How to run a virtual machine on Windows 11

To run a virtual machine on Windows 11, turn on Hyper-V (Pro and Enterprise editions) or install VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Pro (any edition, including Home), then create a VM from an operating system ISO and start it.

This guide covers the hardware you need, all three hypervisors step by step, how much RAM and disk to give a VM, networking, TPM for Windows 11 guests, and fixes for the problems that stop a VM from starting.

The fastest way to run a virtual machine on Windows 11

On Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, Hyper-V is already part of Windows, so there is nothing to download except the ISO for the system you want to run. On Windows 11 Home, skip to Method 2.

1. Select Start, type Turn Windows features on or off and open it.
2. Tick Hyper-V, select OK and restart the PC when asked.
3. Select Start, type Hyper-V Manager and open it.
4. In the Actions pane, select New > Virtual Machine and follow the wizard: choose Generation 2, set the memory, and on Installation Options pick Install an operating system from a bootable image file with your ISO.
5. Select Finish, right-click the new VM and choose Connect…, then select Action > Start.

What you need before you start a virtual machine on Windows 11

Every hypervisor needs hardware virtualization turned on in the PC's firmware. Hyper-V also needs a specific Windows edition.

Requirement	Minimum	How to check
Windows edition for Hyper-V	Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise (Hyper-V can't be installed on Home)	Settings > System > About shows the edition
Windows edition for VirtualBox or VMware	Any 64-bit Windows 11 edition, including Home	Same as above
Processor	64-bit CPU with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) and Intel VT or AMD-V	Run systeminfo.exe and read the Hyper-V Requirements lines
Virtualization in firmware	Intel VT or AMD-V turned on in BIOS or UEFI, plus hardware DEP (Intel XD bit, AMD NX bit)	systeminfo.exe reports Yes for each Hyper-V requirement, or says a hypervisor has been detected
Memory	4 GB for Hyper-V itself, plus the RAM each running VM gets	Task Manager > Performance > Memory
Disk space	Enough for every virtual disk and snapshot; a Windows 11 guest needs 64 GB	Settings > System > Storage
Operating system media	An ISO file of the system you want to install, plus its licence	Download from the OS vendor, e.g. Microsoft's Windows 11 download page

If systeminfo.exe prints A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed., virtualization is already on and running.

Choose the right virtual machine software

All three run full operating systems in a window. The deciding factors are your Windows edition and whether Hyper-V is already in use on the PC.

Your situation	Use this	Why
Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, running Windows or Linux guests	Option 1: Hyper-V	Built into Windows, no download, supports Secure Boot and a virtual TPM for Windows 11 guests
Windows 11 Home	Option 2: Oracle VirtualBox	Free, open-source platform package, runs on every Windows 11 x86_64 edition
You want an unattended Windows or Linux install	Oracle VirtualBox	Installs the OS from the ISO automatically when the image supports it
You want a polished desktop hypervisor with encryption built into the wizard	Option 3: VMware Workstation Pro	Free for personal, educational and commercial use since November 11, 2024
You only need to test one app or file and throw it away	Windows Sandbox	Starts in seconds and deletes everything on close; Pro, Enterprise and Education only
Memory integrity or another Hyper-V based feature is on	Hyper-V, or VMware Workstation Pro 15.5.5 or later	Both run alongside the Windows hypervisor; VirtualBox slows down noticeably there

Method 1: Run a virtual machine with Hyper-V

Hyper-V needs membership of the local Administrators or Hyper-V Administrators group. Download the ISO for your guest system before you start.

