**Microsoft** has extended hotpatching support for **Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition** by an additional year, pushing its availability until October 2027. This comes a year after the mainstream end date for **Windows Server 2022** in October 2026. ### Hotpatching: Uptime and Security Combined This extension is exclusively for systems running **Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition** that are actively enrolled in hotpatch updates. The existing hotpatch cadence will remain unchanged throughout this extended period. Hotpatching is a crucial feature that allows **Windows** to deploy security updates by patching the in-memory code of running processes. This eliminates the need for system restarts after each update installation, significantly enhancing uptime and reducing service disruptions. ### Limitations and Broader Availability It's important to note that servers still require restarts for updates delivered through the regular (non-Hotpatch) **Windows** update channel. This includes non-security **Windows** updates and non-**Windows** updates, such as **.NET** patches. **Microsoft** emphasized the benefits of this extension in a recent **Windows** release health dashboard update, stating, "Hotpatching is designed to deliver protections against security threats without requiring a device restart. By applying updates directly to running processes, hotpatching helps maintain uptime, reduces servicing disruptions, and shortens the time it takes to respond to vulnerabilities." While the hotpatching extension applies to **Datacenter: Azure Edition**, the **Datacenter**, **Essentials**, and **Standard** editions of **Windows Server 2022** will reach their extended end date on October 14, 2031. ### Expanding Hotpatching Footprint Hotpatching has been available for **Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition** since February 2022. **Microsoft** has been actively expanding its hotpatching capabilities, with public previews for **Windows Server 2025** starting in September 2024, and for **Windows 11 24H2** and **Windows 365** in November 2024. As of April 2025, hotpatch updates have also become generally available for business customers utilizing **Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2** on x64 (AMD/Intel) systems. Looking ahead, **Microsoft** plans to enable hotpatch security updates by default for all eligible **Windows** devices managed via the **Microsoft Graph API** and **Microsoft Intune**, starting with the May 2026 **Windows** security update.