Azure File Sync Agent v22 - December 2025

Improvements and issues that are fixed 

New metric to monitor Azure File Sync agent expiration 

A new agentVersionExpiration metric provides visibility into how many days remain before an agent reaches expiration. Customers can configure Azure Monitor alerts when an agent is within 90 days of expiry, enabling proactive management and reducing the risk of unexpected service interruptions.  To learn more, see Azure File Sync Monitoring Metric Charts

Generally Available: Azure File Sync in Poland Central, Spain Central, New Zealand North, and Israel Central

The expansion into Poland Central, Spain Central, New Zealand North, and Israel Central brings the service closer to organizations in these regions, offering lower latency, better performance, and support for local data residency requirements.  

Software Assurance License Benefit

Starting January 2026, organizations with Software Assurance licensing and Arc-enabled servers will receive discounted per-server pricing for Azure File Sync. This benefit applies when running agents V22 or later, providing customers with a cost advantage. 

Miscellaneous reliability and telemetry improvements for cloud tiering and sync

More information about the Azure File Sync Agent v22 release 

• This release is available for Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025 installations. 

• The agent version for this release is 22.0.0.0. 

• The following updates must be installed on the Windows Server:

  • WS 2016 Microsoft Update Catalog (latest cumulative update)

  • WS 2019 Microsoft Update Catalog (latest cumulative update)

​​​​​​​Cumulative updates are released monthly. To deploy the latest one, users can either use Windows Update or manually download it from the Microsoft Update Catalog. If installing manually, they should review the associated KB article to ensure all prerequisites are met.

​​​​​​​Note: If the Windows Updates are not installed prior to installing the Azure File Sync agent, the Storage Sync Agent service (FileSyncSvc) will fail to start. To learn more, see the Azure File Sync troubleshooting documentation. 

How to obtain and install the Azure File Sync Agent

 The Azure File Sync agent is available from Microsoft Update, Microsoft Update Catalog, and Microsoft Download Center. 

Notes 

• If the Azure File Sync agent is not currently installed on a server, use the agent installation package on the Microsoft Download Center. The agent installation package on Microsoft Update and Microsoft Update Catalog is intended for agent upgrades only.

• To update existing agent installations, run AfsUpdater.exe (located in the agent installation directory) or download and install the update from Microsoft Update or Microsoft Update Catalog.

Microsoft Update 

To obtain and install from Microsoft Update, follow these steps on a server that has Azure File Sync agent installed: 

1. Click Start, and then click Settings.

2. In Settings, click Update & security.

3. In the Windows Update window, click Check online for updates from Microsoft Update.

4. Verify the Azure File Sync agent update is listed and then click Install now.

Microsoft Update Catalog 

Go to the following website to manually download this update from the Microsoft Update Catalog: 

Azure File Sync Agent v22 release - December 2025 (KB5056967)

To manually install the update package, extract the cab file and run the following command from an elevated command prompt: 

msiexec.exe /p packagename.msp REINSTALLMODE=OMUS REINSTALL=StorageSyncAgent,StorageSyncAgentAzureFileSync,StorageSyncAgentGuardFilter,StorageSyncAgentUpdater /qb /l*v KB5056967.log 

For example, to install the Azure File Sync agent update for Server 2016, run the following command: 

msiexec.exe /p StorageSyncAgent_WS2016_KB5056967.msp REINSTALLMODE=OMUS REINSTALL=StorageSyncAgent,StorageSyncAgentAzureFileSync,StorageSyncAgentGuardFilter,StorageSyncAgentUpdater /qb /l*v KB5056967​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.log 

Microsoft Download Center 

Go to the Microsoft Download Center​​​​​​​ to manually download the agent installation package for new agent installations. 

How to perform a silent installation for a new agent installation 

To perform a silent installation for a new agent installation that uses the default settings, run the following command at an elevated command prompt: 

msiexec /i packagename.msi /qb /l*v AFSv22Installation.log 

For example, to install the Azure File Sync agent for Windows Server 2016, run the following command: 

msiexec /i StorageSyncAgent_WS2016.msi /qb /l*v AFSv22Installation.log 

Notes 

Use the /qb switch to display restart prompts (if required), agent update, and server registration screens. To suppress the screens and automatically restart the server (if required), use the /qn switch.

To perform a silent installation with custom settings, see How to install the Azure File Sync agent silently.

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