Difference between Windows and Windows Server

Windows OS captures a sizeable portion of the Operating System market share. As such, it can be considered as one of the most popular Operating Systems. It offers OS in 2 major variants namely,

Windows for Desktop
Windows Server

Microsoft Windows Server 2022 is the latest Server edition of Windows 11. You need to know that both serve different purposes. So, let us attempt to understand what is Windows Server and how it differs from Windows.

Difference between Windows & Windows Server

Microsoft Windows Server 2022 is the latest Server edition of Windows till now. It is meant for business and supports higher-end Hardware. Running the same Task View button and featuring the same Start Menu, it is hard to find what’s different between the two siblings. But a few important dissimilarities can help us define their nature.

Storage, Control, and Network
Less Accessibility
Cores Support
Memory Support
Network Connections
Microsoft Store or Edge browser support
Windows Updates
Price for deployment.

Let’s start.

1] Storage, Control, and Network

While Windows for Desktop is used for computation and other daily chores at offices or schools, Windows server is mainly used to run services people use across a certain network. It can be viewed as a series of enterprise-class server OSes designed to share services with multiple users and have extensive administrative control over data storage, applications, and corporate networks.

2] Less Accessibility

If you’re on Windows Server, then you can’t sign in to your Microsoft account. This greatly limits the scope of accessibility as you can’t use the account go to the settings of another PC and use your Microsoft account to download important files/documents/folders via OneDrive or Office Apps. You can only sign in with a domain account.

3] Cores Support

In terms of cores, Windows 10 with 32-bit can only support 32 cores; 64-bit ones can, however, handle larger sizes (256 cores). Windows 11 is only available in 64-bit architecture. On the other hand, Windows Server can support an infinite number of cores.

4] Memory Support

Both support different memory sizes. A Windows computer running Windows 11/10 Enterprise has a 4 GB memory limit on an x86 and a 2TB limit on an X64. These numbers multiply by manifolds when you switch to the Windows Server version. You can view them. This Microsoft document describes the memory limits for supported Windows and Windows Server releases.

5] Network Connections

If you desire an extensive number of network connections, then Windows for Desktop will fall short of your expectations. It is only limited to 20 connections. Its counterpart, i.e., Windows Server can offer as many network connections as you want, provided it has enough hardware capacity.

6] Microsoft Store or Edge browser support

This is one area where Windows for Desktop manages to outscore Windows Server. Features including Windows Subsystem, Progressive Web Apps, and Your Phone for Linux are available under the Microsoft Store. Windows Server doesn’t support the Microsoft Store. Similarly, you’ll feel disappointed if you are looking for Edge to run on Windows Server. Like Windows 11/10, Windows Server uses Microsoft Edge for web browsing. Also, if you want to try Google Chrome, you need to relax exceptions for all Google URLs to finish the download.

7] Windows Updates

Another domain where Windows for Desktop gets the upper hand over Windows Server. Windows Updates come faster to Windows for Desktop than Windows Server. Also, it features a Timeline, not visible on Windows Server.

8] Price for deployment

Lastly, a very important factor that requires consideration is price! Windows Server 2016 licenses are comparatively expensive. For instance, if you have a business, then, depending on your size and needs a single license can cost between $500 and $6200. For this reason, most purchasers opt for a Volume License route instead. Windows Server is made primarily for businesses, so it is priced accordingly. It is therefore advisable to choose a system that is best for you and your needs and select keeping in mind the need to recover, repair, or migrate.

Recent iterations of Windows Server offer more flexibility as they can be deployed either on a cloud platform like Microsoft Azure or on hardware in an organization’s data center. Besides, the addition of new capabilities like Server Manager and Active Directory makes Windows Server a good alternative. While the former is a utility to administer server roles and make configuration changes to local computers, the latter enables easy automation of the management of user data.

That’s it. I hope this helps.

Read: Windows Server Tutorial and Tips

Is Windows Server free?

Windows Server is not free. However, a trial version of Windows Server is available that you can use for free for up to a certain time. You can get started with Windows Server by creating a free Microsoft Azure account and can get some of the popular services free for 12 months. Microsoft Azure products are free for up to a specified time. Some Azure products are completely free to all Azure customers. Some Azure products are free for 12 months to new customers. Windows Server 2022 is the latest edition of Windows Server till now. You can download a free trial of Windows Server 2022.

Is Windows Server better than Windows?

It depends on your needs. Windows OS is designed for regular users who use their computers for personal use. Windows 11 is the most recent version of Windows OS till now. Windows Server is designed to build servers. Windows Server editions are specially designed for businesses and organizations. Windows Server comes with many additional features that help organizations manage their business.