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How to Enable Hyper-V in Windows 11 and Create a Virtual Machine

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Enable Hyper-V in Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise, create your first virtual machine, configure networking and snapshots. Includes PowerShell commands.

Hyper-V is Windows' built-in hypervisor — free, fast, and requires no third-party software. Available on Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise only.

Requirements

  • Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise (not Home)
  • 64-bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
  • 4 GB RAM minimum (8+ GB recommended)
  • Virtualization enabled in BIOS (Intel VT-x or AMD-V)
# Check if Hyper-V is supported
systeminfo | findstr /i "Hyper-V Requirements"
# Or:
(Get-ComputerInfo).HyperVisorPresent

Enable Hyper-V

Method 1 — Windows Features:

Win + R → optionalfeatures → check Hyper-V (all sub-items) → OK → Restart

Method 2 — PowerShell (faster):

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
# Restart required
Restart-Computer

Method 3 — DISM:

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

Create a Virtual Machine

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager (Win + S → search "Hyper-V Manager")
  2. Right-click your PC name → New → Virtual Machine
  3. Wizard:
    • Name: TestVM
    • Generation: Generation 2 (for modern OS)
    • Memory: 2048 MB minimum, enable Dynamic Memory
    • Network: Default Switch (for internet access)
    • Virtual Hard Disk: 60 GB recommended
    • Installation: attach your ISO file
  4. Finish → right-click VM → Start

Create VM via PowerShell

# Create a new VM
New-VM -Name "TestVM" -MemoryStartupBytes 2GB -Generation 2 `
  -NewVHDPath "C:\VMs\TestVM.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 60GB `
  -SwitchName "Default Switch"

# Attach ISO
Add-VMDvdDrive -VMName "TestVM" -Path "C:\ISOs\windows11.iso"

# Set boot order to DVD first
Set-VMFirmware -VMName "TestVM" -FirstBootDevice (Get-VMDvdDrive -VMName "TestVM")

# Start the VM
Start-VM -Name "TestVM"

Configure Networking

# List available switches
Get-VMSwitch

# Create an External switch (shares host network adapter)
New-VMSwitch -Name "External" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet" -AllowManagementOS $true

# Create an Internal switch (VM-to-host only, no internet)
New-VMSwitch -Name "Internal" -SwitchType Internal

# Connect VM to a switch
Connect-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "TestVM" -SwitchName "External"

Snapshots (Checkpoints)

# Create a checkpoint before risky changes
Checkpoint-VM -Name "TestVM" -SnapshotName "Before update"

# List checkpoints
Get-VMCheckpoint -VMName "TestVM"

# Restore a checkpoint
Restore-VMCheckpoint -Name "Before update" -VMName "TestVM" -Confirm:$false

# Delete old checkpoint
Remove-VMCheckpoint -VMName "TestVM" -Name "Before update"

Manage VMs via PowerShell

# List all VMs with status
Get-VM | Select-Object Name, State, CPUUsage, MemoryAssigned

# Stop a VM gracefully
Stop-VM -Name "TestVM"

# Force stop (equivalent of power button)
Stop-VM -Name "TestVM" -Force

# Delete a VM and its disk
Remove-VM -Name "TestVM" -Force
Remove-Item "C:\VMs\TestVM.vhdx"

Summary

Enable via optionalfeatures or Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature. Use Generation 2 for modern OS. Default Switch gives internet access immediately. Always create a checkpoint before installing software or updates in the VM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home?

No. Hyper-V is only available on Pro and Enterprise editions. Home users can use VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Player as free alternatives.

Does Hyper-V slow down the host PC?

Minimally when VMs are not running. When VMs are active, they use real CPU and RAM. Allocating more than 70% of host RAM to VMs will cause performance issues.

Can Hyper-V and VirtualBox/VMware run simultaneously?

Not well. Hyper-V takes control of the CPU virtualization layer, which prevents VirtualBox and older VMware versions from running. VMware Workstation 15.5.5+ has experimental Hyper-V compatibility mode.

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