CertifyDeckToday, 30 September 2026, Microsoft retires exams AZ-800 (Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure) and AZ-801 (Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services). The certification they earned, Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate, does not go away: from now on it is earned with a single exam, AZ-802 (Administering Windows Server). Here is what the official pages say and what it means for your situation.
What retires and what stays
The AZ-800 and AZ-801 pages have shown for months the retirement notice for 30 September 2026 at 5:00 PM Central Time (US). After that time they can no longer be taken. If you had passed one and still needed the other, the certification page now lists all three exams (AZ-800, AZ-801 and AZ-802) as requirements, so the remaining route to complete it is AZ-802.
The certification keeps its name, Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate, and its description: administering Windows Server as a workload in on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments, with Windows Admin Center, PowerShell, Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Update Manager and Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Microsoft announced AZ-802 on The Skills Hub Blog on 22 July 2026. Its official page lists English as the only language and shows no retirement date. The passing score is 700 and there is an official instructor-led course, AZ-802T00.
AZ-802 outline by domain
Deploy and manage AD DS (20–25%): domain controllers on-premises and in Azure, RODCs, FSMO roles, trusts, sites and replication, users, groups and service accounts, and Group Policy.
Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment (10–15%): Windows Admin Center, remote management with PowerShell (including JEA), SSH and Remote Desktop, Azure Arc, VM extensions, Azure Update Manager and Azure Automation runbooks.
Manage virtual machines (10–15%): Hyper-V (nested virtualization, memory, checkpoints, high availability, disks, networking, Replica) and Windows Server VMs in Azure (storage, sizing, availability sets and zones, JIT access and Azure Bastion).
Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure (10–15%): DNS (zones, forwarding, policies, DNSSEC) and DHCP (scopes, reservations, high availability).
Manage storage and file services (15–20%): Azure Files and Azure File Sync, Windows Server file shares (FSRM, DFS, SMB over QUIC), Storage Spaces and Storage Spaces Direct, Storage Replica, Data Deduplication, iSCSI and BitLocker.
Secure Windows Server infrastructure (10–15%): exploit protection, Application Control, Credential Guard, SmartScreen, baselines with OSConfig, LAPS, Defender for Servers, Windows Firewall and AD DS hardening (password policies, Microsoft Entra Password Protection, protected users, delegation).
Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments (15–20%): Performance Monitor, Windows Admin Center, System Insights, event logs, Azure Monitor data collection rules, VM Insights, and troubleshooting of connectivity, name resolution, Windows Update, Time service, performance, extensions, disk encryption, storage and Active Directory (Recycle Bin, DSRM, SYSVOL, replication, Kerberos, secure channel).
What changes compared with AZ-800 and AZ-801
The content is largely the sum of the two old exams, reorganized into seven domains and a single exam. AD DS loses relative weight (it was 30–35% of AZ-800) and Windows Server security and monitoring and troubleshooting become domains of their own, where before they were spread across AZ-801.
The most important practical change for non-English speakers is language: AZ-802 is English only on its page. Microsoft usually localizes exams about eight weeks after updating the English version, but it has not announced dates for AZ-802 and you should not count on it.
What to do depending on your situation
If you already hold the certification: nothing changes. It remains valid and renews every year with the free online assessment on Microsoft Learn, like any associate certification.
If you had passed AZ-800 or AZ-801 but not the other: the exam you were missing no longer exists. The certification page lists AZ-802 among the requirements, so that is the route to complete it. Check your Microsoft Learn profile to see how your progress stands.
If you are starting from scratch: prepare AZ-802 with its official study guide and the Windows Server and Azure documentation. CertifyDeck does not have an AZ-802 bank. If your work leans more to Azure than to Windows Server, the closest associate certification is AZ-104, Azure Administrator, which you can practice with the AZ-104 questions.
This is one of the 2026 retirements. The full list, with dates and replacements, is in Microsoft certifications retired in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification go away?
No. It still exists. What retires on 30 September 2026 are the two exams that earned it, AZ-800 and AZ-801. From then on it is earned with a single exam, AZ-802.
Is AZ-802 available in languages other than English?
The official AZ-802 page lists English only. AZ-800 and AZ-801 were offered in several languages. Microsoft has not announced localization dates for AZ-802.
I passed AZ-800 but never took AZ-801. What now?
AZ-801 can no longer be taken. The certification page lists AZ-802 among the required exams, so that is the route to complete it. Check your progress in your Microsoft Learn profile.