Microsoft’s $1.50 Windows Update Fee Kicks In July 1

Microsoft plans to charge companies $1.50 per CPU core each month for a new method of installing Windows Server 2025 security upgrades. Anyone operating servers outside of Microsoft’s Azure cloud will be impacted by this change.

Hot patching is an updating method that enables businesses to implement security patches without constantly restarting their servers. Because customers rely on these systems to be available at all times, this implies fewer late-night maintenance windows, reduced downtime, and a more seamless user experience for many IT teams.

Security upgrades that address flaws in an operating system that is used by billions of people are at the top of the required list. Because of the internet commotion following the addition of an enigmatic folder by a recent Windows security patch, which came with no explanation, this month has not been the best for Microsoft. After social media “experts” suggested that users remove it, Microsoft issued an advisory warning that left users vulnerable to attack. It has now been demonstrated that installing the inetpub folder and the update actually pave the way for a different kind of Windows hack. Charging a monthly subscription to acquire no-reboot security “hotpatch” updates is now another controversial issue facing the Windows security update industry.

Microsoft is getting closer to the day when a hotpatching feature would eliminate the need to restart your Windows computer after installing a security update, as Davey Winder noted in his post on April 14 on Forbes. Within the in-memory code of processes that are now operating, the no-reboot security fixes would be downloaded and installed in the background. Windows 11 Enterprise, version 24H2 for x64 (AMD/Intel) CPU device users utilizing Microsoft Intune for deployment was the feature that was being reported to users of a very specific version of Windows 11.

Up until now, users of Microsoft’s cloud services have been able to get hot patching for free. This means that the hotpatch system for Windows Server 2025, has been accessible in preview mode since 2024, will now be a subscription-only service starting on July 1, according to confirmation from Microsoft senior program manager Artem Pronichkin and Windows Server product marketing manager Janine Patrick. This is a means of utilizing the Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter versions on their own hardware, enterprises will have to pay the monthly cost as of July 1, 2025.

According to Microsoft, you must be running “Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter, and the server must be connected to Azure Arc” in order to use the no-reboot hotpatch security updates capability. Then came the crucial and contentious part: “You will also need to subscribe to the Hotpatch service.”

These security upgrades for Windows Server 2025 clients will cost $1.50 per CPU core per month, even though hotpatching has been provided for a lengthy period for Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition and will remain free.

According to Microsoft, “hotpatching can save a lot of time and ease the inconvenience of a traditional Patch Tuesday, but you will continue to require a reboot of your Windows Servers on average four times yearly for baseline updates.”

Servers must be linked to Azure Arc, Microsoft’s solution for system management in various contexts, in order to be eligible. Since only the most significant upgrades will still require a restart, the business claims that this can cut the number of necessary reboots from twelve annually to only four. 

Businesses who have a lot of servers may find that the additional $1.50 per core price adds up rapidly. According to Microsoft, the time savings and decreased inconvenience of routine update procedures make the expense worthwhile. According to Forbes, some IT workers are still debating if the convenience justifies the additional monthly cost. Anyone who remains registered in the current free preview will be automatically transferred to the paid plan, but those who wish to avoid the price can drop out by June 30.