How to Install Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 (2025)

How to Install Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 (1)

Nicolas Prigent

IT Production Manager. Nicolas is primarily focused on Microsoft technologies, he is a Microsoft MVP in Cloud and Datacenter Management.

IT Production Manager. Nicolas is primarily focused on Microsoft technologies, he is a Microsoft MVP in Cloud and Datacenter Management.

On October 1st, Microsoft Exchange Team released the new Exchange Server 2016. Microsoft had been testing and improving on millions of mailboxes in their Office365 environment before it released the product on-premises. In this article, I will describe a step-by-step guide for the installation of Microsoft Exchange Server 2016. The installation considers:

  • Single server deployment of Exchange Server 2016 with the Mailbox role on the new Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2016 forest functional level
  • Exchange Server 2016 with the latest Cumulative Update 4

Because Windows PowerShell is a powerful tool that every sysadmin should already know, I will use PowerShell to perform the installation. But If you prefer the graphical interface, you can use that.

Step 1: Requirements

Before installing Exchange Server 2016, you must review the following requirements:

Forest Functional Level for Exchange 2016
  • Windows Server 2008 or higher
Minimum Operation System
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows Server 2016
Minimum Memory Requirement (RAM)
  • Mailbox Server 8GB minimum
  • Edge Transport Server 4GB minimum

To check your Active Directory Forest Functional Level, you can run the “Get-ADForest” cmdlet:

Important:

  1. Note that Microsoft doesn’t support the installation of Exchange 2016 on a computer that’s running Windows Server Core or Nano Server. The Windows Server Desktop Experience feature needs to be installed.
  2. Client Access Role is removed in Exchange Server 2016, which simplifies the Exchange architecture.

If you need further information about what you need to have in your environment before installing Exchange 2016, please visit the following link: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/aa996719(v=exchg.160).aspx

Step 2: Installing Pre-Requisites

Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator, and run the sconfig utility to install the latest Windows Updates. Exchange Server 2016 requires the update described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB3206632. Without this update, Exchange Server 2016 will not work reliably on Windows Server 2016. Choose number 6 to download and install Updates:

Next, run the following command to install the Remote Tools Administration Pack:

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PS > Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS

Now, we will install the required roles. The prerequisites for Exchange Server 2016 varies if you run Windows Server 2012 or 2016. So be careful, and use the following for Windows Server 2016:

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PS > Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-45-Features, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, Web-Mgmt-Console, WAS-Process-Model, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-Identity-Foundation, RSAT-ADDS

Windows indicates that no reboot is required, but I advise you to restart the server.

.Net Framework 4.5 and higher is required, so to check the .Net version on Windows Server 2016:

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PS > (Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full' ).Release

If it’s above “394747”, then it meansyou have the necessary.NET Framework 4.6.2 or later installed.

To finish with pre-requisites, you must download and install Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 Runtime: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34992

Click Next and Finish to install Microsoft UCMA component:

Step 3: Preparing Schema and Active Directory

After you’ve prepared a Windows Server with the Exchange Server 2016 pre-requisites, you can proceed with the schema update. To apply only the schema update:

First, mount the Exchange Server 2016 installation media, open a PowerShell console and navigate to the setup files. Then, type the following command:

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cd d:

.\setup /PrepareSchema /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Extending schema status must be “Completed”. After applying the schema update we can prepare our Active Directory with the PrepareAD parameter:

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.\setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:"GET-CMD" /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

The final step to get Active Directory ready for Exchange is to prepare each of the Active Directory domains where Exchange will be installed.

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.\setup /Preparedomain /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

If you have more than one domain, you can replace the PrepareDomain parameter with PrepareAllDomains parameter.

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Step 4: Installing the Mailbox Server Role

The Mailbox server role contains all of the components required to run an Exchange Server 2016 server. If you need an Edge Server, you can still install it in Exchange 2016 but that is not a mandatory role. At this point, it’s up to you. To install the Mailbox Role, there are two ways you can do this:

  • Using the graphical interface. Run the exe, choose Next, Accept the agreement, select the Mailbox Role, specify the path for the Exchange Server installation and choose Install.
  • Or you can try to install Exchange with Windows PowerShell.