1. Enable Hyper-V: open Turn Windows features on or off, tick Hyper-V (it contains Hyper-V Platform and Hyper-V Management Tools), select OK and restart.
2. Create a virtual switch: open Hyper-V Manager, select Virtual Switch Manager in the Actions pane, choose External, select Create Virtual Switch, name it, pick your network adapter and select OK, then Yes at the connectivity warning.
3. Start the wizard: in the left pane select your computer's name, then select New > Virtual Machine and Next.
4. Name and generation: enter a name and folder on Specify Name and Location, then choose Generation 2 on Specify Generation unless the guest is a 32-bit or legacy BIOS-only system.
5. Memory and network: enter the startup memory on Assign Memory (optionally tick Dynamic Memory), then pick your switch on Configure Networking.
6. Disk and ISO: choose Create a virtual hard disk and set its size, then on Installation Options select Install an operating system from a bootable image file and browse to the ISO.
7. Adjust Secure Boot if needed: for a Linux guest, open the VM's Settings and set the Secure Boot template to Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority; Windows guests keep the default Microsoft Windows template.
8. Start the VM and install the OS: right-click the VM, select Connect…, then Action > Start and follow the guest's installer.
9. Use checkpoints before risky changes: right-click the VM and select Checkpoint; to roll back, right-click the checkpoint and select Apply.

Enable Hyper-V from PowerShell instead

This does the same as the Windows features dialog in one line. First open PowerShell as administrator, then run the command below.

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

Turns on the Hyper-V platform and management tools on the running system (-Online), including every parent feature they depend on (-All). The DISM equivalent is DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V.

You should see: PowerShell asks to restart; enter Y. After the restart, Hyper-V Manager appears in the Start menu.

Method 2: Run a virtual machine with VirtualBox

VirtualBox 7.2 runs on Windows 11 with x86_64 processors; Windows 11 on Arm is an experimental host. The base package is GPLv3; the optional Extension Pack is free only for personal and educational use.

1. Install VirtualBox: download the Windows hosts package from virtualbox.org's Download page and run the installer, keeping the USB and Networking driver components.
2. Create a new VM: open VirtualBox Manager, select Home, then New. If the workflow does not appear, switch the experience level to Basic.
3. Name and ISO: enter a name, choose the VM Folder, and select the ISO. VirtualBox fills in the OS type when it recognises the image.
4. Choose the install mode: leave Install OS Using Unattended Installation ticked to let VirtualBox install the system, entering a user name, password and product key, or untick it to install by hand.
5. Specify virtual hardware: set Base Memory, Processors (no more than half the host's threads) and Disk Size, and tick Use EFI for Windows 11 and other UEFI systems.
6. Configure Windows 11 VM settings: open Settings > System > Motherboard, set TPM Version to 2.0 and make sure Secure Boot is on.
7. Install the guest operating system: select Start and complete setup inside the VM window.
8. Install Guest Additions: in the running VM, select Devices > Insert Guest Additions CD Image and run the installer that opens inside the guest, then restart the guest.

Method 3: Run a virtual machine with VMware Workstation Pro

Broadcom made Workstation Pro free for all users on November 11, 2024. Versions 15.5.5 and later run on a PC where Hyper-V is enabled, which requires Windows 10 20H1 build 19041.264 or newer and an Intel Sandy Bridge or AMD Bulldozer CPU or newer.

1. Install VMware Workstation Pro from Broadcom's website and open it.
2. Create a VM: select File > New Virtual Machine, choose Typical and select Next.
3. Pick the source: select Installer disc image file (iso) and browse to your ISO, or choose Install the guest operating system later.
4. Choose the guest type: for Windows 11, select Windows 11 x64, then enter a name and folder for the VM files.
5. Set encryption for Windows 11: choose to encrypt all files or only the files the vTPM needs, and enter or generate a password. Windows stores a remembered password in Credential Manager.
6. Size the disk: set the virtual disk size and choose whether to split it into multiple files, then select Customize Hardware to change memory or processors.
7. Finish: tick Power on this virtual machine after creation and select Finish, then complete the guest installer.
8. Install VMware Tools: from the virtual machine menu, select Install VMware Tools; the VM's CD drive connects to the Tools ISO and the Windows installer detects the guest version.

How much RAM, CPU, and disk space should you assign?

