Microsoft announces deprecation of Windows Deployment Services

Microsoft has announced the deprecation of Windows Deployment Services (WDS), effective with the next major version of Windows Server. The announcement was made via support note KB5129631.

The deprecation affects the entire WDS role, including deployment and transport servers, PXE network boot, management tools, command-line tools, and multicast-based image distribution. The WinPE-WDS tools are also included in the phase-out.

This move follows a series of gradual reductions to the service. In 2021, Microsoft deprecated Windows 11 deployments based on the boot.wim file. In April 2026, hands-free deployment via WDS was disabled by default and officially ceased to be supported following specific Windows updates.

While the role is being deprecated, it is not being immediately removed. Similar to previous deprecations, the component will remain available in the upcoming Windows Server version but will no longer receive improvements and is no longer the recommended solution. Current supported versions of Windows Server, including Server 2025, will continue to run WDS within their respective support lifecycles.