To enable Hyper-V in Windows 11, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off. Search for Hyper-V from the list and tick the checkbox next to it to turn it on. Hyper-V will now be enabled in your Windows 11 computer.
Microsoft offers a variety of virtualization technologies in Windows. It is a hypervisor-based technology that allows you to create, manage and run virtual machines in windows.
If you want to use Hyper-V in Windows 11, you will need to enable it first. Luckily doing this is super easy. It takes less than a minute and doesn’t require any special tools.
In this guide, we will be looking at how to enable Hyper-V in Windows 11 on a new or existing laptop.
Table of Contents
What is Hyper-V in Windows?
Hyper-V is a hypervisor-based virtualization technology that allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single physical computer. Hyper-V is included in all editions of Windows 8 and later, but it’s not enabled by default, so you have to enable it to use it.
A hypervisor is a software that allows you to create and manage virtual machines (VM). It controls the allocation of hardware resources between VMs running on the same physical machine, which allows multiple operating systems to share a single set of hardware.
It provides an extra layer between your operating system and the hardware resources on your computer. This extra layer allows multiple operating systems (called guests) to run simultaneously on the same machine.
The hypervisor has direct access to all of your computer’s hardware, efficiently allocating resources such as memory, CPU time, storage space, and network connections among its guests.
Hypervisors are usually considered safer than virtual machines because they have no user interface or other way for users to interact with them directly.
Windows OS that supports Hyper-V provides some additional features designed for system administrators. Some of them include:
- Support for creating VMs with remotely managed storage
- The ability to import VMs from an existing host; a new Hyper-V Manager snap-in for managing VM settings remotely from another computer or device
- Live migration capability allows you to move running VMs between hosts without downtime.
How to Enable Hyper-v in Windows 11
Microsoft’s Hyper-V hypervisor is one of the most powerful, versatile, and feature-rich virtualization platforms on the market. But, like most software, it needs to be enabled to work. Follow these steps to enable and use Hyper-V in Windows 11.
1. Turn On Hyper-V using Control Panel
One of the best and simple ways to enable Hyper-V on your Windows 11 is using the Control Panel.
To do it, follow these easy steps:
1. Open Control Panel.
2. Open Programs and Features.
3. Click Turn Windows features on or off.
4. Search for Hyper-V in the list of available features, and then click the checkbox next to it to turn it on. (You may have to scroll down.)
5. Expand the button (Hyper-V), and you will get to view two options: Hyper-V Management Tools and Hyper-V Platforms.
6. Select both options.
7. In the dialog box that opens, click OK to complete your changes.
8. Restart your PC to validate and propagate the settings immediately after you’ve completed all steps above.
Just as easy as that, you have learned how to turn on Hyper-V in Windows 11 via the Control Panel. The best thing about it is you can start using it right away to help boost your productivity.
2. Enable Hyper-V with Powershell
If you have not enabled the Windows Hyper-V yet and are looking for another option apart from the control panel, we have an excellent Powershell script to help you.
1. Open an elevated PowerShell prompt. To do this, type PowerShell in the Windows menu search box. Then right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
2. Type or copy and paste the following command:
- Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
3. The PowerShell will start the process of enabling Hyper-V. Once done, you will be required to restart your PC. Type Y to restart your computer.
Hyper-V should now be enabled and up and running on your Windows 11 computer.
How to Disable Hyper-V in Windows
If you don’t need Hyper-V anymore on your new computer, you can easily disable it with just a few clicks. Here’s what you need to do:
- Go to Control Panel.
- Click on Programs and Features.
- Click on Turn Windows features on or off.
- Uncheck the Hyper-V checkbox and click OK.
- Restart your PC.
Whether you want to prevent unauthorized access to your computer or you’re just a little turned off by the prospect of having Hyper-V enabled on your computer, it’s simple to disable in Windows.
You should now know how to enable Hyper-V on Windows 11 easily. Many people experience difficulty enabling the Hyper-V feature, while others simply don’t know they can.
