How to Install Hyper-V on Windows 10/11: Complete Guide

Want to run virtual machines on your Windows 10 or 11 computer? You don't need VMware or VirtualBox – Microsoft built Hyper-V right into Windows. It's free, fast, and perfect for testing different operating systems, development work, or just experimenting with VMs.

Here's everything you need to know to get Hyper-V up and running on your Windows desktop or laptop.

Hyper-V vs "Hyper-V-Based Services" – What's the Difference?

Before we start, let's clear up some confusion. When people say "Hyper-V," they might mean two different things:

Hyper-V (the virtualization platform): This is what we're installing today. It's Microsoft's hypervisor that lets you create and run complete virtual machines with different operating systems.

Hyper-V-based services: These are Windows features that use the same underlying technology but aren't full VMs:

• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) – Runs Linux directly on Windows
• Windows Sandbox – Disposable Windows environment for testing
• Windows Defender Application Guard – Isolates Edge browser for security
• Windows Defender Credential Guard – Protects login credentials

If any of these are already running on your system, they use the same underlying hypervisor technology that Hyper-V will use.

Important: Know Before You Install

Before we start, here are the key things that might affect your decision to install Hyper-V:

Windows Edition Requirements

Hyper-V only works on Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. If you have Windows Home, you'll need to upgrade to Pro or use alternative virtualization software like VirtualBox.

Warning: There are unofficial workarounds for Windows Home using batch scripts that modify system files, but these are completely unsupported by Microsoft and can cause serious system instability, update failures, and security vulnerabilities. We strongly recommend upgrading to Windows Pro instead.

Performance Impact on Gaming and Applications

Installing Hyper-V will change how your system handles hardware access. The hypervisor sits between Windows and your hardware, which can affect performance:

• Gaming performance may decrease due to hypervisor overhead
• Some hardware-dependent software might not work properly
• VR applications may experience compatibility issues

If gaming performance is critical, you can temporarily disable Hyper-V when needed, but you'll need to restart your computer each time.

Compatibility with Other Virtualization Software

Modern virtualization software can coexist with Hyper-V thanks to the Windows Hypervisor Platform feature, but with some limitations:

• VMware Workstation 15.5+ and VirtualBox 6.0+ can run alongside Hyper-V using the Windows Hypervisor Platform
• Performance may be reduced compared to running without Hyper-V
• Some advanced features (like nested virtualization) might not work in third-party hypervisors
• Older versions of VMware and VirtualBox will not work at all

If you need maximum performance from VMware or VirtualBox, you may still want to choose one virtualization platform over another.

System Requirements

If the above limitations are acceptable, here's what your computer needs:

• Processor: 64-bit with virtualization support
• Memory: At least 4GB RAM (8GB+ recommended for running VMs)
• BIOS setting: Virtualization extensions must be enabled

Your processor needs virtualization features enabled in BIOS. These have different names by manufacturer - check our BIOS setup guide for specific instructions.

Checking Your System's Virtualization Support

systeminfo

Scroll to the bottom and look for "Hyper-V Requirements." You should see "Yes" for all these items:

• VM Monitor Mode Extensions: Your CPU supports hardware virtualization
• Virtualization Enabled In Firmware: BIOS has virtualization turned on
• Second Level Address Translation: Your CPU supports SLAT/EPT/NPT
• Data Execution Prevention Available: CPU supports DEP/NX bit

If any show "No," you'll need to enable them in BIOS or verify hardware compatibility.

Enabling Virtualization in BIOS/UEFI

If systeminfo shows "Virtualization Enabled in Firmware: No," you need to enable it in your computer's BIOS settings:

1. Restart and enter BIOS/UEFI (typically F2, F12, Delete, or F1 during boot)

2. Navigate to CPU or Advanced settings (exact location varies by manufacturer)

3. Look for virtualization options with names like:

   • "Virtualization Technology" or "VT-x" (Intel)
   • "AMD Virtualization" or "AMD-V" (AMD)
   • "Secure Virtual Machine Mode" (some AMD systems)
   • "Intel TXT" or "Trusted Execution Technology"

4. Enable all virtualization features you find

5. Save settings and exit (usually F10)

Manufacturer-specific guidance: Different computer makers put virtualization settings in different places. For detailed BIOS instructions for major brands including Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, and others, check our comprehensive virtualization setup guide.

