Microsoft to Charge $1.50 per Core Each Month for Windows Server Updates

Microsoft is set to start charging businesses $1.50 per CPU core each month for a new way to install security updates on Windows Server 2025. This change will affect anyone running servers outside of Microsoft’s Azure cloud.

This update process is called hot patching and lets companies apply security patches without restarting their servers every time. For many IT teams, this means less downtime, fewer late-night maintenance windows, and a smoother experience for users who depend on these systems to be available around the clock.

Until now, hot patching has been free for those using Microsoft’s cloud services. But starting July 1, 2025, organizations running Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter editions on their own hardware will need to pay the monthly fee to continue using it.

To qualify, servers must be connected to Azure Arc, Microsoft’s tool for managing systems across different environments. The company ...