Memory given to a running VM is taken away from Windows, so size each VM against what the host can spare. These are recommended starting points you can change later in the VM's settings.

Guest	RAM	Virtual CPUs	Disk
Windows 11	4 GB minimum	2 or more	64 GB or more
Windows 10	4 GB	2	64 GB
Other guests, including Linux	At least 1 to 2 GB to install and boot; follow the distribution's own minimum	1 or more	The distribution's stated minimum, plus room for snapshots
Any guest, upper limit	Leave enough for Windows itself so it does not swap to disk	No more than half the host's threads	Keep free space in the VM folder for snapshots

Use dynamically expanding disks unless you need maximum write speed. VirtualBox's dynamically allocated disks start small and grow as data is written, while a fixed-size 10 GB disk takes the full 10 GB immediately. Hyper-V's Dynamic Memory and VMware's split-disk option serve the same space-saving purpose.

Virtual machine networking options explained

Each hypervisor uses different names for the same three ideas. Pick the mode by who needs to reach the VM.

Mode	Hyper-V name	VirtualBox name	VM can reach the internet	Other PCs can reach the VM	Use it for
NAT	Internal switch plus a NAT network	NAT (the default)	Yes	No, unless you add port forwarding	Browsing, downloads and updates inside the guest
Bridged or external network	External switch	Bridged Adapter	Yes	Yes, the VM gets its own address on your LAN	Servers and anything other devices must reach
Host-only or internal network	Internal switch	Host-only Adapter	No	Only the host and other VMs	Testing between the host and a VM without the LAN
Isolated VM-to-VM	Private switch	Internal Network	No	Only VMs on the same network	Untrusted software and lab networks
No network	Not connected	Not attached	No	No	Opening suspicious files

VMware Workstation Pro offers the same bridged, NAT and host-only choices in the VM's network adapter settings.

Useful VM features you should know

Feature	Hyper-V	VirtualBox	VMware Workstation Pro	What it gives you
Restore points	Checkpoints (standard or production)	Snapshots, taken while running or stopped	Snapshots	Roll the VM back after a bad update or test
Guest drivers	Integration services	Guest Additions	VMware Tools	Better graphics, resolution that follows the window, smoother mouse
Shared clipboard and drag and drop	Not covered here	Devices > Shared Clipboard and Drag and Drop	Provided by VMware Tools	Copy text and files between host and guest
Shared folders	Not covered here	Devices > Shared Folders	Shared folders	Open host files from inside the guest
Seamless windows	Not available	Host key + L	Not covered here	Guest apps appear as normal host windows
Export and move	Export a VM or a checkpoint	Export as OVF, which other hypervisors can import	Import OVF	Copy a VM to another PC
Release mouse and keyboard	Not needed once integration services run	Host key (right Ctrl by default)	Not needed once VMware Tools run	Return control to Windows

Windows 11 virtual machines and TPM requirements

A Windows 11 guest has the same bar as a physical PC: UEFI firmware with Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, 4 GB of memory, two virtual processors and 64 GB of disk. The host processor must also meet Windows 11's CPU list. The rule has applied since Microsoft extended the TPM 2.0 requirement to VMs in 2021.

Hypervisor	Firmware and Secure Boot	How to add TPM 2.0
Hyper-V	Generation 2 VM; Secure Boot is on by default. A Generation 1 VM cannot be upgraded to Windows 11 in place.	With the VM off, run Set-VMKeyProtector -VMName "Win11" -NewLocalKeyProtector, then Enable-VMTPM -VMName "Win11" in an admin PowerShell. The virtual TPM works even if the host has no TPM.
VirtualBox	Tick Use EFI when creating the VM and turn on Secure Boot on the Motherboard tab.	Settings > System > Motherboard > TPM Version 2.0. Not available for Arm VMs.
VMware Workstation Pro	Choose UEFI firmware and tick UEFI Secure Boot in a custom setup.	Select Windows 11 x64 as the guest; the wizard adds a vTPM and asks for an encryption password. Do not remove the vTPM or encryption after install.

