Extending the Trial Period of Windows Server 2016/2019/2022

Friday 5th July 2024 7.17 PM
- Technical
- General
- windows server
- licensing

Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022 come with a trial period (evaluation period) that lasts for 180 days. However, Microsoft allows you to extend this trial period up to three times, giving you a total of 540 days of trial usage. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to extend the trial period for each of these versions.

Prerequisites

Administrator Access: You need to have administrator access to the Windows Server.
Command Prompt: Familiarity with basic command prompt operations.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Checking the Current License Status

Before extending the trial period, you need to check the current status of your license.

1. Open Command Prompt:
  - Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
  - Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
2. Check License Status:
  - In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
```
slmgr /dli
```
  - A window will pop up showing the current license status, including the time remaining in your evaluation period.

2. Extending the Trial Period

To extend the trial period, you will use the slmgr (Software Licensing Management Tool) command.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
  - Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
  - Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
  - Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
2. Reset the Trial Period:
  - In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
```
slmgr /rearm
```
  - You should see a message stating that the command completed successfully and that you need to restart your computer.
3. Restart Your Computer:
  - Restart your computer to apply the changes. You can do this by typing shutdown /r in the Command Prompt and pressing Enter.

3. Verifying the Extension

After restarting your computer, you can verify that the trial period has been extended.

Open Command Prompt:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
Check the Extended License Status:
- In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter
```
slmgr /dli
```
- A window will pop up showing the new evaluation period. It should now be reset to 180 days.

4. Repeating the Process

You can repeat this process up to three times. Each time you run the slmgr /rearm command, you will get an additional 180 days of trial period.

Troubleshooting

Error Messages: If you encounter an error message when running the slmgr /rearm command, ensure you are running Command Prompt as an administrator.
Trial Period Already Extended Three Times: If you have already extended the trial period three times, you will not be able to extend it further. You will need to activate Windows Server with a valid product key.