Windows 11 has now been released over a month ago and many companies are now considering the switch. It is always good to test extensively first and get some hands-on experience. If you don’t have a physical PC available to test Windows 11, a good alternative is to do this in a virtual machine (VM). Personally, I use VMs a lot when I need to test Microsoft Intune configurations or when giving demos.
In this blog
In this short blog I explain step by step how to install Windows 11 as a VM in Hyper-V on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 host. I will do this in the following steps;
- Check if the Hyper-V Windows feature is installed
- Create a new VM for Windows 11
- Install Microsoft Windows 11
Prerequisites
Before you start with the instructions, make sure you have the following in place;
- The Hyper-V Windows Feature installed on your Windows 10/11 host
- Have downloaded a Windows 11 ISO file. You can download it here
Step 1 : Check if the Hyper-V Windows feature is installed
First, lets check if the Hyper-V Windows feature is installed on your host.
Open the Control Panel
Open Programs
Click Turn Windows features on or off
Check of the Hyper-V Management Tools and Platform features are both installed. If not, install them first.
Step 2 : Create a new VM for Windows 11
The second step is to create a VM where we can Windows 11 on it.
Open the Hyper-V Manager, right-click your device name and go to New > Virtual Machine…
Click Next
Give the VM a name. In this case I will give it the name Win11-Pro. Next, select the location where you want to store the VM.
Click Next
Select Generation 2 and click Next
Give the VM at least 4 GB of ram and click Next
Select the Default Switch and click Next
Create a new virtual hard disk that is at least 64 GB big in size. Click Next
Select Install an operating system from a bootable image file and browse to your downloaded Windows 11 ISO. Click Next
Click Finish
After the VM is created, right-click on it and go to Settings..
Open the Security tab and make sure that both Enable Secure Boot and Enable Trusted Platform Module are selected.
Open the Processor tab. Make sure that the Number of virtual processors is at least 2. Click OK.
Step 3 : Install Microsoft Windows 11
In the final step we are going to install Windows 11.
Connect to the VM and Start it. Press any key when this message appears: Press any key to boot from CD or DVD…
Select the Language to install, Time and currency format and Keyboard or input method. Click Next
Click Install now
Select the Windows 11 edition you want to install and click Next
Select I accept the Microsoft Software License Terms. If an organization is licensing it, I am authorized to bind the organization (if you do) and click Next
Select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)
Click Next
Select your country or region and click Yes
Select the right keyboard layout or input method and click Yes
Click Skip
Give the VM a Name and click Next
Select Set up for work or school
For now I will use a local account, so I click Sign-in options
Select Domain join instead
Fill in your name and click Next
Fill in a Password you want to use for this local account and click Next
Make your choice and click Accept
Make your choice and click Accept
Make your choice and click Accept
Make your choice and click Accept
Make your choice and click Accept
Make your choice and click Accept
Your Windows 11 VM is now ready for use.