Share via

Does the new `WindowsServer2022` offer support Hotpatch? If so, why is it not listed in the official Hotpatch supported platforms documentation?

karthick 0 Reputation points
2026-06-02T05:02:34.6466667+00:00

Does the new WindowsServer2022 offer support Hotpatch? If so, why is it not listed in the official Hotpatch supported platforms documentation?

The migration notice at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/azurecompute/incoming-changes-for-window-server-2022-marketplace-image-users/4262423 instructs users of the old WindowsServer offer to migrate to the new WindowsServer2022 offer.

We are currently on:

  • Publisher: MicrosoftWindowsServer
  • Offer: WindowsServer
  • SKU: 2022-datacenter-azure-edition-hotpatch

However, the official Hotpatch supported platforms documentation at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/hotpatch#supported-platforms lists only the following supported offer/SKU combinations for Server 2022:

  • Offer: WindowsServer | SKU: 2022-Datacenter-Azure-Edition-Hotpatch
  • Offer: WindowsServer | SKU: 2022-Datacenter-Azure-Edition-Core

The new WindowsServer2022 offer is not listed anywhere in this documentation. The docs also explicitly state: "Windows Server container base images, custom images, or any other combination of publisher, offer, and SKU aren't supported."

This creates a direct conflict:

  • Microsoft is telling us to migrate to WindowsServer2022 offer
  • But the Hotpatch documentation does not include WindowsServer2022 as a supported offer

Our questions:

  1. Does the new WindowsServer2022 offer support Hotpatch?
  2. If yes, will the Hotpatch documentation be updated to reflect this?
  3. If no, what is the recommended migration path for customers who require Hotpatch and are currently on the deprecated WindowsServer offer?

This is blocking our migration planning as Hotpatch (no-reboot patching) is a core requirement for our production workloads.

Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines

An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest

  1. AI answer

    2026-06-02T05:02:50.6166667+00:00
    1. The documentation for Hotpatch-supported platforms currently lists only the WindowsServer offer with specific SKUs (for example, 2022-Datacenter-Azure-Edition-Hotpatch) as supported. It does not list the WindowsServer2022 offer at all. Based on the provided documentation, only the exact publisher/offer/SKU combinations in the table are supported for Hotpatch, and “any other combination of publisher, offer, and SKU aren't supported.” Therefore, Hotpatch support is documented only for the MicrosoftWindowsServer / WindowsServer / 2022‑Datacenter‑Azure‑Edition‑Hotpatch (and related) SKUs, not for WindowsServer2022.
    2. The provided context does not state that the Hotpatch documentation will be updated to include WindowsServer2022, nor does it describe any new WindowsServer2022 Hotpatch SKUs. The only authoritative list of supported platforms is the table under “Supported platforms,” which currently contains only the WindowsServer offer entries for Windows Server 2022 and 2025.
    3. The context does not describe a specific migration path from WindowsServer to WindowsServer2022 for customers that must retain Hotpatch. It only states that Hotpatch is supported for the listed Azure Edition SKUs and explains the general benefits and update cadence of Hotpatch, including that it is available for Windows Server 2022 and 2025 Azure Edition images and can be orchestrated with Azure Update Manager.

    Given the information available, migration planning that depends on Hotpatch must be based on the currently documented, supported combinations:

    • Publisher: MicrosoftWindowsServer
    • Offer: WindowsServer
    • SKUs such as 2022-Datacenter-Azure-Edition-Hotpatch and 2022-Datacenter-Azure-Edition-Hotpatch-smalldisk for Windows Server 2022

    Any other offer/SKU (including WindowsServer2022) is not listed as supported for Hotpatch in the current documentation and should not be assumed to be supported until the official table is updated.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.