A Quick Guide to Configuring Hyper-V in Windows 11

Quick Tips

• While some guides suggest workarounds for enabling Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home, Microsoft does not support installing the Hyper-V role on Windows 11 Home. If you need virtualization on Windows 11 Home, use an alternative such as a third-party virtualization program
• Your processor must have support for SLAT for Hyper-V. This can be checked, but not patched in or made up for with software.
• Hyper-V can affect the performance of some virtualization-dependent applications, so gamers who also use third-party virtualization software should check for compatibility and performance issues
• When running commands for enabling or troubleshooting Hyper-V, make sure to run PowerShell as an administrator, or they may fail.

Hyper-V is Windows 11’s answer for building virtual machines natively, letting you test software on different operating systems without dual-booting. The main advantage of Hyper-V is that it uses hardware-assisted virtualization and a hypervisor-based architecture to isolate virtual machines from the host operating system. Here’s what you need to know about configuring Hyper-V in Windows 11.

Requirements for Installing and Configuring Hyper-V in Windows 11

Generally, newer machines should have no problem installing and configuring Hyper-V, with a few caveats:

• Windows 11 Home doesn’t offer this option, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get it soon or at all.
• The CPU needs to run on a 64-bit architecture (which includes most PCs nowadays) with support for SLAT and VM Monitor Mode Extensions.
• The BIOS or UEFI needs to have hardware-assisted virtualization enabled, such as Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x) or AMD-V.
• The PC needs to have at least 4GB of RAM, although more memory may be needed depending on the virtual machines you run.

You can check for SLAT by running CoreInfo, Microsoft’s Sysinternals tool. It can display processor features, including virtualization-related capabilities

Step 1. Download the CoreInfo tool and extract the zip’s contents to a folder.

Step 2. Run the appropriate Coreinfo executable, such as Coreinfo64 or CoreInfoEx64.

Step 3. Open the CPU Features view and check for virtualization-related features such as:

• VMX (Intel)
• SVM (AMD)
• EPT (Intel SLAT)
• NPT (AMD SLAT)

If the CoreInfo tool lists that Hypervisor is enabled, another hypervisor or Windows virtualization feature may already be running. Third-party virtualization software such as VirtualBox may have compatibility issues when Hyper-V is running, but it does not necessarily need to be uninstalled

If your processor lacks the required virtualization support or SLAT, you can’t use Hyper-V at all.

Part 1 – Enabling Virtualization in BIOS for Configuring Hyper-V

If you meet all the requirements, you’ll need to enable hardware-assisted virtualization in the BIOS or UEFI firmware.

Step 1. Search for “Advanced startup options” and select the result to go to the “Recovery” subsection in “Settings.”

Step 2. Click on “Restart now” for Advanced startup. This allows you to bypass the need to enter the correct key when restarting the PC to enter BIOS (which is usually F2, F10, or F12, depending on the motherboard).

If you’ve used this method, in the Advanced startup screen, select “Troubleshoot,” then “Advanced options,” then “UEFI Firmware settings.” Select “Restart.”

Step 3. In the UEFI or BIOS, find and enable the hardware virtualization setting. On Intel systems, this may be called Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x); on AMD systems, it may be called AMD-V or SVM. The exact location and name vary by manufacturer.

Some motherboards also have separate settings for SLAT or VT-x with Extended Page Settings. You’ll need to consult your motherboard’s manual to find them if needed.

Step 4. Save and exit BIOS.

Part 2 – Enabling Hyper-V in Windows 11

You can use the Command Prompt or PowerShell to enable the option if all the requirements are met.

Step 1. Right-click the “Start” button and select “Terminal (Admin).”

Step 2. Run the command:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

Step 3. Restart the PC.

Common Issues

In some cases, if you have another virtualization method, Hyper-V will not be enabled or might even “brick” the PC upon trying to boot. This can be avoided by launching in Safe Mode, disabling one or both virtualization options, then restarting.

 Safe Mode can be launched by repeatedly restarting the PC until you reach the Windows Recovery Environment. In there, select “Troubleshoot,” then “Advanced options,” then “Startup Settings,” and select “Restart.” When the Startup Settings screen appears, press 5 or F5 to select “Enable Safe Mode with Networking.”

In there, you’ll need to find and disable the other virtualizer from trying to run in the background on boot, or revert the PowerShell script:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All

If that doesn’t work, try:

bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off