As shown in the figure below, in-place upgrade is supported between any two operating systems that are linearly connected, so you are allowed to upgrade Windows Server 2012 r2 to 2019, indeed. However, if you want to upgrade Windows Server 2012 to 2019, you’ll need to in-place upgrade it to 2016, then 2016 to 2019.
Another frequent question is “Is it time to upgrade to Windows Server 2019?”.
If you are still running older system like Windows Server 2012 or 2012 r2, maybe it’s time to move on and upgrade to the latest version – Windows Server 2019. Here are some of the significant reasons:.
Which Windows Server version can I upgrade to?
You can use the following diagram to figure out which Windows Server version you can upgrade to, based on the version you’re currently on: Windows Server can typically be upgraded through at least one, and sometimes even two, versions. For example, Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2016 can both be upgraded in-place to Windows Server 2019.
What is an in-place Windows Server upgrade?
An in-place upgrade allows you to go from an older operating system to a newer one, while keeping your settings, server roles, and data intact. This article helps you to move from Windows Server 2012 R2 to Windows Server 2019.
What is the difference between Windows Server 2012 (R2) and 2019 Essentials?
Migrating Windows Server Essentials 2012 (R2) to Windows Server 2019 Essentials, Standard or Datacenter is a bit different compared to previous migrations where we came from any SBS version or Windows Server Essentials SKU before 2019 and migrated to any Windows Server Essentials version before 2019.
Windows server has never had the option of In-Place Upgrade until now, in Server 2019, that can be upgraded while keeping your installation configurations, Active Directory, settings, server roles and data in place, and so forth.