Step 1: Download the installation kit
Windows Server 2022 Standard can be downloaded from this link.

Step 2: Create the installation media
After downloading the ISO, write the image to a bootable USB drive or mount it in a virtual machine if you are installing the server in a virtualized environment. From this point, boot the server from the installation media and begin the Windows Server 2022 installation. This is the standard installation flow for the Evaluation version provided by Microsoft.

Step 3: Install Windows Server 2022 Evaluation
During installation, choose the correct edition based on what you intend to use afterwards. For this guide, the target is Windows Server 2022 Standard. After the installation is complete, the system will boot as an Evaluation version, not as a permanently licensed version. Microsoft states that Evaluation editions must be converted afterwards if you want to turn them into licensed editions.

After installation:

• Create the Administrator password;
• Log into the system;
• Open Command Prompt or PowerShell with Administrator privileges.

Step 4: Verify the installed edition
Before conversion, verify exactly which edition is running on the server. Microsoft recommends using DISM to confirm whether the system is indeed an Evaluation edition.

Run:

DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition

If you see ServerStandardEval, it means you have installed the correct evaluation version for this guide and can proceed with the conversion to licensed Standard. Microsoft also recommends checking with slmgr.vbs /dlv, where a reference to EVAL should appear.

You can also run:

slmgr.vbs /dlv

Step 5: Check if the Standard edition is available as a conversion target
Before entering the key, verify which editions your current installation can be converted to. Microsoft explicitly recommends this step.

The command is:

DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions

If ServerStandard appears in the list, you can proceed with the conversion. If the desired edition does not appear, Microsoft recommends relying on the result of this command, as not all conversion paths are permitted for every combination of editions and installations.

Step 6: Convert Windows Server 2022 Evaluation to Windows Server 2022 Standard
This is the essential step. Microsoft documents the conversion of Evaluation editions using DISM /Set-Edition, along with a valid product key for the desired edition. In this scenario, the conversion is performed to ServerStandard.

Run the command:

DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula

Replace the example key with your actual Windows Server 2022 Standard key. If the key is valid and matches the edition, the system will begin the conversion process. At the end, the server will prompt a restart to apply the changes.

If you wish, before the conversion you can also save the license terms to a local file using the command documented by Microsoft:

DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /GetEula:C:\license.rtf

Step 7: Restart the server
After the conversion, restart the server so that the edition change is fully finalized. Microsoft mentions that the conversion process requires a restart to take effect.