Windows Server 2025 system requirements (2026 guide + minimums)

Windows Server 2025 needs at least a 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor with SSE4.2 and POPCNT support, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of disk space and a 1 Gbps PCI Express Ethernet adapter.

This guide covers each minimum from Microsoft's own documentation, what changed from Windows Server 2022, Server Core versus Desktop Experience sizing, TPM and Secured-core needs, and how to check a machine before you install.

Minimum Windows Server 2025 hardware requirements

These minimums apply to both Standard and Datacenter editions, and to both Server Core and Server with Desktop Experience unless a row says otherwise.

Component	Minimum for Windows Server 2025	Note
Processor	1.4 GHz 64-bit, x64 instruction set	Must also support NX/DEP, CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, PrefetchW, SLAT, SSE4.2 and POPCNT
Memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB recommended for Desktop Experience; ECC or similar on physical hosts
Storage	32 GB system partition	PCI Express storage adapter; no PATA, ATA, IDE or EIDE boot, page or data drives
Network	1 Gbps Ethernet adapter	PCI Express compliant
Firmware	UEFI 2.3.1c with Secure Boot	Needed only for features that use it
TPM	TPM 2.0	Needed only for features such as BitLocker Drive Encryption
Graphics	Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher	Needed only for certain features

Microsoft does not publish recommended specifications beyond these minimums. It advises sizing each server from the documentation for the roles you plan to run and from test deployments.

Windows Server 2025 processor requirements

Clock speed is only one factor. Microsoft notes that core count and cache size also decide processor performance, so the list below is about compatibility rather than speed.

CPU requirement	What it means	New in 2025?
1.4 GHz 64-bit processor	The lowest supported clock speed	No
x64 instruction set	32-bit and Arm processors are not on the minimum list	No
NX and DEP	No-execute page protection must be available	No
CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, PrefetchW	Specific instructions the kernel relies on	No
Second Level Address Translation (EPT or NPT)	Intel EPT or AMD NPT memory virtualization	No
SSE4.2 instruction set	Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2	Yes
POPCNT instruction	Population count instruction	Yes

SSE4.2 and POPCNT are the two lines that block very old processors which ran Windows Server 2022 without complaint.

Windows Server 2025 RAM requirements

Install option	Minimum RAM	Microsoft's guidance
Server Core	2 GB	Minimum only
Server with Desktop Experience	2 GB	4 GB recommended
Physical host	ECC (Error Correcting Code) or similar	Required for physical deployments
Virtual machine during setup	1,280 MB or more	Setup fails at 1,024 MB; you can lower it to 1,024 MB after setup

Hyper-V hosts need far more. Microsoft tells you to plan for at least 4 GB and enough memory for the host plus every virtual machine running at the same time.

Windows Server 2025 storage and disk space requirements

Storage item	Requirement
System partition	32 GB absolute minimum
What 32 GB covers	A Server Core install with the Web Services (IIS) role
Desktop Experience	About 4 GB larger than the same server as Server Core
Storage adapter	Compliant with the PCI Express architecture specification
Disallowed interfaces	PATA, ATA, IDE and EIDE for boot, page or data drives
Extra space needed	Network installs, and servers with more than 16 GB of RAM (paging, hibernation and dump files)

Microsoft does not require an SSD; the drive type matters less than the PCI Express adapter in front of it. Note that 32 GB leaves almost no room for updates and logs on a production server.

Windows Server 2025 network adapter requirements

Network feature	Status
Ethernet adapter with at least 1 Gbps throughput	Required
PCI Express compliant adapter	Required
Network debugging (KDNet) support	Useful, not required
Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) support	Useful, not required

Windows Server 2025 TPM, UEFI and graphics requirements

Unlike Windows 11, Windows Server 2025 installs without TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot. Those components are needed only for the features that use them; the Windows 11 26H2 system requirements require TPM 2.0 and a Secure Boot capable PC.

Component	When you need it	Specification
DVD drive	Installing from DVD media	Any compatible drive
UEFI firmware	Secure Boot	UEFI 2.3.1c-based system and firmware
TPM	BitLocker Drive Encryption and similar features	TPM 2.0 with an EK certificate and SHA-256 PCR banks (PCRs 0-23)
Graphics and monitor	Local console use	Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher
Keyboard and mouse	Local console use	Any compatible pointing device
Internet access	Updates and online activation	Fees might apply

Optimizing performance for GUI installations

The install option changes your RAM and disk budget. You cannot convert between Server Core and Server with Desktop Experience after setup, so choose before you install.

