Microsoft has fixed a known issue that caused Windows Server 2019 and 2022 systems to automatically upgrade to Windows Server 2025 without user approval. The solution was confirmed in a Windows release health update on Tuesday, more than a year after the problem was first acknowledged in September 2024. “This issue is resolved and Microsoft has re-enabled the upgrade offer via the Windows Update settings panel,” the company stated.
How the Windows Server Upgrade Bug Worked
In September 2024, administrators reported that servers had been automatically upgraded overnight to Windows Server 2025, in some cases to versions for which their organizations did not have licenses. Microsoft said part of the issue was due to third-party update management software that was not configured properly.
Software vendors disagreed, claiming the problem was caused by a procedural error on Microsoft’s part, pointing to the speed of the release and how the update was classified. At the time, Microsoft did not offer a detailed explanation of the root cause and did not respond to press inquiries when the issue was first reported.
Microsoft’s Fix and Current Status
The upgrade offer via the Windows Update settings panel has been re-enabled after the fix was implemented. Organizations aiming to perform in-place upgrades to Windows Server 2025 can now do so through Settings without worrying about accidental automatic upgrades. Microsoft has provided guidance for in-place upgrades on Microsoft Learn.
This update coincides with a period of increased out-of-band update activity from Microsoft. Over the past month, the company has released emergency updates to resolve issues, including a broken March preview update, a sign-in failure with Microsoft accounts across Edge, Teams, OneDrive, and Microsoft 365 Copilot, a Bluetooth device visibility bug, and security vulnerabilities in the Routing and Remote Access Service management tool on Windows 11 Enterprise devices.
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