Cannot enable VirtualMachinePlatform

Question

PS C:\Users\admin> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature : One or several parent features are disabled so current feature can not be enabled.

At line:1 char:1

• Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlat ...

• 
      + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature], COMException 
  
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Dism.Commands.EnableWindowsOptionalFeatureCommand 
  
  

I cannot enable VirtualMachinePlatform. I also tried the control panel but after I checked the box and click apply and ok, the box unchecked itself.

Answer 1

For me, I had to enable "Windows Subsystem for Linux" feature in "Turn Windows features on or off" dialog.

I already had HyperV feature enabled, and virtualization enabled in BIOS.

I had deactivated WSL feature to fix a Docker Desktop issue with WSL. I followed a guide to reinstall WSL from scratch, and it seemed to me the Ubuntu distro when installed from Microsoft Store did not require the WSL feature enabled. It worked fine without it.

However, it was apparently needed for activating Virtual Machine Platform, which was then required by Docker Desktop to run.

Answer 2

While I never figured out the actual issue, I was able to use WSL Ubuntu again after going to "Reset this PC" and choosing "Fix problems using Windows Update". I clicked "Reinstall now". After an hour or two, it asked to reboot. I did that. Then, I was able to turn on the "Virtual Machine Platform" option in the "Turn Windows features on or off" dialog. After that, my wsl ubuntu shell would run reliably.