Your situation	Choose	Why
Hardware near the 2 GB / 32 GB minimum	Server Core	About 4 GB less disk and no desktop shell to run
Admins need Server Manager and MMC on the box	Server with Desktop Experience	Full GUI and all roles available; give it 4 GB RAM or more
Server managed remotely with Windows Admin Center, RSAT Server Manager or PowerShell	Server Core	Remote GUI tools still work and the attack surface is smaller
Apps that need GUI components	Desktop Experience, or Server Core with the App Compatibility Feature on Demand	Some roles and features are missing from Server Core

Windows Server 2025 Desktop Experience features

The features in Server with Desktop Experience include a desktop shell in the style of Windows 11, which sets it apart from older Windows Server releases. Several of them use hardware that the minimum list does not mention.

Feature	Hardware or setup it needs	Default state
Windows 11 style desktop shell	Server with Desktop Experience; Server Core has no desktop shell	On at first sign-in
Microsoft Edge	Desktop Experience	Pinned to Start
Bluetooth mice, keyboards, headsets and audio devices	A Bluetooth adapter	Supported
Wi-Fi	A wireless network adapter; run net start wlansvc to start the Wireless LAN Service	Installed, startup set to manual
Dev Drive for developer workloads	A ReFS-formatted volume; block cloning speeds up large file copies	Supported

To get the best response from these GUI features, give the server the 4 GB of RAM Microsoft recommends for Desktop Experience rather than the 2 GB minimum.

Windows Server 2025 vs 2022 system requirements

Requirement	Windows Server 2022	Windows Server 2025
CPU instruction sets	x64, NX/DEP, CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, PrefetchW, SLAT	Same, plus SSE4.2 and POPCNT
RAM, Server Core	1 GB	2 GB
RAM, Desktop Experience	2 GB	2 GB (4 GB recommended)
VM RAM needed for setup	800 MB	1,280 MB
Disk	32 GB	32 GB
Network	1 Gbps PCI Express Ethernet	1 Gbps PCI Express Ethernet

A server that runs Windows Server 2019 or 2022 today usually meets the 2025 minimums. The CPU instruction check and the higher RAM floor are the two things to confirm first.

Secured-core server requirements for Windows Server 2025

Secured-core is optional. It adds firmware and hardware protections that start before the operating system boots.

To achieve Secured-core status, the server needs every item below.

Secured-core requirement	Purpose
DMA remapping (IOMMU): Intel VT-d or AMD-Vi	Stops devices from reading memory they should not access
Kernel DMA Protection (opt-in capable)	Blocks attacks through external peripherals
DRTM (Dynamic Root of Trust for Measurement)	Verifies the integrity of the startup environment
TPM 2.0 enabled	Hardware root of trust
Secure Boot enabled	Only signed boot components load
Virtualization-based Security support	Includes hardware virtualization extensions

Windows Server 2025 Standard vs Datacenter hardware limits

Both editions share the same minimum hardware. The difference is how far they scale and how many virtual machines a license covers.

Limit	Standard	Datacenter	Datacenter: Azure Edition
Maximum 64-bit sockets	64	64	64
Maximum cores	Unlimited	Unlimited	2,048 logical processors
Maximum RAM	4 PB (5-level paging) or 256 TB (4-level paging)	4 PB (5-level paging) or 256 TB (4-level paging)	240 TB for a generation 2 VM, 1 TB for generation 1
Virtual machines per license	2, plus one Hyper-V host	Unlimited, plus one Hyper-V host	Unlimited, plus one Hyper-V host
Hyper-V isolated containers	2	Unlimited	Unlimited

Windows Server 2025 system requirements check

Microsoft points to Coreinfo, part of Sysinternals, for checking CPU features. Run it from an elevated Command Prompt in the folder where you extracted it, on a machine with no hypervisor running.

coreinfo64 -f

Lists the processor's feature flags. An asterisk (*) next to a feature means it is supported, and a dash (-) means it is not. Run coreinfo64 -v as administrator to see the second-level address translation line (EPT on Intel, NPT on AMD).

You should see: SSE4.2, POPCNT, NX, CX16, LAHF-SAHF and PREFETCHW all show an asterisk.

For the Hyper-V role, run systeminfo.exe and scroll to Hyper-V Requirements. Every item should read Yes; on an existing host the section says a hypervisor has been detected.

Download Windows Server 2025 ISO for evaluation

Microsoft offers a free 180-day evaluation of Windows Server 2025, so you can explore and test it on your own hardware before you buy a license.

1. Open the Windows Server 2025 page on the Microsoft Evaluation Center and register.
2. Select ISO download (64-bit edition) in your language, or VHD download for a ready-made virtual disk in English.
3. Install it on a physical server or a virtual machine that meets the minimums above.
4. Activate the evaluation over the internet within the first 10 days, or it shuts down automatically.
5. Once setup is done, run Windows Update to install the latest servicing package.

Windows Server 2025 is the current Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release, on OS build 26100. Mainstream support runs to 13 November 2029 and extended support to 14 November 2034; the October 2026 update raised the build version to 26100.33650 (KB5126646).

