How to use Windows 11 or Windows 10's built in Hyper-V for Creating Virtual Machines

Technical Level : Intermediate

For many years Microsoft has included a free virtualization solution in the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows. Hyper-V or Hypervisor lets you run virtualized operating systems such as instances of Windows or Linux within your running version of Windows 11 or Windows 10. Hyper-V can be used to run legacy versions of Windows for compatibility purposes or a secure way to keep network operating systems such as Windows Server isolated within a business network. If you are a Windows Insider who likes to try out technologies under development, its a great way to explore upcoming versions of Windows 11 or Windows 10 still under development.

In this article we show you how to set it up, configure Hyper-V and install an operating system.

Enable Virtualization in your Firmware or BIOS

In order for Hyper-V to work, you need to have Intel VT or AMD V enabled in the BIOS. Some systems might require updating your BIOS or UEFI (universal firmware interface) updated in order to ensure Hyper-V works. These updates are normally available from the manufacturers website.

Press Windows key + R

Type: optionalfeatures.exe

Hit Enter or click OK

This will open the Turn Windows Features on or off. Check the box for Hyper-V then click OK. Windows will install essential components. You will need to restart Windows to confirm the changes.

After Hyper-V is installed, you can launch it two ways. From the start menu, type: hyper then hit Enter or click Hyper-V Manager from the search results.

You can also open the classic Control Panel > System and Security > Windows tools then launch Hyper-V from there.

Hyper-V is based on MMC also known as the Microsoft Management Console. This is a snap-in based interface thats a little different from other parts of Windows that you might be accustomed to interacting with. There are two ways you can create virtual machines using Hyper-V. There is the manual way which lets you fine tune the options you choose or Quick Create which is more automated.

Lets start with the manual method. In the top right, under the Actions group, click the New button then click Virtual Machine...

This will start the New Virtual Machine wizard. Click Next

Start by giving your Virtual Machine a name. This will help to find and identify your virtual machine if you manage multiple operating systems. You can also change the location where your virtual machines are stored. If you have another partition or drive with a lot of space, you can select that location by clicking on Browse then select it. Click Next.

Depending on the typer and version of the operating system you are installing, you want to carefully select the generation of the operating system. As explained in the description, gen 1 VMs are likely be to be 32 bit. So, if you need to run 32 bit Windows 7 for some reason, this is the best option to select. If you have a UEFI based firmware and using more modern releases of Windows such as Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016 or later, then gen 2 is the best option choose. Please note, once these options are selected, they cannot be changed after. Click Next.

Choosing the amount of resources you want to allocate to the virtual machine will determine the experience and what you will be able to use for. This also decided based on your physical hardware resources currently available to the host operating system. If you plan on using your virtual machine to run applications you will also need to factor it in the needs of the application. Since I have an ample amount of memory, I will give this virtual machine 8GBs of RAM. Your options will of course vary. Click Next

If you need the virtual machine to connect to the Internet, this is where you will need to click in the Connection list box then just the virtual Hyper-switch which enable Internet access. Click Next

Storage is the next option, here you can choose how much space you want to give the virtual machine. If you want to run an old program and you know its just going to be that one program, you could set a certain amount aside just for the operating system and the program. If you think your needs might change in the future, you might just want to let Hyper-V dynamically expand the space as needed. In this case, I will go with that option.

Hyper-V works best with ISO media files for installing the operating system. If you already have your operating system media downloaded, you can choose the option 'Install an operating system image from a bootable image file', click Browse then point to the ISO file, then click Open. Once selected, click Next

At the end of the wizard, you will see a summary of the options selected. If you want to make any changes such as the generation or amount of RAM, you can click Previous then do so.

Now that your virtual machine is set up, you will see it appear in your list Virtual Machines. If there are additional changes you want to make, you can click 'Settings' at the bottom right under your virtual machine name.

In Settings, you can choose the amount of cores you want to give the VM for better performance, select the install medium if you are installing from a physical DVD and adjust firmware settings.

When you are ready to boot the virtual machine, double click the name of the virtual machine or click Start. If you are not seeing the virtual machine on screen, double click the thumbnail to open it up. You can run through the installation steps like you would on a physical machine.

The Hyper-V connection for your virtual machine lets you interact and manage your virtual machine. You can immediately suspend it, restart, enable secure log on, go back to a check point or mount ISO media to install programs and capture screenshots. You can also run the virtual machine in full screen mode. Just press Control + Alt + Break on your keyboard to activate it.

Using Quick Create to Setup Virtual Machines

If you are new to using virtual machines in Windows and you need a quick and easy way to create one, you can use the Quick Create feature instead. You can access Quick Create from within the Hyper-V Manager at the top right under Actions; or click Start, type: quick create then launch from the search results.

Quick Create offers a gallery of existing Windows environments or Linux distributions you can start with. If you already have an ISO image, you can point to that as your installation source.

If you choose to use one of the existing Virtual Hard Disk Images listed in the gallery, this is often a large file that can take some time download. But for new users, this can be quicker and easier.

Since we are going to perform some manual steps, click on _Local installation source. Click on More options, give the virtual machine a name and choose the default switch if you want the VM to access the Internet. Click on Change installation source... select the ISO file then click Open.

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