Breaking change for Window Server 2022 Image Users

Starting October 2025, a new offer of Windows Server 2022 images (windowsserver2022) is available in Azure Marketplace. These refreshed images exclude .NET 6 packages that have reached end of support, to help organizations stay aligned with Microsoft’s security and lifecycle standards.

With .NET 6 reaching End of Life (EOL) in November 2024, users are advised to migrate off .NET 6 versions. This new image offer are built on the latest Windows Server 2022 SKU and automatically exclude deprecated .NET 6 packages, simplifying deployment and reducing risk.

The legacy Windows Server 2022 images that pre-installed .NET 6 will begin deprecation in March 2026.  Users should complete migrating before the deprecation starts.

Actions Required:

• For users not relying on .NET 6:
  Begin migrating to the new Windows Server 2022 image offer immediately. These images will not automatically replace existing legacy images in the Marketplace—you must explicitly reference the new image offer in your deployment templates or reimage workflows.
• For users with .NET 6 dependencies:
  Upgrade your applications to .NET 8/.NET 10 as soon as possible. Note that .NET 8/.NET 10 are no longer included in Windows Server media and must be installed manually. Before migrating, ensure your workloads are compatible and install the latest .NET Core version on the new image.

Deprecation Timeline

• October 2025:  Azure Marketplace released the new Windows Server 2022 image offer excluding .NET 6.

• March 2026:     Azure Marketplace Windows Server 2022 legacy image offer (with .NET 6 preinstalled) begins graceful deprecation. This means:
• • The image will undergo “soft deletion,” when the VM creation with deprecated images will be blocked, and the deprecated images will eventually be deleted.
  • Existing running VMs will continue to function during “soft deletion” stage.

Users should complete migrating to new images before March 2026. Users continuing to use these images do so at their own risk, as the images will be out of compliance with Microsoft’s security and lifecycle policies.

Impacted SKUs

These changes impact on all users of the following Windows Server 2022 Marketplace media images with the offer name “Windows Server”, these images will be deprecated, regardless of whether .NET 6 is actively used or not:

PublisherID== microsoftwindowsserver

OfferID== windowsserver

Refer to the table below for the impacted image SKU:

Frequently Ask Questions
Where can I find the new offer for Marketplace Windows Server 2022 images?

A new Offer with Offer Name “Windows Server 2022” is published with .Net 6 excluded; you can find the new offer in Azure Marketplace, or from Azure portal. To reference the new offer programmatically, use following image information:

PublisherID== microsoftwindowsserver

OfferID== windowsserver2022

For SKU, refer to the table below:

Note the new offer uses the same Windows Server 2022 SKU name as the legacy image offer.

Will I still receive .NET 6 patches before migrating?

• Yes, patching support for .NET 6 will continue via these legacy images before deprecation starts.
• However, .NET 6 has officially reached end of support, it is no longer serviced via any other means outside of the Azure marketplace image, users should migrate to .NET 8/.NET 10 as soon as possible.

Will Microsoft remove .NET 6 from the legacy Windows Server 2022 marketplace images?

• Based on customer feedback, .NET 6 will not be automatically removed from the legacy Windows Server 2022 images listed above. This approach gives organizations the flexibility to plan and execute their own migration strategy before deprecation begins.
• Before migration completed, if you continue using these images without automatic patching or after patch support ends, it’s critical to mitigate the risks of running end-of-life (EOL) software. To manually remove .NET 6 from your virtual machines:

1. Identify Installed Versions
   Run the following command to list all installed .NET versions: dotnet –info
2. Uninstall .NET 6
   Use the appropriate uninstall command for each .NET 6 version you find. Be sure to specify the exact version number to ensure complete removal: dotnet-hosting-<6.0.37 or your current .NET version>-win.exe  /uninstall

Important: Once deprecation starts, these legacy images will have limited functionality and will eventually be removed. Removing .NET 6 is only a temporary risk-reduction measure until your organization completes migration.

Help and support

If you have questions, get answers from community experts in Microsoft Q&A.

If you have a support plan and you need technical help, go to the Services hub and create a support request. Select the product family Developer Tools, the product .NET, and the version .NET 8.0.