Microsoft’s hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 to be subscription-based starting July

Last Thursday, Microsoft announced a hotpatching subscription for Windows Server 2025, set to launch on July 1, 2025. The company adds that it wants to reduce server reboots while maintaining security.

In a recent Windows Server blog post, Microsoft detailed that the service allows security updates to be applied without restarting servers, minimizing downtime for businesses.

Microsoft announces hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 will be a paid subscription, starting July 1

To catch you up, hotpatching for Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition has been available for years. However, it will now be available for Windows Server 2025 Standard and Datacenter editions. 

By modifying in-memory code, hotpatching removes the need for monthly reboots, requiring only four baseline reboots annually. This promises higher availability, faster patch deployment, and reduced vulnerability windows. 

Microsoft highlighted the benefit of hotpatching by giving an example of the Xbox team. It noted that the Xbox team slashed update cycles for 1,000 servers from weeks to under 48 hours using hotpatching. It’s worth noting that the subscription is priced at $1.50 per CPU core per month.

What are the requirements?

To use hotpatching outside of Azure on-premises and non-Azure environments. Microsoft notes that “You must be using Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter, and your server must be connected to Azure Arc. You will also need to subscribe to the Hotpatch service.” 

Azure Edition users will access hotpatching at no extra cost. The service is currently in free preview until June 30, 2025, with automatic enrollment into the paid plan unless disenrolled.

Also read: Microsoft wants Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 or Copilot + PCs

Not to forget that admins must enable Virtualization-Based Security and install the July 2024 security update (KB5040435) to use hotpatching. While non-security updates may still require occasional reboots, the service significantly reduces disruptions.