Below are the available parameters to customize your installation:

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Setup.exe [/Mode:<setup mode>] [/IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms]

[/Role:<server role to install>] [/InstallWindowsComponents]

[/OrganizationName:<name for the new Exchange organization>]

[/TargetDir:<target directory>] [/SourceDir:<source directory>]

[/UpdatesDir:<directory from which to install updates>]

[/DomainController:<FQDN of domain controller>] [/DisableAMFiltering]

[/AnswerFile:<filename>] [/DoNotStartTransport]

[/EnableErrorReporting] [/CustomerFeedbackEnabled:<True | False>]

[/AddUmLanguagePack:<UM language pack name>]

[/RemoveUmLanguagePack:<UM language pack name>]

[/NewProvisionedServer:<server>] [/RemoveProvisionedServer:<server>]

[/MdbName:<mailbox database name>] [/DbFilePath:<Edb file path>]

[/LogFolderPath:<log folder path>] [/ActiveDirectorySplitPermissions:<True | False>]

[/TenantOrganizationConfig:<path>]

In my opinion, it’s never a good idea to install the Exchange Database and the log folder on the root partition.

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PS D:\> ./Setup.exe /Mode:Install /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms /Role:Mailbox /CustomerFeedbackEnabled:False /Targe

tDir:"E:\\Exchange\\" /DbFilePath:"E:\\ExchangeDB\\" /LogFolderPath:"E:\\Logs\\"

The setup process will collect some information needed for installation, check the prerequisites and configure your Exchange Server. Just wait …

When it’s done, open Internet Explorer and go to https://<FQDN of Mailbox Server>/owa to validate your Exchange installation.

You have successfully installed your Exchange Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016. The idea of this article was to illustrate how PowerShell can allow us to simplify and automate our daily tasks.

Thanks for checking out this guide!

Related materials:

  • How-to Create Bootable Windows Server 2016 USB Thumb Drive for Installing OS
  • PowerShell ROBO
How to Install Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 (2025)

FAQs

Can I install Exchange 2016 on Windows Server 2016? ›

Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers on Windows Server 2016

You can only install this update if your Windows Server 2016 version is 14393.576 or earlier (circa December, 2016). You can check your Windows Server version by running the winver command.

Can I install Office 2016 on Windows Server 2016? ›

In this manual we'll demonstrate how to install and activate Office 2016 on your Windows VPS. For this guide we make use of Windows Server 2016 and Microsoft Office 2016 - Professional, though you can also use Microsoft Office 2016 - Standard.

How do I access Exchange Server 2016? ›

Open the Exchange Management Shell in Windows Server 2016 or Windows 10. Select Start > Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 > Exchange Management Shell.

Does Microsoft still support Windows Server 2016? ›

Mainstream support for Windows Server 2016 ended on January 11, 2022, and extended support continues until January 12, 2027. However, version 1607 reached its end of service on April 9, 2019, which is why cumulative updates like build 14393.3866 might fail. Ensure you're using the latest supported version.

Can Exchange Server 2016 coexist with another version of Exchange Server? ›

Yes, you can introduce a new Exchange 2016 server to your environment while running both a 2013 and 2019 Exchange server. Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019 can coexist in the same Active Directory forest.

How do I get my Microsoft Exchange Server? ›

Open Outlook & go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > select your Exchange account > Change > More Settings > Connection tab > checkmark 'Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP' & go to 'Exchange Proxy Settings'. Your server address should be visible.

How do I restore Exchange server 2016? ›

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run the Setup /m:RecoverServer command to start the recovery installation. If you are installing Exchange Server 2016 or 2019 September 2021 or later CU, use the /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON or /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataOFF switch.

What version of Exchange 2016 do I have? ›

With Microsoft Outlook running, press and hold CTRL while you right-click the Outlook icon in the notification area. Click Connection Status. Move the horizontal slider all the way to the right. Note: Under the Version column heading, note the number that appears.

What is Microsoft Exchange Server 2016? ›

Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 brings a new set of technologies, features, and services to Exchange Server, the messaging platform that provides email, scheduling, and tools for custom collaboration and messaging service applications.

Which installation methods are available with Windows Server 2016? ›

Windows Server 2016 features two installation options and additionally a Nano deployment can be created using the media but is not an actual installation option. The two installation options are: Windows Server - Server Core which is the core OS without local management tools or graphical interface.

Is Exchange 2013 compatible with Server 2016? ›

As per the TechNet document, it is not supported to install Exchange 2013 on Windows Server 2016. 2016 server and exchange 2016 or wait to 2019 come out. Exchange 2013 on 2016 does not work.

Can you install Exchange 2016 Management Tools on server 2019? ›

Installing Exchange 2016 on a domain controller isn't recommended. and Exchange 2016 is not supported to install on Windows Server 2019. In addition, you could use Exchange Deployment Assistant to deploy Exchange 2016 on Windows server 2016.

Does Exchange Server 2016 run on server core? ›

If a computer is running Windows Server 2016 Core mode and you want to install Exchange 2016 on it, you'll need to reinstall the operating system and choose the Desktop Experience installation option.

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