How to Create a Windows Virtual Machine with Hyper-V on Windows 11

Running Windows inside Windows lets you isolate risky apps, test untrusted installers, or keep a clean OS snapshot you can restore whenever needed. You’ll need Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. Hyper-V isn’t available on Home.

What You Need Before Starting

Hyper-V has a few firm requirements:

• Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, Home edition can’t use Hyper-V
• Hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) enabled in your UEFI firmware
• SLAT support, modern CPUs include this; run systeminfo in Command Prompt and look for “Hyper-V Requirements” to confirm
• 4 GB of RAM minimum, 8 GB or more if you want the VM and the host running at the same time without slowdowns

To check whether virtualization is currently enabled, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), click Performance, select CPU, and look for Virtualization: Enabled in the right panel.

If you only need a quick throwaway session, opening a suspicious file or testing an installer once, Windows Sandbox is faster to set up and leaves nothing behind when you close it. A full Hyper-V VM is the right tool when you want persistent storage, snapshots, or a specific OS you can return to.

Step 1: Enable Hyper-V

1. Press Windows + S, type windows features, and click Turn Windows features on or off.

2. Scroll to Hyper-V and check the box. Hyper-V Management Tools and Hyper-V Platform check automatically as sub-items.

3. Click OK, let Windows install the components, then restart when prompted.

Step 2: Open Hyper-V Manager

1. Press Windows + S, type Hyper-V Manager, and press Enter.
2. In the left panel, click your computer’s name to set your local machine as the host.

Step 3: Create the Virtual Machine

1. In the Actions pane on the right, click New > Virtual Machine.

2. Give the VM a name on the Specify Name and Location screen. You can also change the folder where VM files are stored. Click Next.

3. On Specify Generation, choose Generation 2 for any modern Windows guest (Windows 10 or 11). Generation 2 uses UEFI and enables Secure Boot, both required for Windows 11 guests. Use Generation 1 only for 32-bit operating systems or anything that needs legacy BIOS.

4. On Assign Memory, enter at least 4096 MB for a Windows 11 guest. Check Use Dynamic Memory if you want Hyper-V to manage RAM allocation automatically.

5. On Configure Networking, leave it at Not Connected. You’ll set up the network adapter in Step 4 after finishing the wizard.

6. On Connect Virtual Hard Disk, choose Create a virtual hard disk and set a size, 64 GB is a practical starting point for a Windows 11 guest.

If you want to load an existing Windows installation instead of starting fresh, choose Use an existing virtual hard disk and point it to a VHDX file. The Disk2VHD tool from Microsoft Sysinternals can capture your current Windows install as a VHDX. When you do this, attach all the volumes from that capture, including any System Reserved or boot volumes, or the VM won’t find the boot files and will fail to start.

7. On Installation Options, select Install an operating system from a bootable image file and browse to your Windows ISO. Don’t have one? Download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft’s software download page.

8. Review the summary and click Finish. The new VM appears in the Virtual Machines list.

Step 4: Configure Networking

1. In the Actions pane, click Virtual Switch Manager.

2. Select External and click Create Virtual Switch.
3. Give the switch a name, then pick your physical network adapter from the dropdown, the one actually connected to your router. Click OK.

4. Back in Hyper-V Manager, right-click your VM and select Settings.
5. Click Network Adapter in the left panel, choose your new virtual switch from the dropdown, and click OK.

Step 5: Start the VM and Install Windows

1. Select your VM and click Start in the Actions pane. The State column changes to Running.
2. Click Connect to open the VM console window.
3. Follow the Windows setup wizard inside the VM. With a Generation 2 VM and a Windows 11 guest, Secure Boot is on by default. That’s expected.

If the VM boots to a black screen or shows a boot error and you attached an existing VHDX, check that all required volumes from the capture are attached, the boot volume and System Reserved partition need to be there alongside the main Windows volume.

Windows Sandbox: The Faster Alternative

For one-off sessions such as testing a suspicious download, visiting an untrusted site, or running an installer you don’t fully trust, Windows Sandbox resets the moment you close it. No VHDX files, no snapshots to manage.

1. Open Turn Windows features on or off (same search as Step 1).
2. Check Windows Sandbox and click OK, then restart.
3. Search for Windows Sandbox in Start and open it.

Everything inside Sandbox disappears when the window closes. Sandbox isn’t available on Windows 11 Home.

Conclusion

The virtual switch setup in Step 4 trips people up most often. Configuring it separately from the VM wizard, rather than trying to patch it afterward from inside the Settings dialog, tends to go smoother. Once networking clicks into place, Hyper-V on Windows 11 Pro is a reliable environment for persistent VM work. For anything that only needs a throwaway session, Sandbox is the faster path and there’s no VM overhead to manage.