Knowing your exact Windows Server version, build number, and licence type matters for planning upgrades, checking patch levels, and confirming you are running a supported release. Here is how to find all of this information.
Check Version via winver
The simplest method: press Win + R, type winver, and press Enter. A dialog box shows the Windows Server edition (e.g. Windows Server 2022 Standard) and the OS build number. This gives you the version at a glance but limited detail.
Check Version via PowerShell
# Full OS version and build info
Get-WmiObject Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object Caption, Version, BuildNumber, OSArchitecture, ServicePackMajorVersion
# Short version
[System.Environment]::OSVersionThe Caption field shows the full name (e.g. “Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Standard”). The Version field shows the build string (e.g. 10.0.20348). The BuildNumber tells you exactly which cumulative update level you are on — useful for confirming patches.
Check Version via Command Prompt
winver
systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"The systeminfo approach returns the OS name and full version string in one line, usable in scripts or batch files.
Identify the Windows Server Release
Windows Server version numbers map to specific releases:
- 10.0.20348: Windows Server 2022
- 10.0.17763: Windows Server 2019
- 10.0.14393: Windows Server 2016
- 6.3.9600: Windows Server 2012 R2
- 6.2.9200: Windows Server 2012
- 6.1.7601: Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
If you are running Server 2012 or Server 2008, both are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates — migration to a supported version should be a priority.
Check Installed Updates and Patch Level
# List installed updates (most recent first)
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 20 HotFixID, Description, InstalledOn
# Check for a specific KB update
Get-HotFix -Id KB5040442The most recent Cumulative Update KB in the list tells you your patch level. Cross-reference this against Microsoft’s Update Catalog to confirm whether you are up to date.
Check Licence Type and Activation Status
# Check activation status
slmgr /dli
# Full licence details including expiry and licence type
slmgr /dlv
# Check via PowerShell
Get-WmiObject SoftwareLicensingProduct | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Windows*" -and $_.LicenseStatus -ne 0} | Select-Object Name, LicenseStatus, DescriptionThe slmgr /dli command opens a dialog showing the licence name (Standard/Datacenter/Essentials), partial product key, and licence status. Licensed means fully activated. Notification means the licence is not activated and Windows is in reduced functionality mode.
Check Licence Edition — Standard vs Datacenter
The edition affects what you can do with the server:
- Standard: allows up to 2 virtual machine guest licences on the host. Physical server or up to 2 VMs.
- Datacenter: unlimited virtual machine guest licences on the host. Required if running many VMs on a Hyper-V host.
- Essentials: capped at 25 users and 50 devices — intended for small businesses only
Running more VMs than your licence permits is a compliance issue — verify the edition matches your virtualisation footprint.
Check via Server Manager
Open Server Manager → Local Server. The properties panel shows the OS version, product ID, and computer name at a glance. This is the quickest GUI view for a local server health summary.
