Best Windows Server Courses in 2026 (Server 2025 Era, Verified)

Last updated: November 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

QUICK VERDICT

Windows Server administration is still a core skill for on-premises and hybrid IT, and version dates matter more here than on most course pages. Windows Server 2025 is current, Windows Server 2022 left mainstream support on October 14, 2026, and Microsoft replaced its two-exam certification route on September 30, 2026. We read every rating, date and fee below on 6 November 2026, from Udemy, Microsoft Learn and Microsoft’s lifecycle pages. Some links are affiliate links, and rankings are set on merit.

The best Windows Server courses in 2026

1. Windows Server 2025 Administration: Udemy

This is the rare server-admin course that is both current and large. Kevin Brown’s course has 244 lectures covering deployment, Active Directory Domain Services, DNS, DHCP, storage, Hyper-V, failover clustering, VPN remote access, backup and an Azure section that includes syncing Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID. It is rated 4.7 from 1,010 ratings, with 6,590 students, and was last updated in January 2026.

One thing to know: some objectives on its Udemy page still name Windows Server 2022, specifically monitoring, backup and the Azure VM section. That carries little risk for those skills, but do not treat every lecture as 2025-specific. It teaches administration more than it teaches the exam, so use Microsoft’s study guide for exam coverage.

2. Microsoft Learn: free and canonical

Microsoft’s AZ-802T00 course page links seven free self-paced learning paths that match the exam domains. The time estimates on the certification page add up to about 58 hours, and the security path alone is 14 hours. This is the only source written directly against the current exam. Its weakness is pacing, because it reads like documentation, so most learners pair it with a video course.

Pick the paths from the AZ-802 course page rather than from a general search. A learning path that ranks well for Windows Server, “Windows Server deployment, configuration, and administration”, still describes Windows Server 2019 and assumes knowledge of 2012 or 2016. The same AZ-802 course also runs as a five-day instructor-led class, which makes sense mainly if your employer is paying.

3. Windows Server 2022 Administration: Udemy

This is the same instructor’s course for the previous version, and it has far more reviews: 4.7 from 9,777 ratings and 36,679 students, at 26 hours 3 minutes, updated October 2025. Choose it if your employer runs 2022, since extended support continues to October 2031. If you have no such reason, take the 2025 course. Our system administration guide lists this course as its Windows pick, because that page compares across operating systems and leans on the larger review count.

4. Active Directory on Windows Server: Udemy

Active Directory Domain Services is the largest domain on the AZ-802 exam, at 20 to 25%, and it is what most Windows Server jobs involve daily. Kevin Brown’s shorter course covers it more closely than a general admin course: 4.7 from 14,956 ratings, 6 hours 55 minutes, updated October 2025. Take it after the main course, or instead of it if you already manage servers and only need the directory side. Our Active Directory courses guide compares the AD-specific picks in full.

5. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators: Udemy

The AZ-802 outline expects PowerShell remoting, including double-hop and Just Enough Administration, so automation is not optional. This 2 hour 57 minute course (4.6 from 8,543 ratings, updated October 2025) is a short first step built on tasks an admin does anyway. For broader scripting, see our best PowerShell courses.

Other options we looked at

• A Complete Course on Windows Server Administration (Packt, Coursera): 11 modules, about 2 weeks at 10 hours a week, included with Coursera Plus. It names Windows Server 2016 and 2022. Useful if you already pay for Plus; the page showed no rating when we read it.
• Deploying and Managing Active Directory in Hybrid Environments (Packt, Coursera): a focused option for the hybrid identity side, at 6 modules. It belongs to a specialization named for AZ-800, an exam now retired, so use it for the skills and not as exam prep.
• CBT Nuggets: a team-oriented library that includes Windows Server 2025 security, networking and Active Directory courses. It says one of its advanced courses follows AZ-801 objectives, the exam retired on September 30, 2026, so check any AZ-labeled video against the current AZ-802 guide.
• Windows Server 2016 Administration for Beginners (Zine B, Udemy): 4.6 from 218 ratings, 5 hours 29 minutes. Short and approachable, but it teaches a version whose extended support ends on January 13, 2027.

We could not name an AZ-802-specific video course on merit. Udemy’s search was unavailable when we tried it, and the exam is new enough that review counts on any prep course will be thin. Until that changes, use Microsoft’s study guide as the checklist.

The certification path: AZ-802

The MCSA retired in 2021, and the two-exam route of AZ-800 plus AZ-801 retired on September 30, 2026, as Microsoft’s AZ-800 and AZ-801 pages now state. The credential today is Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate, earned with one exam: AZ-802, Administering Windows Server. Microsoft lists no retirement date for AZ-802, and it is offered in English.

