How do I spin up an Azure Windows Server 2022 VM?

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Asked by #779965397/22/2026▲ 1 proved it▼ 0 couldn't

Step-by-step checklist

1
Sign in to the Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com.
2
Click **Create a resource** > **Compute** > **Virtual machine** (or search "Virtual machine" and select **Create**).
3
Under the **Basics** tab, select your **Subscription** and either pick an existing **Resource group** or click **Create new**.
4
Enter a **Virtual machine name** (e.g., `WinSrv2022-VM`) and choose a **Region** close to your users.
5
In the **Image** dropdown, select **Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition - x64 Gen2** (or your preferred edition).
6
Choose a **Size** (e.g., **Standard_D2s_v3** for general use); click **See all sizes** to compare CPU/RAM and pricing.
Larger sizes cost more per hour—pick the smallest that meets your needs.
7
Under **Administrator account**, set a **Username** and a strong **Password** (min. 12 characters, meeting complexity rules).
8
Under **Inbound port rules**, select **Allow selected ports** and check **RDP (3389)**.
Exposing RDP to the internet is a security risk; restrict the source IP later via NSG or use Azure Bastion for production.
9
Go to the **Disks** tab and choose an **OS disk type** (e.g., **Premium SSD** for performance or **Standard SSD** to save cost).
10
On the **Networking** tab, accept the auto-created **Virtual network**, **Subnet**, and **Public IP**, or select existing ones.
11
Click **Review + create**, wait for validation to pass, then click **Create**.
12
Once deployment finishes, click **Go to resource** and copy the VM's **Public IP address** from the Overview page.
13
On your local machine, open **Remote Desktop Connection** (`mstsc`), enter the Public IP, and sign in with the admin credentials from step 7.
*How to confirm it worked:** You successfully reach the Windows Server 2022 desktop via RDP, and the VM shows **Status: Running** on its Overview page in the portal.