Hyper-V option not showing in Windows Features

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to use Ubuntu and need to install both the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Hyper-V on my Windows machine.

However, when I go to "Turn Windows features on or off," I only see the option for WSL, but Hyper-V is nowhere to be found. Why is Hyper-V missing from the list?

Answer 1

Hi Kate WB,

The absence of Hyper-V from your Windows features list indicates that your system is currently running the Windows Home edition. Microsoft restricts the full client Hyper-V role, which includes the Hyper-V Manager and its associated management services, exclusively to Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. You can confirm your current operating system edition by pressing the Windows key, typing msinfo32.exe to launch the System Information tool, and reviewing the OS Name value at the top of the summary screen.

If your primary objective is simply to run Ubuntu via the Windows Subsystem for Linux, you do not actually need the full Hyper-V management feature set. The underlying architecture for WSL relies on a more specific, lightweight virtualization subset known as the Virtual Machine Platform, which is fully supported and accessible in Windows Home. You can enable this necessary component by typing optionalfeatures.exe in your Start menu or Run dialog to open the Windows Features applet, checking the box next to Virtual Machine Platform alongside the Windows Subsystem for Linux, and subsequently restarting your machine to apply the changes.

Should your workflow mandate the creation and management of standalone virtual machines using the traditional Hyper-V Manager interface, the Virtual Machine Platform alone will not suffice. To achieve full virtualization capabilities, the officially supported resolution is to upgrade your operating system from Home to Pro. You can initiate this securely by executing the ms-settings:activation URI in your Run dialog, which will open the Activation menu in your system settings and direct you to the Microsoft Store to acquire the necessary license upgrade.

Hope this answer brought you some useful information. If it did, please hit “accept answer”. Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

VP

Answer 2

Hi Kate WB,

How is your issue going? Has it been resolved yet? If it has, please consider accepting the answer as it helps others sharing the same problem benefit too. Thank you :)

VP