Add or remove roles and features in Windows Server

To add roles and features using the Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu, type Server Manager, then open Server Manager.

2. Select Manage in the top-right corner, then select Add Roles and Features. The Add Roles and Features Wizard opens.

3. For Before You Begin, review the information, then select Next.

4. For Installation Type, select Role-based or feature-based installation, then select Next. Use this option to add all roles and feature except Remote Desktop Services. For more information about adding RDS roles, see Deploy a Remote Desktop Services environment.

5. For Server Selection, select the server you want to add roles and features on. You can choose the local server or a remote server that is added to Server Manager. If you want to add roles and features on an offline VHD, select Select a virtual hard disk, select the server on which to mount the VHD, then browse or enter its file path. Select Next.

6. For Server Roles, select the roles you want to add. You don't have to select any roles if you only want to add a feature. Once you made your role selections, select Next.

   As you proceed, the wizard automatically informs you if conflicts are found on the destination server that can prevent adding selected roles or features or normal operation. You're also prompted to add any other roles and features that the roles or features that you select require.

   If you plan to manage the role remotely, either from another server, or from a Windows client-based computer that is running Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT), you can opt not to install management tools and snap-ins for roles on the destination server. By default, management tools are added.

7. For Features, select the roles you want to add. You don't have to select any features if you only want to add a role. Once you made your feature selections, select Next.

8. For Confirmation, review the roles and features you selected. Once you're ready, select Install. Some roles and features require you to restart the server after installation. Check the box Restart the destination server automatically if required if you want the server to restart automatically after installation.

   Tip

   If you need to specify the installation source files, select Specify an alternate source path. You can also specify a Windows Imaging (WIM) file in the following format, with WIM as a prefix, and the index in which the feature files are located as a suffix, for example WIM:e:\sources\install.wim:4. However, you can't use a WIM file directly as a source for adding roles and features to an offline VHD. You must either mount the offline VHD and point to its mount path for source files, or you must point to a folder that contains a copy of the contents of the WIM file. The source path or file share must grant Read permissions to the computer account of the destination server; granting user account access isn't sufficient. For more information on listing the indexes in a WIM file, see List images that are contained in a WIM or VHD file.

   You can also export your selections to an XML-based configuration file that you can use for unattended installations with Windows PowerShell. To export the configuration you specified, select Export configuration settings, then save the XML file to a convenient ___location. You can find the steps to use this configuration file in the section Add roles and features on multiple servers.

9. Once the installation is complete, select Close.

To add roles and features using the Windows PowerShell module for Server Manager, follow these steps. Be sure to replace any <placeholder> values with your own.

1. Open a PowerShell session as an administrator.

2. Run the following command to get a list of all the roles and features available in Windows Server:

   Get-WindowsFeature
   

   If you want to check roles and features on a remote server, use the -ComputerName parameter. You can use this parameter even if the remote server isn't added to Server Manager.

   Get-WindowsFeature -ComputerName <ComputerName>
   

3. Run the following commands to add a role or feature with the Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet. You need to specify the name of one or more roles or features you want to add, as shown in the following examples. You can find the complete documentation for the cmdlet at Install-WindowsFeature.

   Tip

   • Management tools and snap-ins for a role aren't included by default. To include management tools as part of a role installation, add the -IncludeManagementTools parameter to the cmdlet. If you're adding roles and features on a server that is running the Server Core installation option of Windows Server, you can add a role's management tools to an installation, but GUI-based management tools and snap-ins aren't installed. Only command-line and Windows PowerShell management tools are installed.

   • If the role or feature you add needs the server to be restarted to complete the installation, add the -Restart parameter to restart automatically without prompting.

   • To add DNS and DHCP roles on the local server, including management tools, run the following command:

     Install-WindowsFeature -Name DNS,DHCP -IncludeManagementTools
     

   • To add DNS and DHCP roles and features on an offline VHD, add the -Vhd parameter. The cmdlet assumes you want to mount the VHD to the local computer. Alternatively, also add the -ComputerName parameter and with the name of the server on which to mount the VHD. You must add the -ComputerName parameter if you're running the cmdlet from a computer that is running a Windows client operating system.

     Install-WindowsFeature -Name DNS,DHCP -Vhd <Path> -ComputerName <ComputerName>
     

   The output of the cmdlet shows the result of the installation, as shown in the following example. If the value for the parameter Restart Needed is Yes, restart the server to complete the installation.

   Success Restart Needed Exit Code      Feature Result
   ------- -------------- ---------      --------------
   True    No             Success        {DHCP Server, DNS Server}
   

4. You can get a list of all the installed roles and features by running the following command:

   Get-WindowsFeature | ? Installed -eq $true
   

Add roles and features on multiple servers

You can't use the Add Roles and Features Wizard on more than one target server in a single wizard session. However, you can use Windows PowerShell add roles and features on multiple target servers concurrently. You must already add these servers to Server Manager.

