How to Install Windows Server 2022 Step by Step

Short answer: To install Windows Server 2022, make a bootable USB stick from Microsoft's ISO and boot the server from it. We choose the edition that matches the key, with Desktop Experience for a desktop. Pick the disk, set the Administrator password and sign in. We'd rename the server and install updates before adding roles.

To install Windows Server 2022 you need a bootable USB stick and a server that meets Microsoft’s minimums. Setup asks a handful of questions. Two of them need thought: the edition and the disk. We’d settle both before booting. A clean install erases that disk.

You need	Detail
Installation image	The Windows Server 2022 ISO from Microsoft
USB stick	8 GB at least
Product key	For the edition you’ll install: Standard or Datacenter
A decision	Server Core or Server with Desktop Experience
A backup	Of anything on the target disk; a clean installation erases it

Microsoft’s own walk-through is Install Windows Server from installation media.

What the hardware needs

Component	Microsoft’s minimum
Processor	1.4 GHz, 64-bit, with NX, DEP and Second Level Address Translation
Memory	2 GB; 4 GB recommended for Server with Desktop Experience
Memory type	ECC or similar for physical hosts
Storage	32 GB
Network	An Ethernet adapter with at least 1 Gbps
For BitLocker and Secured-core	UEFI with Secure Boot and TPM 2.0

The figures are from Microsoft’s Hardware requirements for Windows Server. They get the system to boot and no more.

One note from that page concerns virtual machines. Setup fails on a VM with only 1,024 MB of memory. Microsoft says to give it 1,280 MB or more for the installation.

Server Core or Desktop Experience

Setup offers each edition twice. The choice is made during installation and can’t be switched afterwards.

Option	What you get	Fits
Standard	Server Core: no desktop, managed by command line or remotely	Domain controllers, Hyper-V hosts, experienced administrators
Standard, Desktop Experience	The full graphical desktop	Most small offices; a first server
Datacenter	Server Core	Dense virtualization hosts
Datacenter, Desktop Experience	The full graphical desktop	The same, with local management

In the list, the entry without “Desktop Experience” is Server Core. People pick it by accident and land at a bare command prompt.

The edition has to match your key. Which one you need is settled in Windows Server 2022 Standard vs Datacenter.

Table comparing Server Core and Desktop Experience in Windows Server 2022: entry name in setup, what you get, management, memory, typical use and switching later. — Illustration: the setup entry without "Desktop Experience" installs Server Core, which has no desktop.

Making the USB stick

Microsoft’s article gives a script for it. In short: mount the ISO, format the stick, copy the files, make it bootable.

Format-Volume -DriveLetter E -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "WinServerUSB"
robocopy F:\ E:\ /COPYALL /Z /E /SEC /R:3 /W:3
bootsect /nt60 E:

Here E is the stick and F the mounted ISO. Run the lines in PowerShell opened as administrator, and check the drive letters twice, because the first line erases the stick.

For a server that boots in UEFI mode from FAT32 only, Microsoft’s page has a second script that splits the large image file.

How to install Windows Server 2022 from USB

Plug the stick in, start the server and open the boot menu. The key for it depends on the maker: F11, F12 or Esc are common.

Boot from the USB stick and press a key when asked.
Choose language, time and currency format and keyboard, then select Next and Install now.
Enter the product key, or select “I don’t have a product key” to enter it later.
Select the edition and option: for a desktop, the entry that ends in Desktop Experience.
Accept the license terms.
Select Custom: Install Microsoft Server Operating System only.
Select the disk or the unallocated space and select Next; setup creates the partitions itself.
Wait for the copying and the restarts, then set a password for the Administrator account.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and sign in.

The other choice in step 6, Upgrade, keeps files and applications. It’s for a server that already runs an older Windows Server, started from inside that system.

Six numbered steps to install Windows Server 2022 from a USB stick, from the boot menu and product key to the edition, the disk and the Administrator password. — Illustration: we boot from the USB stick, pick the edition and the disk, then set the Administrator password and sign in.