How to check the virtual machine is running correctly

1. In Hyper-V Manager, VirtualBox Manager or Workstation Pro's library, confirm the VM is listed as running.
2. Inside the guest, open a web page to confirm the network adapter works.
3. Resize the VM window; the guest resolution should follow once you install VirtualBox Guest Additions or VMware Tools.
4. For a Windows 11 guest, confirm setup finished without a hardware requirements error, which proves Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are in place.
5. Take a checkpoint or snapshot now so you have a clean state to return to.

Troubleshooting common virtual machine problems

Hyper-V is missing from Turn Windows features on or off

The PC runs Windows 11 Home, or the CPU lacks a Hyper-V requirement; you may see only Windows Hypervisor Platform.

1. Check the edition in Settings > System > About.
2. On Home, use VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Pro instead (Methods 2 and 3), or upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro to get Hyper-V.
3. On Pro or Enterprise, run systeminfo.exe and fix any Hyper-V requirement that reads No.

The VM will not start and systeminfo shows virtualization disabled

Intel VT or AMD-V is turned off in the PC's BIOS or UEFI.

1. Restart into the firmware setup using the key your PC maker lists.
2. Turn on the option named Intel Virtualization Technology, Intel VT-x, SVM or AMD-V.
3. Save, restart and run systeminfo.exe again to confirm the change.

VirtualBox is very slow or shows a green turtle icon

Hyper-V or a feature built on it is running, so VirtualBox falls back to the Windows hypervisor.

1. If you do not use them, turn off Hyper-V, Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Hypervisor Platform in Turn Windows features on or off, then restart.
2. If memory integrity must stay on, keep it on and run the VM in Hyper-V or VMware Workstation Pro instead.
3. Never run VMs from two hypervisors at the same time; Oracle warns this can crash the host.

Windows 11 setup refuses to install inside the VM

The VM lacks UEFI, Secure Boot or a TPM 2.0, or has too little memory or disk.

1. In Hyper-V, check the VM is Generation 2; otherwise create a new one.
2. Add the virtual TPM using the steps in the TPM section above.
3. Raise memory to 4 GB, set two or more virtual processors and give the disk 64 GB or more.

A Linux VM will not boot on Hyper-V

Secure Boot is using the Microsoft Windows template, which only trusts Windows boot loaders.

1. Turn the VM off and open its Settings.
2. Change the Secure Boot template to Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority.
3. Start the VM again.

The VM has no internet

No virtual switch was chosen in Hyper-V, or the VirtualBox adapter is set to Not attached or an isolated mode.

1. In Hyper-V, create an External switch in Virtual Switch Manager and pick it in the VM's network adapter settings.
2. In VirtualBox, open Settings > Network and set the adapter to NAT.
3. Restart the guest's network connection or the guest itself.

The mouse and keyboard are stuck inside the VM

The guest has captured input because guest drivers are not installed yet.

1. In VirtualBox, press the Host key, which is the right Ctrl key by default.
2. Install Guest Additions or VMware Tools so the pointer moves freely between host and guest.

Security tips for running virtual machines

A VM isolates software from the host, but networking and shared folders can still expose your files and LAN.

Tip	Why it matters
Use a private switch, internal network or no network for untrusted software	A bridged VM sits on your LAN like any other PC
Share host folders read-only, or not at all	Malware in the guest can write to any writable shared folder
Take a checkpoint or snapshot before opening anything risky	You can return to a clean state in seconds
Keep Hyper-V's Secure Boot on and give Windows guests a virtual TPM	The vTPM lets the guest use BitLocker on its own disk
Protect a VMware vTPM encryption password	The encrypted VM cannot be opened without it
Use Windows Sandbox with networking turned off for one-off files	Sandbox networking is on by default, and closing it discards everything
Keep memory integrity and other Windows security features on	Oracle notes that turning off Device Guard features weakens the host

How to shut down, pause, or delete a VM

Hyper-V

Hyper-V Manager's right-click menu and these PowerShell cmdlets do the same jobs.

