On Windows 11, the Microsoft Hyper-V feature is a technology that includes the elements to create and manage virtual machines, allowing you to run other instances of Windows 11 and older versions of the operating system, such as Windows 10, 8.1, or 7, or other platforms like Linux alongside the main installation.
However, Hyper-V is an optional feature that you must enable manually through the Settings app or commands from PowerShell. The virtualization technology is available on Windows 11 Pro and higher editions. It’s not available on Windows 11 Home. If you have the Home edition of Windows, you can try other virtualization alternatives, such as VirtualBox, or you can use the workaround as outlined below.
This guide will teach you the steps to enable or disable Hyper-V on Windows 11.
- Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11
- Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home
Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11
On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, before enabling Hyper-V, the computer must have virtualization enabled on the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). If you don’t have this feature enabled, check with your device manufacturer to find the specific details to complete this task.
1. Check virtualization
To check if virtualization on the UEFI firmware, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.
Click on Performance.
Confirm that “Virtualization” reads “Enabled” next to the system stats.
If virtualization is disabled, then continue with the steps below.
2. Enable virtualization
To enable virtualization on the UEFI firmware, use these steps:
Open Settings.
Click on System.
Click on Recovery.
Under the “Recovery options” section, click the Restart now button for the “Advanced startup” setting.
Click on Troubleshoot.
Click on Advanced options.
Click the UEFI Firmware Settings option.
Click the Restart button.
Open the Configuration, Security, or Advanced page (the page’s name will depend on your manufacturer).
Select the Virtualization Technology, Intel Virtual Technology, or SVM Mode option (the feature name will depend on your manufacturer).
Enable the virtualization feature.
Save the UEFI (BIOS) settings (usually press F10).
After you complete the steps, you can proceed to enable the Microsoft hypervisor to run virtual machines on Windows 11.
3. Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11
On Windows 11, you can enable the virtualization platform from the Settings app or using commands from PowerShell.
Turn on Hyper-V from Settings method
To enable Hyper-V on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on Apps.
Click the Optional features tab.
Under the “Related settings” section, click the “More Windows features” setting.
Check the Hyper-V feature.
Click the OK button.
Click the Restart now button.
Once you complete the steps, the Windows 11 virtualization feature will install along with Hyper-V Manager, which allows you to create and run virtual machines.
Turn on Hyper-V from PowerShell method
To enable Hyper-V with PowerShell commands, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command and press Enter:
DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V
Type Y to restart your computer.
After you complete the steps, Hyper-V Manager and its additional components will install on your computer.
4. Disable Hyper-V on Windows 11
In the same ways as turning the feature on, you can use the same methods to disable Hyper-V on your computer.
Turn off Hyper-V from Settings method
To disable Hyper-V on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Settings.
Click on Apps.
Click the Optional features tab.
Under the “Related settings” section, click the “More Windows features” setting.
Clear the Hyper-V feature.
Click the OK button.
Click the Restart now button.
Once you complete the steps, Microsoft Hyper-V will be disabled.
Turn of Hyper-V from PowerShell method
To disable Hyper-V from PowerShell, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command and press Enter:
DISM /Online /Disable-Feature:Microsoft-Hyper-V
Type Y to restart your computer.
After you complete the steps, the Hyper-V Manager and its additional components will be disabled on Windows 11.
Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home
Before enabling Hyper-V on the Home edition of Windows 11, the device must have virtualization support enabled on the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). If you don’t have this feature enabled, check with your manufacturer to find the specific details to complete this task.
1. Check virtualization support
To check whether the UEFI firmware has virtualization enabled on Windows 11 Home, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.
Click on Performance.
Confirm that “Virtualization” reads “Enabled” next to the system stats.
If virtualization is disabled, then continue with the steps below.
2. Enable virtualization on Windows 11 Home
To enable virtualization on Windows 11 Home, use these steps:
Open Settings.
Click on System.
Click on Recovery.
Under the “Recovery options” section, click the Restart now button for the “Advanced startup” setting.
Click on Troubleshoot.
Click on Advanced options.
Click the UEFI Firmware Settings option.
Click the Restart button.
Open the Configuration, Security, or Advanced page (the page’s name will depend on your manufacturer).
Select the Virtualization Technology, Intel Virtual Technology, or SVM Mode option (the feature name will depend on your manufacturer).
Enable the virtualization feature.
Save the UEFI (BIOS) settings (usually press F10).
After you complete the steps, you can proceed to enable the Microsoft hypervisor to run virtual machines on Windows 11.
3. Install Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home
Since the Home edition doesn’t have the virtualization feature, you must install the components manually before you can enable the feature. Although the script works as intended, you should always create a temporary full backup of your device since you will modify the system files, which Microsoft doesn’t support.
To install Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Notepad and click the top result to open the app.
Copy and paste the following script into the text file:
pushd "%~dp0" dir /b %SystemRoot%servicingPackages*Hyper-V*.mum>hv-home.txt for /f %%i in ('findstr /i . hv-home.txt 2^>nul') do dism /online /norestart /add-package:"%SystemRoot%servicingPackages%%i" del hv-home.txt Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Hyper-V -All /LimitAccess /ALL pause
Click on File and choose the “Save as” option.
Confirm a name and use the .bat extension. For example, hyperv-home.bat.
Click the Save button.
Right-click the hyperv-home.bat file and select the Run as administrator option.
Press the Y key to restart the computer.
After you complete the steps, the Hyper-V Management Tool and Platform will install on your Home edition of Windows 11.
4. Disable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home
Once you have installed the virtualization feature, you can enable or disable it from the system feature settings like Windows 11 Pro.
To disable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home, use these steps:
Open Settings.
Click on Apps.
Click the Optional features tab.
Under the “Related settings” section, click the “More Windows features” setting.
Clear the Hyper-V feature.
Click the OK button.
Click the Restart now button.
Once you complete the steps, Microsoft Hyper-V will be disabled on Windows 11 Home.