Many people would like to upgrade to Windows Server 2022,
but may not be aware of the versions from which you can upgrade.
We start with Windows Server 2019, and yes,
you can upgrade from 2019 to Windows Server 2022.
You can also upgrade from Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2022.
You'll want to make sure all the updates have been done prior to that
upgrade, however. If you're looking to upgrade from 2012,
you'll first need to upgrade to 2016, and then you can go
directly to 2022, and you can skip 2019.
Be sure to run all updates prior to upgrades, as some
updates will be required to make the change.
If you use Windows Server 2008,
it's no longer supported, but you could technically go to 2012,
2016, and then 2022; however, your hardware will most likely not support it.
Your best bet would be to go with a virtual machine where you can
install 2022 on a 2008 or 2012 server, if needed.
There are some other unsupported options such as you cannot upgrade from 32 to
64‑bit. You can't use multiple languages or change languages.
Start out with a single language,
get upgraded to the version you want, and then you can add additional languages.
Domain controllers cannot be converted to retail versions.
So if you have a domain controller that's running any other
version and you're trying to convert it to retail,
then that won't work. The pre‑release or preview versions
cannot be upgraded to Windows Server 2022.
You'll have to have a version that's the release to manufacturing or newer.
You cannot switch from Core to Desktop Experience.
Core is the one where it comes up with a command prompt,
whereas Desktop Experience gives you the full desktop that
everyone's used to. You cannot downgrade from Datacenter to
Standard during an upgrade; however, after the upgrade is done,
you can upgrade from Standard to Datacenter. Upgrading to Windows
Server 2022 has many options and some known issues.
The most important thing to consider prior to upgrade is to
make sure the hardware is supported for the operating system before considering installation.