Using the Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet, you can specify an XML configuration file that contains the roles and features that you want installed on multiple servers. This configuration file is created using the Add Roles and Features Wizard

To add roles and features on multiple servers:

1. Create an XML configuration file that contains the roles and features that you want installed on multiple servers, as shown in the tab for the Roles and Features Wizard. Follow the guidance in step 8 to export your selections to an XML-based configuration file.

2. Open a PowerShell session as an administrator.

3. Run the following commands in the following example to add roles and features on the servers you specify, use your configuration file, and restart each server if necessary. Be sure to replace any <placeholder> values with your own. This example runs each command in a separate job, so that the commands run concurrently on each server. For more information about running commands in jobs, see Start-Job.

   $serverNames = '<server01>','<server02>','<server03>'
   $configurationFilepath = '<filePath to DeploymentConfigTemplate.xml>'
   
   $jobs = @()
   foreach($serverName in $serverNames) {
       $jobs += Start-Job -Command {
           Install-WindowsFeature -ConfigurationFilepath $configurationFilepath -ComputerName $serverName -Restart
       }
   }
   
   Receive-Job -Job $jobs -Wait | Select-Object Success, RestartNeeded, exitCode, FeatureResult
   

   If the value for the parameter Restart Needed is Yes, restart the server to complete the installation.

4. Verify the roles and features you specified in your configuration completed in the output from each job.

To remove roles and features using the Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu, type Server Manager, then open Server Manager.

2. Select Manage in the top-right corner, then select Remove Roles and Features. The Remove Roles and Features Wizard opens.

3. For Before You Begin, review the information, then select Next.

4. For Server Selection, select the server you want to remove roles and features on. You can choose the local server or a remote server that is added to Server Manager. If you want to remove roles and features on an offline VHD, select Select a virtual hard disk, select the server on which to mount the VHD, then browse or enter its file path. Select Next.

5. For Server Roles, select the roles you want to remove. You don't have to select any roles if you only want to remove a feature. Once you made your role selections, select Next.

   As you proceed, the wizard automatically prompts you to remove any other roles and features that the roles or features that you select require.

6. For Features, select the roles you want to remove. You don't have to select any features if you only want to remove a role. Once you made your feature selections, select Next.

7. For Confirmation, review the roles and features you selected. Once you're ready, select Remove. Some roles and features require you to restart the server after removal. Check the box Restart the destination server automatically if required if you want the server to restart automatically after removal.

8. Once the removal is complete, select Close.

To remove roles and features using the Windows PowerShell module for Server Manager, follow these steps. Be sure to replace any <placeholder> values with your own.

1. Open a PowerShell session as an administrator.

2. Get a list of all the roles and features installed on the server by running the following command:

   Get-WindowsFeature | ? Installed -eq $true
   

   If you want to check roles and features on a remote server, use the -ComputerName parameter. You can use this parameter even if the remote server isn't added to Server Manager.

   Get-WindowsFeature -ComputerName <ComputerName> | ? Installed -eq $true
   

3. Remove a role or feature with the Unnstall-WindowsFeature cmdlet and specify the name of one or more roles or features you want to add, as shown in the following examples. You can find the complete documentation for the cmdlet at Uninstall-WindowsFeature.

   Tip

   • Management tools and snap-ins for a role aren't by default. To include management tools as part of a role removal, add the -IncludeManagementTools parameter to the cmdlet.

   • If the role or feature you add needs the server to be restarted to complete the removal, add the -Restart parameter to restart automatically without prompting.

   • To remove DNS and DHCP roles on the local server, including management tools, run the following command:

     Uninstall-WindowsFeature -Name DNS,DHCP -IncludeManagementTools
     

   • To remove DNS and DHCP roles and features on an offline VHD, add the -Vhd parameter. The cmdlet assumes you want to mount the VHD to the local computer. Alternatively, also add the -ComputerName parameter and with the name of the server on which to mount the VHD. You must add the -ComputerName parameter if you're running the cmdlet from a computer that is running a Windows client operating system.

     Uninstall-WindowsFeature -Name DNS,DHCP -Vhd <Path> -ComputerName <ComputerName>
     

   The output of the cmdlet shows the result of the removal, as shown in the following example. If the value for the parameter Restart Needed is Yes, restart the server to complete the installation.

   Success Restart Needed Exit Code      Feature Result
   ------- -------------- ---------      --------------
   True    Yes            SuccessRestart {DHCP Server, DNS Server}
   

4. You can get a list of all the remaining installed roles and features by running the following command:

   Get-WindowsFeature | ? Installed -eq $true