Microsoft has released a preview of its Hotpatch capability for users of Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Azure Edition with the "Desktop Experience" install option and for Azure Stack HCI users.

Hotpatch is designed to allow IT departments to update a Windows Server virtual machine without a reboot.

The preview can be installed from the Azure Portal, or IT pros can use an Azure Resource Manager template and the Azure Command-Line Interface with PowerShell. Microsoft is promising faster deployment of updates with a smaller footprint thanks to Hotpatch, which applies patches in memory without disrupting running processes.