How to Enable Virtualization in Windows 11

When WSL, VirtualBox, an Android emulator, Windows Sandbox or memory integrity complains that virtualization is off on Windows 11, one of two separate switches is to blame. The first is the CPU setting in your PC’s UEFI (BIOS) firmware, called Intel VT-x or AMD SVM. The second is the Windows feature the app relies on, such as Virtual Machine Platform or Hyper-V. Check which one is off, then fix that layer.

Which app needs which switch

Every app below needs the firmware setting on. What differs is the Windows feature on top of it, and whether your edition of Windows 11 has that feature at all.

What you’re trying to run	Firmware setting	Windows feature	Windows 11 Home?
WSL 2 (Linux on Windows)	Required	Virtual Machine Platform (installed for you by wsl --install)	Yes
Hyper-V virtual machines	Required	Hyper-V	No: Pro or Enterprise only
Windows Sandbox	Required	Windows Sandbox	No: Pro, Enterprise and Education editions
VirtualBox or VMware Workstation	Required	None of their own	Yes
Android Studio’s emulator	Required	Hyper-V plus Windows Hypervisor Platform, or Google’s own driver where Hyper-V isn’t available	Yes, with Google’s driver (AEHD) instead of Hyper-V
Memory integrity (Core isolation)	Required	None; toggled in Windows Security	Yes

One change since many older guides were written: Windows Subsystem for Android and the Amazon Appstore were removed from the Microsoft Store on March 5, 2025, per Microsoft’s notice, so they’re no longer a reason to turn this on.

Confirm which layer is off

Two quick checks tell you where to go next. Many PCs ship with the firmware setting already on, so check before you open any firmware menus.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, select Performance, then CPU. On current versions of Windows 11, a Virtualization line under the graph reads Enabled or Disabled.
2. For a second opinion, open Command Prompt and run systeminfo. Near the end, Windows either lists the Hyper-V requirements (look for a firmware virtualization line set to Yes or No) or prints “A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed.” That message means virtualization is on and Windows is already using it.

Read the result like this:

• Disabled, or the firmware line says No: the firmware layer is off. Go to the next section.
• Enabled, but the app still fails: the Windows feature layer is the problem. Skip to turning on the Windows feature.
• WSL error 0x80370102: Microsoft’s WSL troubleshooting page ties this error to both layers: enable Virtual Machine Platform and make sure virtualization is on in the BIOS.

Find the setting in your firmware

Microsoft’s enable virtualization page advises changing only what you need here, because other firmware changes can stop the PC from starting. It also notes that Surface devices ship with virtualization already on. If your drive uses BitLocker, have the recovery key ready in case Windows asks for it after the firmware change.

1. Save your work. Open Settings > System > Recovery, and next to Advanced startup select Restart now. Holding Shift while you select Power > Restart gets you to the same place.
2. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings (some PCs show UEFI Settings) > Restart. If that tile is missing, press your PC maker’s setup key at power-on instead; opening the BIOS in Windows 11 lists the usual keys, and there’s a separate walkthrough for ASUS PCs. The route that avoids timing a key press entirely is covered in enabling virtualization without pressing BIOS keys.
3. Look through menus named Advanced, CPU Configuration, Processor, Chipset, Configuration or Security for the setting in the table below.
4. Set it to Enabled, then save and exit (F10 on many PCs). The PC restarts into Windows.

Processor	Names to look for	Leave alone unless you need it
Intel	Intel Virtualization Technology, Intel VT-x, or just Virtualization	Intel VT-d (device passthrough for advanced VM setups)
AMD	SVM Mode, AMD-V, or Virtualization	IOMMU (the AMD counterpart of VT-d)

Intel’s support article confirms that VT-x is enabled or disabled in the BIOS and that VT-d is a separate feature. Menu names vary by PC maker and firmware version, so if nothing matches, search your model’s manual for “virtualization.”

