MC1527979 Medium
The November and December 2026 security updates require a restart for hotpatch-enabled Windows Server 2022 devices
Summary AI-generated
November and December 2026 Windows Server 2022 security updates will require restarts for hotpatch-enabled devices; standard updates will be used due to security changes.
Suggested actions AI-generated
- Plan for device restarts when deploying November and December 2026 updates
Written by Azure OpenAI (gpt-4.1) from the text of the post below. It can be incomplete or wrong; the original post is authoritative.
Similar posts
Search for more like this- MC1462918 Microsoft Windows Autopatch: September 2026 Windows security update requires a restart for hotpatch-enabled devices
- MC1323247 Hotpatch-enabled devices will restart after installing the June 2026 Windows update
- MC1405556 Windows Server 2022 hotpatch update support extended through October 2027
- MC1248388 Plan for Change: Windows Autopatch is enabling hotpatch updates by default
- MC1452953 The August 2026 Windows security update is now available
- MC1247859 Windows Autopatch is enabling hotpatch updates by default
Original post from Microsoft
What and why
The November and December 2026 security updates for Windows Server 2022 will be released as standard updates rather than hotpatch updates. Some of the security improvements in these updates change components that cannot be updated without a restart. As a result, Windows Server 2022 devices enrolled in hotpatching will need to restart to complete installation in each month.
This change does not affect hotpatch updates for Windows Server 2025 or Windows 11, which remain scheduled for November and December.
Rollout schedule
- November 2026: Standard update with restart required for all Windows Server 2022 devices including those that are hotpatch-enabled.
- December 2026: Standard update with restart required for all Windows Server 2022 devices including those that are hotpatch-enabled.
- January 2027: Planned baseline update month with restart required.
- February 2027: Next hotpatch update expected.
Impact on your organization
- Hotpatch-enabled Windows Server 2022 devices will require a restart to complete installation of each month’s security update.
- These devices will remain enrolled in hotpatch updates.
- No change for Windows Server 2022 devices not using hotpatch updates; standard updates already require a restart.
Note: Hotpatch-enabled Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 devices are not affected by this change.
Action required / recommendations
Plan for device restarts when deploying the November and December 2026 security updates for Windows Server 2022. No additional configuration is required to stay enrolled in hotpatch updates.
Compliance considerations
No additional compliance action is required. Update installation and restart behavior will be reflected in update history and compliance reports as usual.
Additional information
You can track the hotpatch update calendar on the Windows Server release information page.