This article discusses how you can create a Windows 11 VM on your device using either Hyper-V, VMWare Workstation, or Oracle VirtualBox while meeting the basic requirements for Windows 11. The requirements for Windows 11 to be installed are the following: Ensure that the host device meets all Windows 11 requirements before proceeding to create the VM through any hypervisor. Microsoft Hyper-V, VMWare Workstation, and Oracle VirtualBox are all hypervisors that allow you to run an operating system on top of another OS. These hypervisors can be installed on your computer and you can run multiple instances of virtual machines on it simultaneously. Let us now give a step-by-step guide on how you can create a Windows 11 VM on each of these hypervisors.
Create Windows 11 Virtual Machine in Hyper-V
Hyper-V comes preinstalled in Windows (Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions) as well as Windows Server. However, it needs to be enabled through the “Optional Features” applet in Windows 10 & 11, and Virtualization must also be enabled through BIOS. The 3 requirements mentioned above need to be met to install Windows 11 on a Hyper-V VM as well. Moreover, you will also need a Windows 11 ISO image before you begin creating a VM. Download Windows 11 ISO image Once you have the Windows 11 image and Hyper-V is enabled, you can now create a Windows 11 VM using this guide: You are now finished with the VM creation process in Hyper-V. Now, you can proceed to run the VM and install Windows 11 like any regular machine.
Create Windows 11 Virtual Machine in VMWare Workstation
Here is how you can successfully create a Windows 11 VM in VMware Workstation: VMWare version 14 or above is required. You can now start the VM and begin the installation of Windows 11 like on a regular computer.
Create Windows 11 Virtual Machine in VirtualBox
Previously, you were unable to create a Windows 11 VM using VirtualBox. However, recently, Oracle updated the software to VirtualBox 7 which includes support for Secure Boot, TPM, and other features. Therefore, you can now create a Windows 11 VM atop VirtualBox as well! Follow these steps to create a Windows 11 VM using Oracle VirtualBox: Note: You need to have VirtualBox 7 or higher to create a Windows 11 VM. The virtual machine will now be created. You may now boot it up and begin the OS installation process.
Closing Words
After creating a Windows 11 VM on the 3 hypervisors, we found that the easiest method was using the VirtualBox. It involved fewer steps and was the only one out of the 3 hypervisors that did not need additional configuration in the VM’s settings after just having created it. Also see:
How To Enable Nested Virtualization (VT-x) On Hyper-V, VMWare, VirtualBox VMs In WindowsDownload Windows Virtual Machines (VMWare, Hyper V, VirtualBox, Parallels)How To Enable Virtualization In Windows 11/10How To Enable Hyper-V In Windows 11 (Home & Pro)How To Enable Hyper-V On Windows 10 (Home & Pro)