Turn on the Windows feature your app needs

With the firmware layer on, add only the feature your app uses. Extra hypervisor features can slow down or conflict with other VM apps.

1. Search the Start menu for Windows features and open Turn Windows features on or off. (Typing optionalfeatures in the Run box opens the same window.)
2. Tick the feature from the first table: Virtual Machine Platform, Hyper-V, Windows Hypervisor Platform or Windows Sandbox.
3. Select OK and restart when Windows asks.

Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox don’t appear on Windows 11 Home. Home users can still run VirtualBox, VMware Workstation and WSL 2. Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox also need at least 4 GB of RAM; Microsoft recommends 8 GB for Sandbox, plus at least two processor cores and 1 GB of free disk space. Once the right pieces are on, you can build a virtual machine in Windows 11 or open a disposable desktop with Windows Sandbox.

Set it up from the command line instead

If you’d rather type than click, these commands come from Microsoft’s documentation. Run them in Terminal opened as administrator, then restart.

• WSL: wsl --install turns on the needed features and installs a Linux distribution (see Microsoft’s WSL install page, or installing WSL on Windows 11 for the full walkthrough).
• Hyper-V (Pro or Enterprise): DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V
• Windows Sandbox: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "Containers-DisposableClientVM" -All -Online in PowerShell.

A developer setting up a new laptop, for instance, might run wsl --install, restart, and find Linux ready without ever opening the Windows Features window.

Memory integrity and why it needs this

Memory integrity, found in Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details, uses the hypervisor to protect the core of Windows from malicious code. Microsoft’s core isolation page says it requires hardware virtualization to be on in the UEFI or BIOS. If the toggle reports incompatible drivers, update or remove the listed device’s driver, then try again and restart.

If it still says Disabled

• No virtualization option in the firmware: install the latest BIOS or UEFI update from your PC maker’s support site; some updates add or reveal the setting. A few low-cost PCs don’t expose it at all.
• The option is greyed out: a firmware administrator password is usually set, which is common on work and school PCs. Ask the IT team.
• You changed it but nothing moved: make sure you chose Save and Exit rather than Exit without saving, then do a full shutdown and start the PC again.
• Firmware is on but WSL or Hyper-V still won’t start: Microsoft’s WSL troubleshooting steps check the boot setting with bcdedit /enum | findstr -i hypervisorlaunchtype in an elevated window. If it shows Off, bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype Auto turns the hypervisor back on after a restart.
• VirtualBox or VMware is slow after turning on Hyper-V features: current versions can run alongside Hyper-V but may lose speed. Update them, or turn off the Hyper-V features you don’t use.

Turning it back off

To undo, repeat the firmware steps and set the option to Disabled, or untick the Windows feature and restart. Disabling virtualization in BIOS on Windows 11 explains when that actually helps.

Still on Windows 10? The firmware steps are the same, but Advanced startup is under Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. See turning on hardware virtualization in Windows 10, or disabling virtualization in Windows 10 to reverse it.

Virtualization questions

Is it safe to leave virtualization on?

Yes. It’s a standard processor feature, and Windows 11 security features such as memory integrity depend on it. Leaving it on doesn’t expose your PC on its own; the apps that use it decide what runs.

Is virtualization the same as TPM or Secure Boot?

No. TPM is a security chip (or firmware module) that stores keys, and Secure Boot checks that startup software is trusted. Virtualization lets the processor run hypervisors. All three live in the firmware settings and Windows 11 security uses all three, but each has its own switch.

Can I switch on the processor setting from inside Windows?

No. The processor setting belongs to the firmware, so it has to be changed there. Windows can only restart you into the firmware screen and turn on the features that use it.

Will it affect games?

For most games, no. Some anti-cheat systems expect Windows’ virtualization-based security to be available, and if a specific game recommends turning a feature off, follow that game’s own support page.

Next step: run the Task Manager check, then fix only the layer that’s off.