The hot patch functionality for Windows Server will soon cost money. Microsoft wants to charge $1.5 per core for updates without restart for servers not running in Azure.
Hot patch functionality for Windows Server 2025 will not remain free. Hot patches are updates that can be installed without restarting the server. Microsoft introduced the capability for Windows Server at the end of September last year as a preview. Earlier this month, the functionality also came to Windows 11. With hot patches, the number of necessary reboots decreases to one per quarter.
This saves administrators time and therefore money for companies, Microsoft reasons. That’s why the hot patch capability for Windows Server 2025 will soon have a price tag. From July 1, 2025, organizations will pay $1.5 per month per core. For large IT environments, the cost can quickly add up, but Microsoft believes that the improved experience is worth the price.
Advantage for Azure
It’s notable that the monthly cost is only charged for those running Windows 2025 Standard or Datacenter outside of Microsoft Azure. Customers running servers within Azure are exempt from the price increase.
This sounds, to put it mildly, like an interesting strategy. Microsoft has been under fire within the EU for some time for potentially unfair practices regarding competition with Azure. For example, Microsoft sidelines other cloud providers by offering discounts on its own software when bundled with Azure. This hot patching service is once again a service available at a discount, exclusively within Azure.
It remains an option, of course, to disable hot patching. You need to do this before June 30 if you want to avoid the license cost for the service. For now, hot patching for Windows 11 Enterprise is not linked to an extra cost.