Windows Server removed features

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Microsoft's edit · 23 Sep 2025 15:36 UTC

Updating Features Removed or No Longer Developed

Microsoft's commit message in MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs · commit 9c337c7 · +2 −2 lines · also on GitHub

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1010 # Features removed or no longer developed in Windows Server

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3939 | WebDAV Redirector service | The WebDAV Redirector service is deprecated. The service isn't installed by default in Windows Server. For more information on the WebDAV Redirector service, see [WebDAV - Win32 apps](/windows/win32/webdav/webdav-portal). |

4040 | Windows Internal Database (WID) | WID is used by several roles, including AD FS, AD RMS, IPAM, RD Connection Broker, and WSUS. Consider using a free or full version of SQL Server for these roles. WID will be removed from Windows in a future release. To learn more, see [SQL Server editions](/sql/sql-server/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2022). |

4141 | Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) | Beginning with Windows Server 2025, WMIC is available as a Feature on Demand (FOD). It can be added with the `DISM /Add-Capability` command. It will be removed from Windows in a future release.<br><br> [PowerShell for WMI](/powershell/scripting/learn/ps101/07-working-with-wmi) replaces the WMIC tool. Use PowerShell or programmatically query WMI as a replacement for WMIC. To learn more about WMIC depreciation, see [WMI command line (WMIC) utility deprecation: Next steps](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/wmi-command-line-wmic-utility-deprecation-next-steps/ba-p/4039242). |

42 −| Windows PowerShell 2.0 | Windows PowerShell 2.0 is deprecated and isn't installed by default. Windows PowerShell 2.0 applications and components should be migrated to PowerShell 5.0 or later. To learn more about the deprecation, see [Windows PowerShell 2.0 Deprecation](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/windows-powershell-2-0-deprecation/). |

4342 | VBScript | VBScript is available as an FOD and preinstalled in Windows Server 2025, before its removal from the operating system in a later release. As a replacement for VBScript, use PowerShell for automating tasks, custom actions, or scripts. To learn more about migrating to PowerShell, see [The VBScript-to-Windows PowerShell Conversion Guide](/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-powershell-1.0/ee221101(v=msdn.10)).<br><br> If you're using VBScript within your webpage, functionality is currently limited to browsers predating Internet Explorer 11. We recommend migrating your webpages to JavaScript, which provides cross-browser compatibility and modern browser support. |

4443 | Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) | WSUS is no longer actively developed. All the existing capabilities and content continue to be available for your deployments. |

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101100 | Data Encryption Standard (DES) | DES, the symmetric-key block encryption cipher, isn't considered secure against modern cryptographic attacks. It's replaced by more robust encryption algorithms. DES was disabled starting with Windows Server 2008 R2 and is removed from Windows Server 2025 and later releases. |

102101 | IIS 6 Management Console (Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console) | The console is removed after being no longer developed in Windows Server 2019. You should also start migrating from IIS 6.0 or earlier versions to the latest version of IIS, which is always available in the most recent release of Windows Server. |

103102 | NTLMv1 | Replace calls to NTLM with calls to [Negotiate](/windows/win32/secauthn/microsoft-negotiate), which tries to authenticate with Kerberos and only falls back to NTLM when necessary. For more information, see [The evolution of Windows authentication](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/the-evolution-of-windows-authentication/ba-p/3926848). |

103 +| Windows PowerShell 2.0 | Starting with the [September 2025 update](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/september-9-2025-kb5065426-update-for-windows-server-2025-os-build-26100-6584-6a59dc6a-1ff2-48f4-b375-81e93deee5dd), Windows Server 2025 no longer includes Windows PowerShell 2.0. Windows PowerShell 2.0 applications and components should be migrated to PowerShell 5.0 or later. To learn more about the deprecation, see [Windows PowerShell 2.0 Deprecation](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/windows-powershell-2-0-deprecation/). |

104104 | SMTP Server | Because SMTP Server features were removed from Windows Server 2025, there's no replacement within the operating system. Consider using Exchange Server or a non-Microsoft SMTP server as an alternative. To learn more about enabling SMTP connection in Exchange Server, see [Receive connectors in Exchange Server](/exchange/mail-flow/connectors/receive-connectors). |

105105 | Wordpad | We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like `.doc` and `.rtf`, and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like `.txt`. |

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