Microsoft’s exam page does not state a question count or a time limit, so we do not quote one. Older credential holders need to read their own profile: the retired exam pages say you can no longer “earn or renew” through them after the retirement date, while the certification itself carries on under its new name. If you hold the old Windows Server Hybrid Administrator credential, check your renewal options on Microsoft Learn before it expires. Those pages do not spell out every case.

What the exam covers

These are the weightings in Microsoft’s AZ-802 study guide. Use them to split your study time.

Two things catch people out. This exam is not on-premises only: Azure appears in nearly every domain, so a course that stops at Server Manager leaves real gaps. Failover clustering and disaster recovery, which older guides stressed, do not get a domain of their own in this outline, although the certification page still mentions high availability and disaster recovery. Follow the study guide when sources disagree. If your job leans toward cloud administration instead, compare AZ-104, the Azure Administrator exam.

CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) is the vendor-neutral alternative, and CompTIA recommends A+ or equivalent knowledge plus two years of server experience. Choose it if your work spans more than Windows. For Windows-focused roles, AZ-802 is the direct match.

The home lab is the actual course

Courses show you the steps, but a lab is where you learn what breaks. Microsoft’s Windows Server 2025 evaluation gives you 180 days at no cost, and it must be activated online within the first 10 days to avoid automatic shutdowns. A reasonably specced PC running Hyper-V or VirtualBox will do. Azure virtual machines also work, and they help with the hybrid domains, but watch the bill.

A sensible build order takes a few weekends:

• Install Server 2025 and make it a domain controller with DNS.
• Join a Windows client, then create organizational units, users and groups.
• Apply a Group Policy, break it on purpose and find out why it is not applying.
• Add DHCP and a second domain controller, then watch replication and move a FSMO role.
• Connect the server to Azure Arc, and try Windows Admin Center and Azure Monitor.
• Delete a test object and restore it from the AD Recycle Bin.

Those steps follow the AZ-802 outline, so the lab doubles as exam practice. Write up each one, because a short lab log is good evidence in an interview when you have no production experience yet.

Version strategy: 2025, 2022, or what your employer runs?

Learn on the current version unless a job says otherwise, and expect mixed estates at work. Microsoft’s lifecycle pages give these dates:

The fundamentals, including Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP and storage, transfer across these versions with few changes. If your target employers run an older release, take the current course and read Microsoft’s what’s-new notes for their version. Spend real time on PowerShell wherever your course covers it, because the same commands and habits work on every version in this table.

A realistic pace, by our estimate, is 3 to 6 months part-time if you already work in IT support. Our system administration guide gives the same range and lays out the routes for people who are starting from scratch or also weighing Linux.

FAQs

What is the best Windows Server course?

Windows Server 2025 Administration by Kevin Brown on Udemy (4.7 stars from 1,010 ratings, 25 hours 41 minutes, updated January 2026) is our pick for most learners. Pair it with Microsoft Learn’s free AZ-802 paths and a home lab.

What replaced the MCSA certification?

Microsoft retired the MCSA in 2021. The current credential is Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate, earned by passing the single AZ-802 exam. AZ-800 and AZ-801, the previous two-exam route, retired on September 30, 2026.

How much does the AZ-802 exam cost?

Microsoft lists it at $165 in the United States. The price depends on the country or region where the exam is proctored. Renewing the certification afterward is free.

How do you renew the Windows Server Administrator Associate?

Pass a free, open-book online assessment on Microsoft Learn during the six-month window before your certification expires. Passing extends it one year from the expiration date, so this is a yearly task.

Do I need to know Azure for AZ-802?

Yes. Microsoft describes the exam as covering Windows Server in on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments, and it lists Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Update Manager and Defender for Cloud among the expected tools. Azure Files and Azure virtual machines appear in the skills outline too.

Can I learn Windows Server for free?

Yes. Microsoft Learn’s self-paced AZ-802 paths are free, and Microsoft’s Windows Server 2025 evaluation runs for 180 days, which is enough for a home lab. You pay only if you want the exam or a structured video course.

Should I learn Windows Server 2025 or 2022?

Learn on 2025 unless your employer runs something else. Its mainstream support runs to November 2029, while 2022 left mainstream support in October 2026. Core skills such as Active Directory, DNS, DHCP and Group Policy carry across versions.

Is Windows Server administration still a good career?

It is still a useful skill, because many organizations run Windows Server on their own hardware or in hybrid setups. Microsoft’s current certification is built around that hybrid work, so admins who know both on-premises Active Directory and Azure tools are better placed than those who know only one.

Related guides

• Best Active Directory courses
• Best system administration courses
• Best PowerShell courses
• AZ-104 certification guide
• AZ-204 certification guide