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How to install IIS on server 2016

Published: December 1, 2025 (Updated: Dec 1, 2025)

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Mastering the Web: How to Install IIS 10 on Windows Server 2016 (Quick Guide)

Welcome to Darren’s Tech Tutorials! I’m Darren O’Neill, and today we’re diving into a fundamental skill for any Windows administrator: installing Internet Information Services (IIS).

IIS is Microsoft’s powerful and highly extensible web server. It supports essential protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more, making it the bedrock for hosting websites and web applications on the Windows platform. While IIS is an integral part of the Windows NT family, it isn’t installed or activated by default—which is why we need to install it!

In this quick, practical tutorial, we will walk you step-by-step through installing IIS 10 on your Windows Server 2016 machine, preparing you to host your first website in no time.

Prerequisites

You must be logged into Windows Server 2016 with administrative rights to perform the following installation.

Step 1: Launching Server Manager

The installation process begins in the Server Manager dashboard, the central hub for managing your Windows Server.

  1. Click on the Start Menu (Windows icon) located in the bottom-left corner of your desktop.
  2. Click Server Manager.

Once the Server Manager dashboard has fully loaded, we can proceed to add the new server role.

Step 2: Accessing the Roles and Features Wizard

We use the “Add Roles and Features” wizard to install major components like IIS.

  1. In the Server Manager window, navigate to the Manage menu at the top right.
  2. Click Add Roles and Features.
  3. The wizard will open. Click Next on the “Before You Begin” screen.
  4. On the “Installation Type” screen, ensure Role-based or feature-based installation is selected, and click Next.
  5. On the “Server Selection” screen, ensure your local server is highlighted, and click Next.

Step 3: Selecting the IIS Role

This is the core step where we identify and select the Internet Information Services role.

  1. You will now see the “Server Roles” list. Scroll down the list until you locate Web Server (IIS).
  2. Check the box next to Web Server (IIS).
  3. A prompt will appear asking if you want to install required features for IIS. Click Add Features. (These are basic management tools required for the role to function.)
  4. Click Next to bypass the “Features” screen, as the basic required features are already included.

Step 4: Reviewing and Customizing Role Services

The next few screens allow for advanced configuration, but for a standard, basic install, the defaults are perfect for getting started.

  1. On the “Web Server Role (IIS)” screen, click Next.
  2. On the “Select Role Services” screen, you will see several options pre-selected (like Common HTTP Features and Default Document). These basic services are sufficient for hosting a basic website. We will not be selecting additional advanced services here, but future, more advanced videos will cover those options!
  3. Click Next.
  4. On the “Confirmation” screen, review your selections. You can optionally check the box to “Restart the destination server automatically if needed,” but for this installation, we will skip the automatic restart.
  5. Click Install.

The installation process will now begin. This usually takes just a few moments to complete.

Step 5: Verifying the IIS Installation

Once the installation status displays “Installation succeeded,” you are ready to confirm that IIS is fully operational.

  1. Click Close on the Add Roles and Features Wizard.
  2. Click on the Start Menu again.
  3. Look for the Windows Administrative Tools folder.
  4. Open the folder and confirm that you see Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

If you see the IIS Manager icon, congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured the IIS 10 Web Server role on your Windows Server 2016 instance.

Conclusion and Next Steps

That’s all there is to it! In just a few quick steps, you have transformed your server into a functional web-hosting platform. From here, you are ready to start configuring sites, setting up bindings, and launching applications.

If you found this short guide useful and managed to install IIS without any issues, please do me a favor and Like this post and Subscribe to Darren’s Tech Tutorials for more practical, clear technology guides.

If you encountered any issues during the installation, please leave a comment below—I’m always happy to help troubleshoot!

Happy hosting!

Want a detailed reference? Check out the original full text tutorial here: https://darrenoneill.eu/?p=711