Hyper-V is Microsoft’s built-in virtualisation platform, included free with Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education. It lets you run virtual machines — separate operating system instances — directly on your PC without third-party software. Here is how to enable it and get started.
Requirements
Before enabling Hyper-V, your PC needs to meet these requirements:
- Windows edition: Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. Hyper-V is not available on Windows 11 Home.
- Processor: 64-bit CPU with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) — virtually all CPUs from 2012 onwards support this
- Virtualisation enabled in BIOS/UEFI: Intel VT-x or AMD-V must be enabled. Most modern PCs have this on by default.
- RAM: 4GB minimum, though 8GB or more is strongly recommended if you want to run VMs with a reasonable amount of memory allocated
To check if virtualisation is enabled: open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), click the Performance tab, select CPU, and look for “Virtualisation: Enabled” in the bottom-right details panel.
How to Enable Hyper-V
Method 1: Windows Features (Recommended)
- Press Win + R, type
optionalfeatures, and press Enter - Scroll down to Hyper-V and tick the checkbox (expand it to make sure all sub-items are ticked)
- Click OK
- Windows will install the required components — this takes a few minutes
- Restart your PC when prompted
Method 2: PowerShell
Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -AllRestart when prompted. The effect is identical to the Windows Features method.
Method 3: DISM (Command Prompt)
Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:
DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-VOpening Hyper-V Manager
After restarting, find Hyper-V Manager by searching for it in the Start menu. This is the main interface for creating and managing virtual machines. You can also access it from Windows Administrative Tools or by running virtmgmt.msc.
Creating a Virtual Machine
- In Hyper-V Manager, right-click your PC name in the left panel and select New → Virtual Machine
- Follow the wizard:
- Name and location: give the VM a name and choose where to store it (VMs need significant disk space — 20–80GB is typical depending on the OS)
- Generation: choose Generation 2 for modern operating systems (Windows 10/11, recent Linux). Use Generation 1 for older OS or if you are not sure.
- Memory: assign at least 2GB for Windows, 1GB for lightweight Linux. Enable Dynamic Memory to let Hyper-V adjust automatically.
- Network: select a virtual switch (see below)
- Virtual hard disk: create a new VHD file. 40–80GB is a reasonable starting size for Windows VMs.
- Installation options: point to an ISO file (a Windows or Linux installer image)
- Click Finish, then right-click the VM and select Start
- Double-click the VM to open its console window and proceed through the OS installation
Virtual Switches — Controlling Network Access
Before or during VM creation, you need to set up a virtual switch to control how the VM connects to networks. In Hyper-V Manager, go to Action → Virtual Switch Manager:
- External switch: connects the VM directly to your physical network. The VM gets its own IP address and can access the internet and local network like any other device. This is the most common choice.
- Internal switch: allows communication between the VM and the host PC only. No internet access unless you configure network sharing on the host.
- Private switch: VMs on the same private switch can talk to each other, but cannot communicate with the host PC or external network at all.
Create an External switch first if you want your VMs to have normal internet access.
Enhanced Session Mode
Enhanced Session Mode improves the VM console experience significantly — it enables clipboard sharing, audio redirection, and the ability to resize the console window. To enable it:
- In Hyper-V Manager, go to Hyper-V Settings (right-click your PC name)
- Under Server, enable Allow enhanced session mode
- Under User, also enable Use enhanced session mode
When you connect to a VM with Enhanced Session Mode enabled, you will be prompted with a display configuration dialog. This also requires the guest OS to support it — Windows VMs support this natively; most Linux distributions require additional setup.
Hyper-V vs Windows Sandbox
Windows 11 also includes Windows Sandbox — a lightweight, disposable VM that deletes itself when closed. It is simpler than Hyper-V and ideal for testing software safely without affecting your main system. Hyper-V is for persistent virtual machines you configure and keep long-term.
Troubleshooting
Hyper-V option is greyed out in Windows Features: You are running Windows 11 Home, which does not include Hyper-V. Upgrade to Pro, or use a third-party tool like VirtualBox instead.
“Virtualisation not enabled” error when starting a VM: Enter your BIOS/UEFI settings (usually Del or F2 at boot) and enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V (sometimes labelled “Virtualization Technology” or “SVM Mode”).
VM starts but runs very slowly: Allocate more RAM to the VM, or enable Dynamic Memory. If your host PC is already at high memory usage, VM performance will suffer significantly.
