{"product_id":"windows-server-2025-standard","title":"Windows Server 2025 Standard","description":"\u003cul class=\"product-highlights\"\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLicence type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Retail product key, one server\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCore coverage:\u003c\/strong\u003e 16 cores included (8 per processor minimum)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVirtualisation rights:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 operating system environments or Hyper-V containers\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCALs:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sold separately — user or device CALs required per client\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDelivery:\u003c\/strong\u003e Key emailed after payment clears, no physical media\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat is Windows Server 2025 Standard?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWindows Server 2025 Standard is Microsoft's general-purpose server operating system for businesses running physical or lightly virtualised workloads. It became generally available in November 2024 and is licensed per physical core, with a 16-core minimum per server, and includes rights to run two operating system environments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt suits file servers, domain controllers, print services, line-of-business applications, and small Hyper-V hosts. If you plan to run more than two virtual machines on one host, Datacenter is the cheaper licence per VM.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eKey features of Windows Server 2025 Standard\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHotpatching support:\u003c\/strong\u003e Apply most security updates to a running server without a reboot. Requires the server to be connected to Azure Arc and enrolled in the hotpatching subscription.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eActive Directory improvements:\u003c\/strong\u003e New domain and forest functional levels, a 32K database page size on new domain controllers, and NUMA support that lets AD use CPUs beyond processor group 0.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSMB hardening:\u003c\/strong\u003e SMB over QUIC in Standard edition, mandatory signing by default, and rate limiting on authentication attempts to slow brute-force attacks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTLS 1.3 for LDAPS:\u003c\/strong\u003e Directory traffic can use the current TLS version rather than falling back to older suites.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStorage Spaces Direct and ReFS improvements:\u003c\/strong\u003e Faster provisioning and better performance on NVMe.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHyper-V with GPU partitioning:\u003c\/strong\u003e Split a physical GPU across multiple virtual machines for AI and graphics workloads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDelegated Managed Service Accounts:\u003c\/strong\u003e Replaces older service accounts with credentials that rotate automatically.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHow this licence activates\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a retail product key. You install Windows Server 2025 Standard from Microsoft's own ISO, then enter the key during setup or afterwards under Settings, and it validates against Microsoft's activation servers over the internet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe key binds to the installation, not to a Microsoft account. That matters when hardware changes: replacing a motherboard or migrating to different physical hardware is a new installation from the licensing point of view, and the key may need to be reactivated. If reactivation fails, contact our support team. Keep your key and order reference somewhere retrievable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf activation returns an error, the most common cause is an edition mismatch — a Standard key entered on a Datacenter installation will be rejected even though both are valid. Check the edition you installed before assuming the key is at fault.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eClient Access Licences\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe server licence covers the server. Every user or device that connects to it also needs a Client Access Licence, purchased separately. Choose user CALs when people connect from several devices each, and device CALs when several people share one machine, such as a shift-based workstation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRemote Desktop Services needs its own CALs on top of the standard ones. If you are setting up an RDS host, you will need \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/device-cal-for-windows-server-2022-remote-desktop-services-rds\"\u003eRDS Device CALs\u003c\/a\u003e as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eStandard vs Datacenter vs Essentials\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n  \u003cthead\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003e \u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eEssentials\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eStandard\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDatacenter\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/thead\u003e\n  \u003ctbody\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLicensing model\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePer server\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePer core, 16 minimum\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePer core, 16 minimum\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVirtual machines included\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnlimited\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCALs required\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStorage Spaces Direct\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSoftware-defined networking\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBest for\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUnder 25 users, single server\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePhysical or 1–2 VM workloads\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDense virtualisation, private cloud\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe break-even is roughly four to six virtual machines. Below that, stacking Standard licences is cheaper; above it, \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2025-datacenter\"\u003eWindows Server 2025 Datacenter\u003c\/a\u003e costs less per VM and unlocks Storage Spaces Direct.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow many cores does one licence cover?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne licence covers 16 physical cores, with a minimum of 8 cores per processor. A server with more than 16 cores needs additional core packs to reach its total physical core count. Core counts are based on physical cores, not logical threads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I run virtual machines with Standard edition?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Standard includes rights for two operating system environments, meaning two virtual machines plus the Hyper-V host itself if the host runs nothing else. Additional pairs of VMs require additional Standard licences on the same server.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDo I need Client Access Licences as well?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. The server licence permits the operating system to run; CALs permit clients to connect to it. Each user or device accessing the server needs one, and Remote Desktop Services requires separate RDS CALs on top.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I downgrade to Server 2022 or 2019?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDowngrade rights depend on the licence programme the key was issued under and are not automatic on every retail purchase. If you specifically need an older version, buy \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/windows-server-2022-standard\"\u003eWindows Server 2022 Standard\u003c\/a\u003e or \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/windows-server-2019-standard\"\u003eWindows Server 2019 Standard\u003c\/a\u003e directly rather than relying on downgrade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhere do I download the installation media?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDownload the ISO from Microsoft's Evaluation Center or your volume licensing portal, then activate it with the key supplied here. We do not host installation files.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eRelated products\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2025-datacenter\"\u003eWindows Server 2025 Datacenter\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/windows-server-2022-standard\"\u003eWindows Server 2022 Standard\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/windows-server-2019-standard\"\u003eWindows Server 2019 Standard\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/device-cal-for-windows-server-2022-remote-desktop-services-rds\"\u003eRDS Device CALs for Windows Server 2022\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/windows-2019-server-rds-cal-50\"\u003eWindows Server 2019 RDS CAL 50-Pack\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/fr\/products\/microsoft-sql-server-2025-standard\"\u003eSQL Server 2025 Standard\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOrder your Windows Server 2025 Standard licence key today and receive it by email, with activation support included if you need it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MS Software Swap","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45701156274311,"sku":null,"price":99.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0758\/9943\/7191\/files\/server-2022-standard-2.png?v=1787927901","url":"https:\/\/microsoftsoftwareswap.com\/fr\/products\/windows-server-2025-standard","provider":"MicrosoftSoftware Swap","version":"1.0","type":"link"}