Test your roles in an evaluation VM first to measure the CPU, memory and disk resources they actually use before you size production hardware.

You can upgrade in place to Windows Server 2025 from Windows Server 2012 R2 and later.

Why hardware compatibility matters

Microsoft states that a computer below the minimums might not install Windows Server properly, and that real requirements rise with the roles and applications you add.

If the hardware lacks	What happens
SSE4.2 or POPCNT	The processor falls below the Windows Server 2025 CPU minimum
SLAT, VT-x/AMD-V or hardware DEP	The Hyper-V role cannot install its hypervisor
A PCI Express storage adapter	PATA, ATA, IDE and EIDE drives cannot hold boot, page or data volumes
TPM 2.0	BitLocker Drive Encryption and Secured-core are unavailable
1,280 MB of RAM on a new VM	Setup fails before it finishes

For servers bought for a specific role, Microsoft's Hyper-V documentation also tells you to review the Windows Server catalog of certified hardware.

Fix Windows Server 2025 install failures caused by hardware

Setup fails on a virtual machine with 1 GB of RAM

Windows Server 2025 setup cannot finish with the 1,024 MB minimum.

1. Shut down the VM and raise its memory to 1,280 MB or more.
2. Run setup again; add more if your boot image includes extra languages or updates.
3. After setup completes, lower the allocation to as little as 1,024 MB if the workload allows.

You cannot add RAM to the VM before setup

Setup needs a page file to complete on a minimum-memory VM.

1. Boot the VM from the Windows Server 2025 media and press Shift + F10 at the first setup screen.
2. Run diskpart.exe and create and format the installation partition.
3. Run wpeutil createpagefile /path=C:\pf.sys, replacing C: with your installation partition.
4. Close the Command Prompt and continue setup.

systeminfo shows No under Hyper-V Requirements

Virtualization or DEP is turned off in firmware, or the CPU lacks SLAT.

1. Restart into the BIOS or UEFI setup.
2. Turn on Intel VT or AMD-V and hardware DEP (XD on Intel, NX on AMD).
3. Save, boot Windows Server and run systeminfo.exe again.

BitLocker or Secured-core options are missing

The server has no TPM 2.0, or TPM and Secure Boot are off in firmware.

1. Check the firmware for a TPM 2.0 setting and enable it.
2. Turn on Secure Boot in UEFI setup.
3. If the board has no TPM 2.0, plan BitLocker for different hardware.

Windows Server 2025 system requirements FAQ

What are the minimum requirements for Windows Server 2025?

Windows Server 2025 needs a 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor with SSE4.2 and POPCNT, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of disk space on a PCI Express storage adapter, and a 1 Gbps PCI Express Ethernet adapter. These apply to Standard and Datacenter.

What are the recommended specs for Windows Server 2025?

Microsoft publishes no general recommended specification beyond 4 GB of RAM for Server with Desktop Experience. It says role documentation and test deployments should set the real figures, because requirements depend on the roles and applications you install.

What CPU does Windows Server 2025 require?

It requires a 1.4 GHz or faster x64 processor with NX/DEP, CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, PrefetchW, Second Level Address Translation, SSE4.2 and POPCNT. SSE4.2 and POPCNT are new compared with Windows Server 2022.

Does Windows Server 2025 require TPM 2.0?

No. Windows Server 2025 installs without a TPM. A TPM 2.0 chip is needed only for features such as BitLocker Drive Encryption and Secured-core server, and it must meet Microsoft's EK certificate and SHA-256 PCR requirements.

Can I run Windows Server 2025 on Windows Server 2019 hardware?

Usually, if the processor supports SSE4.2 and POPCNT and the machine has at least 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of disk. Run Coreinfo with the -f switch to confirm the CPU flags before you upgrade.

Is an HDD enough for Windows Server 2025?

Yes. Microsoft requires 32 GB on a drive behind a PCI Express compliant storage adapter and does not require an SSD. PATA, ATA, IDE and EIDE drives are not allowed for boot, page or data volumes.

How much RAM does Windows Server 2025 Standard need?

Windows Server 2025 Standard needs 2 GB of RAM for both Server Core and Desktop Experience, with 4 GB recommended for Desktop Experience. Physical hosts need ECC or similar memory, and Hyper-V hosts need memory for every running VM.

How many VMs can a Windows Server 2025 host with 32 GB of RAM run?

Microsoft gives no fixed number. Memory must cover the host plus every VM running at once, and each Windows Server 2025 guest needs at least 2 GB. Standard licensing covers 2 VMs per license, Datacenter unlimited.

How do I check if my server meets Windows Server 2025 requirements?

Run coreinfo64 -f from Sysinternals to confirm SSE4.2, POPCNT and the other CPU flags, then check installed RAM, a free 32 GB system disk and a 1 Gbps network adapter. Use systeminfo.exe to check Hyper-V readiness.