If you are still using Windows Server 2012, you should know that it will reach its end of support date on October 10, 2023. This means that Microsoft will stop providing security updates, technical support, and bug fixes for this version of the operating system. To avoid security risks and performance issues, you may want to migrate to a newer and more secure version of Windows Server, such as Windows Server 2019 or 2022.

However, migrating from one server to another is not a simple task. You need to consider how to transfer your data, applications, settings, and user accounts without losing any information or functionality. You also need to minimize the downtime and disruption to your business operations during the migration process.

Fortunately, there are some free tools that can help you migrate from Windows Server 2012 to a newer version. These tools can automate some or all of the migration steps, saving you time and effort. In this post, we will introduce the top 10 free tools to migrate from Windows Server 2012 and compare their features and limitations.

• EaseUS Todo PCTrans Technician: A powerful and easy-to-use tool that can transfer data, applications, user accounts, and settings from one server to another with simple clicks
• Web Deploy: A Microsoft tool that can help you migrate web applications and sites from one server to another. It can synchronize the content, configuration, databases, SSL certificates, and other components of your web applications across servers.
• Azure Web App Migration Assistant: A tool that can help you migrate web applications and sites from Windows Server 2012 to Azure Web Apps, which is a cloud-based platform for hosting web applications. It can analyze your web applications and sites and provide recommendations on how to migrate them to Azure Web Apps.
• Windows Server Migration Tools: A Microsoft feature that can help you migrate some of the roles and features of Windows Server 2012 to a newer version. It can migrate roles such as Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Services, Web Server (IIS), Hyper-V, and more.
• Storage Migration Service: A Microsoft feature that can help you migrate file servers from Windows Server 2012 to a newer version. It can inventory your file servers and transfer their data, security settings, network settings, and share properties to new servers.
• Active Directory Migration Tool: A Microsoft tool that can help you migrate Active Directory objects and resources from one domain to another. It can migrate users, groups, computers, service accounts, passwords, group policies, DNS zones, and more.
• Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit: A Microsoft tool that can help you assess your current server environment and plan your migration strategy. It can collect information about your servers, such as hardware specifications, operating system versions, installed applications, network configurations, and performance metrics.
• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit: A Microsoft tool that can help you deploy Windows Server 2019 or 2022 on your new servers. It can automate the installation process and apply the necessary updates, drivers, and settings.
• Azure Migrate: A Microsoft service that can help you migrate your servers to Azure, which is a cloud computing platform that offers various services and solutions for your business needs. It can assess your servers’ readiness for migration, perform the migration with minimal downtime, and optimize your servers’ performance and cost in Azure.
• Azure Site Recovery: A Microsoft service that can help you migrate your servers to Azure while ensuring business continuity and disaster recovery. It can replicate your servers’ data and configurations to Azure and switch over to Azure in case of any outage or failure on your original servers.