Microsoft Announces Paid Hotpatching Model for Windows Server 2025 Starting July 1, 2025
Microsoft has officially confirmed that the hotpatching feature for Windows Server 2025—available in preview since 2024—will move to a paid subscription model beginning July 1, 2025.
The update was shared by Janine Patrick, Windows Server Product Marketing Manager, and Artem Pronichkin, Senior Program Manager. This marks a notable change in how organizations can streamline server maintenance and minimize downtime.
Hotpatching enables administrators to apply OS security updates without requiring a system reboot. It works by modifying in-memory code within running processes, eliminating the need to restart services. While this technology has long been available in Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition, Windows Server 2025 now brings hotpatching to on-premises and multicloud environments via Azure Arc.
“Even with hotpatching, servers will still need to reboot about four times a year for baseline updates,” Microsoft noted. “However, this significantly reduces disruption compared to the traditional ‘Patch Tuesday’ cycle.”
Subscription Pricing and Requirements
Starting July 1, 2025, continued use of hotpatching with Windows Server 2025 will cost $1.50 USD per CPU core per month. This flat rate applies year-round, regardless of whether hotpatches or baseline updates are issued in a given month.
To use hotpatching outside Azure (e.g., in on-prem or multicloud scenarios), organizations must:
- Run Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter edition
- Connect their servers to Azure Arc
- Subscribe to the Hotpatch service
Organizations currently enrolled in the preview must opt out by June 30, 2025, to avoid being automatically enrolled in the paid subscription.
Implementation Process
Implementing hotpatching requires connecting Windows Server 2025 to Azure Arc. The process involves:
- Connect the machine to Azure Arc, if not already Arc-enabled.
- Sign into the Azure Arc portal.
- Navigate to Azure Arc → Machines.
- Select the machine name.
- Select Hotpatch (preview), then select Confirm.
The service follows a three-month cycle with one baseline month (requiring a reboot) followed by two months of hotpatches (no reboot required).
The four planned baseline months are January, April, July, and October, with the goal of providing up to eight hotpatches annually.
Microsoft Outlines Key Advantages of Hotpatching
Microsoft is emphasizing the numerous benefits of its hotpatching feature for Windows Server 2025, including:
- Increased uptime through fewer required reboots
- Faster update deployment due to smaller, more efficient patch packages
- Improved security by minimizing the window of exposure to vulnerabilities
- Lower system resource usage thanks to reduced binary processing
According to Microsoft, the Xbox team reported that hotpatching helped shorten update processes from weeks to just a few days.
Users of Windows Server 2025 Datacenter: Azure Edition running on Azure IaaS, Azure Local, or Azure Stack will continue to receive hotpatching at no extra cost. These users are not required to Arc-enable their servers or subscribe to the new pricing model.
Hotpatching is compatible with both Server with Desktop Experience and Server Core installation types. However, systems must meet the prerequisites for Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and use UEFI with Secure Boot enabled.
Microsoft encourages organizations to test hotpatching during the preview phase, while it’s still available for free, in order to fully evaluate its performance and benefits before the subscription model begins.