1. Shut down through the guest OS with Stop-VM -Name "Win11"; add -TurnOff only as a last resort, since it is like pulling the power cord.
2. Save the running state with Stop-VM -Name "Win11" -Save.
3. Pause with Suspend-VM -Name "Win11" and continue with Resume-VM -Name "Win11".
4. Delete with Remove-VM -Name "Win11". This removes the configuration and merges checkpoints but leaves the .vhdx disk, which you delete from its folder yourself.

VirtualBox

Closing the VM window offers three choices.

1. Click the window's close button or press Host key + Q, then choose Save State to resume later, Shut Down to send an ACPI shutdown, or Power Off to stop immediately.
2. To pause, right-click the VM in VirtualBox Manager and choose Pause; choose it again to continue.
3. To delete, stop the VM, right-click it and choose Remove, then pick whether to delete its files or only remove it from the list.

Virtual machines on Windows 11: frequently asked questions

Can I run a virtual machine on Windows 11 Home?

Yes, but not with Hyper-V or Windows Sandbox, which need Pro, Enterprise or Education. Install Oracle VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Pro instead. Both are free and run on Windows 11 Home, as long as virtualization is turned on in the PC's firmware.

How do I run a virtual machine in Hyper-V?

Turn on Hyper-V in Turn Windows features on or off, restart, and open Hyper-V Manager. Select New > Virtual Machine, choose Generation 2, set memory, attach an ISO, then right-click the VM, choose Connect and select Action > Start.

How do I run a virtual machine on Windows 10?

The steps are the same as on Windows 11. Hyper-V is available on Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, and VirtualBox and VMware Workstation Pro run on every 64-bit Windows 10 edition. Only a Windows 11 guest needs the extra TPM and Secure Boot settings.

How do I run a virtual machine on my PC if it has little RAM?

Give the VM only what Windows can spare and run one VM at a time. A lightweight Linux guest needs 1 to 2 GB, while a Windows 11 guest needs at least 4 GB, so a PC with 8 GB or less is tight for Windows guests.

How do I run Debian in a virtual machine?

Download the Debian ISO, create a VM in VirtualBox or Hyper-V, and attach the ISO as the boot disk. In Hyper-V, use a Generation 2 VM and set the Secure Boot template to Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority, or the installer will not boot.

Can virtual machines run multiple systems at once?

Yes. Hyper-V, VirtualBox and VMware Workstation Pro can each run several VMs at the same time, limited mainly by RAM and disk space. Windows Sandbox is the exception: it allows only one instance at a time.

Can a virtual machine run faster than the host PC?

No. A VM shares the host's processor, memory and disk, so it always runs somewhat slower than the same system installed directly. Installing Guest Additions or VMware Tools, storing the VM on an SSD and giving it enough RAM close most of the gap.

Why run a virtual machine?

A VM lets you test software, updates and settings without risking your main system, run Linux or an older Windows next to Windows 11, and open untrusted files in isolation. A checkpoint or snapshot returns the VM to a clean state in seconds.

How does a virtual machine work?

A hypervisor carves out a share of the host's processor, memory and storage and presents it to a guest operating system as virtual hardware. Hyper-V runs directly on the hardware underneath Windows, while VirtualBox is a hosted hypervisor that runs as an app on Windows.

Can I run a virtual machine on a Mac?

Yes. VirtualBox runs on Intel Macs and on Apple silicon Macs, where it runs Arm guests such as Windows 11 on Arm and Arm Linux. VMware Fusion is also free for all users. Hyper-V is a Windows-only feature.

Running a virtual machine on Windows 11: bottom line

Use Hyper-V on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, and VirtualBox on Windows 11 Home or when you want an unattended install. Hyper-V needs no download and handles Windows 11 guests with Secure Boot and a virtual TPM, while VirtualBox is free on every edition and fills in sensible hardware defaults from the ISO.