- MDT removed – existing implementations will work, but migration is required
- No further security updates or support will be issued for future versions of the operating system.
- Reddit users have criticized the workarounds.
Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer support the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), meaning updates, support, and security patches/fixes are out.
Although existing MDT implementations should continue to work for now, compatibility updates will not be issued for future versions of Windows and download packages may be removed from official channels.
Originally released in 2003, the now-legacy enterprise deployment toolset was used to deploy Windows operating systems and applications in a fully automated manner, with user input or via bootable media.
The change wasn’t exactly a surprise: Redmond announced the deprecation in December 2024, warning that it would be retired after October 2025. “Microsoft is announcing the immediate retirement of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT),” the company confirmed last week on a support page.
“MDT integration with CM and standalone is no longer supported in Configuration Manager,” the company shared on another support page. “Customers should remove the MDT TS steps, followed by removing the MDT integration, to avoid TS corruption and modification failures.”
Furthermore, there had been few significant updates in recent years, so all signs pointed towards an eventual deprecation.
Microsoft suggests that MDT users should now consider using Windows Autopilot for cloud-based deployment and provisioning, or Configuration Manager operating system deployment (OSD) for on-premises infrastructure needs.
However, Microsoft admitted that there is no “direct upgrade path” and that a transition would be necessary.
While the overall impact may be limited given that many organizations have already migrated, that hasn’t stopped fans from turning to platforms like Reddit to share archived download links. Many also argued that MDT was free, had no telemetry, and did not require adoption of the Azure cloud.
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