A minimal installation of a Windows server that runs only essential Services and command line tools and has no GUI.
This minimalist setting is useful for reducing attack surfaces and resource consumption.
Availability of common applications
Many application that run on the standard Desktop Experience does not run on Windows Server Core.
| Application | Server Core | Desktop Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Command prompt | Available | Available |
| Windows PowerShell/ Microsoft .NET | Available | Available |
| Regedit | Available | Available |
| Diskmgmt.msc | Not Available | Available |
| Server Manager | Not Available | Available |
| Mmc.exe | Not Available | Available |
| Eventvwr | Not Available | Available |
| Services.msc | Not Available | Available |
| Control Panel | Not Available | Available |
| Windows Explorer | Not Available | Available |
| Taskmgr | Available | Available |
| Internet Explorer or Edge | Not Available | Available |
| Remote Desktop Services | Available | Available |