The short version
AZ-802 is Microsoft’s role-based exam for people who run Windows Server day to day, on-premises, in Azure, or both. It covers Active Directory, hybrid management with Azure Arc, Hyper-V, networking, storage, security, and troubleshooting. This guide follows the AZ-802 study guide on Microsoft Learn (page dated June 22, 2026, last updated October 17, 2026, read on October 18, 2026).
What the exam is
The full name is Exam AZ-802: Administering Windows Server. It counts toward the Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate credential. Microsoft’s exam page lists AZ-802 as the exam for that credential and shows no related exams.
This exam replaces a two-exam route. Microsoft’s pages for AZ-800 and AZ-801 now carry a warning that both exams were retired on September 30, 2026. If an older blog or video tells you to take AZ-800 and AZ-801, it is out of date.
The exam is about doing the job, not reciting definitions. Questions tend to describe a server environment and a requirement, then ask which action, tool, or setting solves it. Knowing that a feature exists is not enough. You need to know when it is the right one and when a neighbor feature fits better.
Who it is for
Microsoft describes the candidate as someone who deploys, implements, manages, and troubleshoots Windows Server as a workload in on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environments. That person looks after identity, security, management, compute, networking, storage, and monitoring, and works with architects, administrators, and engineers.
Microsoft expects experience with Windows Admin Center, Hyper-V, PowerShell, Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Update Manager, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud, plus familiarity with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). There is no formal prerequisite exam. The prerequisites page breaks down what that experience looks like.
Format at a glance
| Item | What Microsoft says |
|---|---|
| Exam code | AZ-802 |
| Credential | Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate (the page labels it intermediate) |
| Time | 120 minutes, as stated on the credential page |
| Passing score | 700 or higher on a scale of 1 to 1,000 |
| Delivery | Proctored, scheduled through Pearson VUE |
| Language | English only at the time of writing |
| Number of questions | Not published; Microsoft says most exams have 40 to 60 |
The exam format page covers scoring, question types, breaks, and retakes.
The seven domains and their weightings
| Domain | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Deploy and manage AD DS | 20-25% |
| Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment | 10-15% |
| Manage virtual machines | 10-15% |
| Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure | 10-15% |
| Manage storage and file services | 15-20% |
| Secure Windows Server infrastructure | 10-15% |
| Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments | 15-20% |
Deploy and manage AD DS
The largest domain. It covers domain controllers (local, in Azure, and read-only), operations master roles, trusts, sites, replication, users, groups, service accounts, and Group Policy.
Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment
Remote management with Windows Admin Center, PowerShell remoting, Just Enough Administration, SSH, and remote desktop. It also covers Azure Arc-enabled servers, device configuration, VM extensions, Azure Update Manager, and Azure Automation runbooks.
Manage virtual machines
Hyper-V on the host and in the guest (memory, checkpoints, virtual disks, switches, replication, high availability, GPU options), plus Windows Server VMs running in Azure.
Networking infrastructure
DNS integrated with AD DS, zones, forwarding, DNS policies, and DNSSEC, plus DHCP scopes, reservations, high availability, and troubleshooting IP addressing in hybrid setups.
Storage and file services
Azure Files and Azure File Sync, Windows Server file shares (FSRM, DFS, SMB over QUIC), and local storage such as Storage Spaces, Storage Replica, deduplication, iSCSI, and BitLocker.
Secure Windows Server infrastructure
Operating system hardening (exploit protection, Credential Guard, Windows LAPS, OSConfig, firewall) and securing AD DS (password policies, protected users, domain controller hardening, delegation, authentication protocols).
Monitor and troubleshoot
Performance Monitor, Windows Admin Center alerts, System Insights, event logs, Azure Monitor, and troubleshooting connectivity, name resolution, updates, time, storage, and Active Directory (recycle bin, DSRM, SYSVOL, replication, Kerberos, secure channel).
Official source
For the vendor’s own page, use the Microsoft Learn AZ-802 study guide. It is the final authority if anything here differs.
More guides for AZ-802
- AZ-802 Study Plan: 4-Week and 8-Week
- AZ-802 Sample Questions With Answers
- Is AZ-802 Hard? An Honest Difficulty Check
- AZ-802 Renewal and Retakes Explained
- Is AZ-802 Worth It? An Honest Look
- AZ-802 Cheat Sheet: Key Facts to Review
- AZ-104 vs AZ-802: Which First?
Next step
Read the domains explained page to see where your hours should go. When you want to check yourself, our AZ-802 practice tests are original practice sets built around these seven domains.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need AZ-800 or AZ-801 first?
No. Microsoft’s pages show both of those exams as retired on September 30, 2026, and AZ-802 is the exam listed for the credential.
Does the credential expire?
Microsoft says associate certifications expire unless renewed. Renewal is free and done through an online assessment on Microsoft Learn during a six-month window before expiry. See the exam format page for the detail.
Is the exam available in other languages?
At the time of writing Microsoft lists English only. Check the exam page before you book, because language lists can change.