsoft is gradually rolling out across its latest operating systems.
The feature has been available for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition since February 2022, before arriving in public preview on Windows Server 2025 in September 2024, then on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 365 in November 2024. In April 2025, Hotpatch became available for Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 on x64 systems (AMD/Intel).
Most notably, Microsoft recently stepped on the gas by making Hotpatching free for Windows Server 2025 for servers managed through Azure Arc. In addition, starting with the May 2026 security update, Microsoft enables Hotpatch by default on eligible Windows devices managed through the Microsoft Graph API and Microsoft Intune (something we covered in our article on default Hotpatching in the enterprise).
