No Hyper-V Server 2022 Free—What’s that about?

I don’t usually do blog posts on news stories, but this one has the potential to impact a lot of people, so I thought it was worth taking a closer look.

The top-level story is that Microsoft announced it will not be releasing Hyper-V Server Free as part of Windows 2022. However, if you’re already using Hyper-V Server Free 2019, you can continue to do so until 2029.

Hyper-V Server Free is basically a Windows Server Core on which Microsoft has pre-installed the Hyper-V role. As the host is offered at no charge, you’re essentially getting a top-tier hypervisor for only the cost of the guest licenses. Hyper-V Server Free is popular around the world, so if you’re one of the people using it already, you should definitely be aware of this decision.

Digging deeper into Microsoft’s announcement, the move starts to make more sense—they are discontinuing their free Hypervisor platform in favor of its newer (paid-for) Azure Stack HCI, which they are offering at an extended 60-day trial. To learn more about this, I recommend visiting: docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-stack/hci/overview. Azure Stack HCI is meant for hybrid cloud offerings, allows you to install a local on-premises instance, and bills through the Azure portal.

A lot of people online are proclaiming this marks the death of Hyper-V and recommending users look at moving to Proxmox, VMWare, or something else. However, from what we’re seeing so far, that is definitely not the case, and there is no reason to make any rushed decisions. While Microsoft has discontinued the Hyper-V Free SKU, they are still allowing you to purchase Windows Server 2022 and install the Hyper-V role to get the features you’re used to.

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So what should you do if you’re an existing Hyper-V Free user?

As of today, I’d say nothing. If using Hyper-V Free 2019 or earlier, I’d keep an eye on what is being offered as an alternative, and maybe test the Windows 2022 Server with Hyper-V and compare it to the Azure Stack HCI to see if either would be a good option and look at the cost. In reality, Microsoft has given users until 2029 with extended support, so it’s not going anywhere in a hurry.

Marc-Andre Tanguay is Head Automation Nerd at N‑able. You can follow him on Twitter at @automation_nerd.