The disk screen when you install Windows Server 2022

This is the only screen where data can be lost.

What you see	What to do
One disk, all unallocated	Select it and continue
Old partitions on the system disk	Delete them only if nothing on them is needed, then select the unallocated space
Several disks	Find the right one by size; unplug data disks if unsure
No disk at all	Use Load driver with the storage controller’s driver

On a server with a RAID controller, build the array in the controller’s setup first. Windows then sees it as one disk.

First tasks after signing in

Task	Where
Rename the server	Server Manager, Local Server, Computer name
Set a fixed IP address	Local Server, Ethernet
Set the time zone	Local Server, Time zone
Install updates	Settings, Update and Security
Activate	Settings, Update and Security, Activation
Turn on Remote Desktop	Local Server, Remote Desktop
Add roles	Server Manager, Manage, Add Roles and Features

On Server Core the same list runs through one menu. Type the command below and choose by number.

sconfig

Rename the server before adding roles. Renaming a domain controller later is far more work.

Activating Windows Server 2022 after the install

If you skipped the key during setup, enter it now. On the desktop: Settings, Update and Security, Activation, Change product key.

slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
slmgr /ato

The two lines do the same from a command prompt, which is the way on Server Core. Every case is covered in our Windows Server 2022 activation guide.

Installed from the evaluation image? That copy has to be converted before a retail key fits: see converting Windows Server 2022 evaluation to Standard and activating Windows Server via DISM.

Keys for this installation

Our Windows Server 2022 Standard key covers one server with up to 16 physical cores and two Windows Server VMs. The Windows Server 2022 Datacenter key is for hosts with many VMs. Both arrive instant to email, with the link to Microsoft’s ISO.

People who connect to the server need CALs: see managing CAL licenses in Windows Server 2022. Everything for this release is under Windows Server 2022.

What to set up next

Remote access: enabling RDP on Windows Server.
Accounts: adding users in Windows Server.
A domain: joining Windows Server to a domain.
Backups: Windows Server Backup.
A newer release instead: our comparison of the three current releases.

Common mistakes when you install Windows Server 2022

Picking the entry without Desktop Experience and expecting a desktop.
Installing Datacenter with a Standard key in hand.
Deleting partitions on the wrong disk.
Installing the evaluation image and then typing a retail key.
Adding roles before renaming the server and fixing its IP address.
Leaving the server without updates until “later”.

Windows Server 2019 ISO from Microsoft’s Evaluation Center

Terms used on this page

Term	Meaning
ISO	The installation image as one file
Server Core	The installation option without a graphical desktop
Desktop Experience	The installation option with the full desktop
Clean installation	Installing onto an empty disk, as opposed to an upgrade
sconfig	The text menu for basic settings on Server Core
Evaluation image	Microsoft’s trial copy, which must be converted before a retail key works

FAQ

How do I install Windows Server 2022?

Boot the server from a USB stick made from Microsoft's ISO. Choose language, edition and disk, then set the Administrator password. We'd rename the server and update it before anything else.

Should I choose Server Core or Desktop Experience?

Desktop Experience for a first server or a small office. Server Core has no desktop and is managed by command line or remotely. We'd decide before setup, because the option can't be switched later.

Can I install Windows Server 2022 without a product key?

Setup lets you continue with "I don't have a product key". The server then has to be activated afterwards. We enter the key in Settings or with slmgr.

How much memory does Windows Server 2022 need?

Microsoft's requirements page gives 2 GB as the minimum, with 4 GB recommended for Desktop Experience. Real servers need more, by role. We'd plan memory from what the server will run.

Why does setup show no disk?

The storage controller needs a driver that setup doesn't carry. Use Load driver on the disk screen with the maker's driver on a second stick. We see this mostly with RAID controllers.

Can I install over an older Windows Server?

Yes, as an in-place upgrade started from inside the old system, from 2016 or 2019. A clean installation from USB erases the disk. We'd take a full backup either way.