Upgrade Windows Server 2019 to Datacenter Edition

Windows Server 2019 Datacenter edition is designed for highly virtualized environments and advanced data center scenarios. If your server is currently running Windows Server 2019 Standard, you can upgrade it to Datacenter without reinstalling the operating system. This article describes the supported upgrade path and provides step-by-step instructions.

Microsoft supports the following upgrade path Standard → Datacenter. Downgrading from Datacenter to Standard is not supported and requires a clean installation.

Prerequisites Before the Upgrade

Before upgrading to Windows Server 2019 Datacenter, make sure you:

1. Create a full system backup or virtual machine snapshot
2. Have a valid Datacenter product key (MAK, Retail, or generic KMS key)
3. Install all latest Windows updates
4. Log in as a local administrator
5. Verify the current Windows Server edition

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition

To check which editions are available for upgrade:

DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions

Microsoft provides a generic (KMS client setup) key that can be used to upgrade the edition. This key does not activate Windows by itself.

Windows Server 2019 Datacenter (Generic KMS Key):

WMDGN-G9PQG-XVVXX-R3X43-63DFG

The supported method to upgrade the edition is by using the DISM tool. Run the following command to upgrade from Standard to Datacenter:

DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /ProductKey:WMDGN-G9PQG-XVVXX-R3X43-63DFG /AcceptEula

You can replace the generic key with your own Datacenter license key if required.

After the upgrade completes, restart the server:

shutdown /r /t 0

After rebooting, verify the installed edition:

DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition