Download Windows Server 2025 Free (Official ISO from Microsoft)

Whether you’re spinning up a new Active Directory domain, hosting a secure file/media server like we do over at files.oxavi.com, or building a scalable web app backend, Windows Server 2025 gives you the tools to do it right, with hardened defaults, AI capabilities, modern virtualization support, and long-term stability.

This guide helps you download the official Windows Server 2025 ISO and VHD directly from Microsoft, choose the right edition and install option, and verify your setup before deployment.

We also include a full language directory, install prerequisites, and links to deeper guides on licensing and installation.

If you’re planning to host Windows Server on a virtual private server (VPS), we recommend reviewing our roundup of the best Windows VPS hosts, all tested for compatibility, performance, and support.

If you need any help, please leave a comment below or just contact us, we are always happy to hear from you.

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Table of Contents

What you need before you download

Registration: A free Evaluation Center registration is required to access official ISO and VHD downloads.
Hardware baseline: 64‑bit CPU with modern virtualization and security features, 2+ GB RAM for Desktop Experience, 32+ GB storage, and a 1 Gbps NIC. Secured‑core features benefit from TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.
Rights and access: Administrator rights on the target machine or hypervisor; internet connectivity for activation and updates.
Plan your path: Decide on Server Core vs Desktop Experience up front; you cannot switch between them after install.
READ: What’s New in Windows Server 2025; Explore the new features, enhancements, and changes in Microsoft’s latest server release.

Choose your media

Pick ISO for full installation media or VHD for a preinstalled disk you can attach in Hyper‑V. Both are official evaluation images from Microsoft.

Option	What it is	Best for	Who is this for
ISO	Bootable installation image	Fresh installs on physical servers or VMs; upgrades	Admins creating a bootable USB/DVD or attaching an ISO to a VM
VHD	Preinstalled virtual hard disk	Rapid Hyper‑V evaluation without full setup	Admins who want a fast lab spin‑up in Hyper‑V

Download ISO by language
Download VHD by language

Choose your edition and install option

Standard and Datacenter share the same codebase; choose based on virtualization and feature needs. Server Core is the secure default; Desktop Experience adds a full GUI.

Choice	Key traits	Virtualization rights	Who is this for
Standard	Core features for general workloads	2 VMs plus one Hyper‑V host	Small to mid environments with light virtualization
Datacenter	Advanced storage, networking, and features	Unlimited VMs	Highly virtualized environments and private clouds
Server Core	Minimal footprint, reduced attack surface	Same rights as the chosen edition	Security‑focused or scripted, remote management scenarios
Desktop Experience	Full graphical interface	Same rights as the chosen edition	Teams that prefer GUI tools or mixed‑skill operations

Windows Server 2025 ISO Links

Below you’ll find the official, direct download links from Microsoft’s Evaluation Center for every available Windows Server 2025 build. Choose the ISO for creating full installation media, or the VHD to instantly deploy a pre‑configured virtual machine in Hyper‑V.

Language	Locale	ISO	VHD
🇺🇸 English (United States)	en-US	Download ISO	Download VHD
🇨🇳 Chinese (Simplified)	zh-CN	Download ISO
🇫🇷 French	fr-FR	Download ISO
🇩🇪 German	de-DE	Download ISO
🇮🇹 Italian	it-IT	Download ISO
🇯🇵 Japanese	ja-JP	Download ISO
🇷🇺 Russian	ru-RU	Download ISO
🇪🇸 Spanish (Spain)	es-ES	Download ISO

Tip: If Microsoft adds new locales later, we’ll update this table. You can also try Windows Server 2025 on Azure.

Languages & Optional Features: For language packs and Features on Demand, use the dedicated “Languages and Optional Features” ISO or add languages on a running server:

Install-Language ja-JP -CopyToSettings

Verify your download

You can confirm authenticity by checking the digital signature of files inside the ISO or VHD. This avoids needing any SHA‑256 values.

Mount the ISO: Right‑click the .iso and select “Mount” (or use PowerShell below).
Check signature: Verify setup binaries (e.g., setup.exe) show a valid Microsoft signature.

# Mount ISO (adjust path)
Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "C:\Downloads\Windows_Server_2025.iso"

# Find the mounted drive letter
Get-Volume | Where-Object {$_.DriveType -eq 'CD-ROM'} | Select-Object DriveLetter, FileSystemLabel

# Verify Microsoft digital signature on setup.exe
Get-AuthenticodeSignature "$((Get-Volume | Where-Object {$_.DriveType -eq 'CD-ROM'} | Select-Object -First 1 -Expand DriveLetter)):\
setup.exe"

Expected: Status should be “Valid” and the signer should be Microsoft. If not, re‑download using the official links above.