Windows 11 note: These virtualization features aren't just for Hyper-V anymore. Windows 11 requires them for security features like Core Isolation and Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), so they're becoming essential for modern Windows systems.

Install Hyper-V: Three Methods

Once your system is compatible, choose any of these installation methods:

Method 1: Windows Features (Easiest)

1. Open Windows Features

   • Press Windows + R
   • Type optionalfeatures and press Enter

2. Enable Hyper-V

   • Find "Hyper-V" in the list
   • Check the box (it may show a filled square on Windows 10)
   • Click OK

   

3. Restart when prompted

Method 2: PowerShell (Fastest)

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator

   • Right-click Start button → "Windows PowerShell (Admin)"

2. Run the installation command

   PowerShell (Admin)

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

3. Restart when prompted (type Y and press Enter)

Method 3: Command Line Alternative

If PowerShell doesn't work, try this command in an elevated Command Prompt:

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V

Post-Installation: Verification and What You Get

After restarting your computer, Windows will have installed the complete Hyper-V platform. Here's how to verify everything worked and understand what's now available on your system.

Verifying the Installation Succeeded

Check for Hyper-V Manager:

• Open the Start menu and search for "Hyper-V Manager"
• If it appears in search results, installation was successful
• Launch it to access the main VM management console

Or verify via command line:

systeminfo | findstr Hyper-V

You should see "A hypervisor was detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed." This confirms the hypervisor is active.

Understanding Your New Hyper-V Components

When you enable Hyper-V, Windows installs several integrated tools:

Troubleshooting and Common Issues

Installation Problems

"Hyper-V cannot be installed" errors usually indicate edition or hardware limitations:

• Verify you're running Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (not Home)
• Confirm virtualization is enabled in BIOS using the systeminfo check
• Ensure you're running PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator

Installation hangs or fails partway through:

• Try the DISM installation method instead of PowerShell
• Temporarily disable third-party antivirus software during installation
• Update Windows completely before attempting installation
• Restart your computer and try again if the installation seems stuck

Advanced Troubleshooting

Temporarily disabling Hyper-V: If you need to disable the hypervisor without uninstalling Hyper-V completely (for gaming or other virtualization software):

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

This keeps the Hyper-V management tools installed but disables the underlying hypervisor. You'll need to restart your computer for the change to take effect.

What's Next: Your Virtualization Journey

With Hyper-V successfully installed, you now have enterprise-grade virtualization running on your desktop. Your system is using the same hypervisor technology that powers Microsoft Azure, giving you access to professional VM capabilities.

Immediate next steps:

• Download operating system ISO files for the systems you want to virtualize
• Learn Hyper-V Manager to create and configure your first virtual machine
• Set up virtual networking so your VMs can communicate with each other and access the internet
• Plan your VM resource allocation based on your available RAM and storage

Consider your use cases:

• Development and testing: Create isolated environments for different projects
• Learning new operating systems: Safely experiment with Linux distributions or older Windows versions
• Security and isolation: Run potentially risky software in contained VMs
• Legacy application support: Maintain older applications in their original environments

Making VM Management Even Easier

While Hyper-V provides the foundation, managing multiple VMs and their configurations can become complex as your needs grow. With Hyper-V already installed, you have everything needed by eryph, so if you would like to try out template inheritance, automated deployments, and simplified VM lifecycle management – check out our quickstart guide to turn your desktop into a truly scalable virtualization platform.

The foundation is now in place. Hyper-V gives you the power to run multiple operating systems simultaneously, each in their own secure, isolated environment.

Ready to take virtualization further? eryph extends Hyper-V with template inheritance and automated VM deployment, making it easier to manage multiple environments and scale your virtualization setup.