How to try Windows 11 alongside Windows 10 using a virtual machine
You can safely test previews of Windows 11 using a virtual machine, and here’s how on Windows 10.
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Although you can already download the pre-release version ofWindows 11, upgrading your primary machine is not recommended since this new version is not yet ready. It contains bugs and issues that may negatively affect your experience. In some cases, it may even cause data loss.
Instead, if you want to test Windows 11 Insider Preview builds to get early access to the new features and changes, you should be using a spare computer, dual-boot setup, or virtual machine. In the case that you use Windows 10 Pro, you can install the Microsoft Hyper-V feature to create a virtual machine to test drive the Insider previews without the need for separate hardware or complex setups.
In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through the steps to use Hyper-V to create a virtual machine to test Insider Preview builds of Windows 11.
How to install Hyper-V on Windows 10
On Windows 10, Hyper-V is a virtualization platform available on the Pro and higher editions, and it allows you to create and manage multiple virtual machines running different systems (for example, Windows 11) without using separate hardware or resourcing to dual-boot configurations.
Check support for Hyper-V
The computer must meet these minimum hardware specifications to enable Hyper-V:
In addition, you have to check whether theVirtualization TechnologyandHardware Enforced Data Execution Preventionoptions are enabled on system firmware.
To confirm the computer has the required support for Hyper-V usingSysteminfo.exe:
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If the command displaysNounder Hyper-V Requirements, your computer doesn’t support this feature, or you need to enable the corresponding settings.
Since we are using virtualization, the device’s hardware does not have to meet the requirements to run Windows 11 on bare metal.
Install Hyper-V on Windows 10
To enable Hype-V on Windows 10, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can proceed to create a virtual machine to run Windows 11.
How to create a Windows 11 virtual machine using Hyper-V
To create a virtual machine to run Windows 11 Insider Preview builds, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the virtual machine will be created, and you can continue with the steps below to install Windows 11 previews.
How to install Windows 11 on virtual machine using Hyper-V
The steps below will guide you through installing Windows 10 and then joining the device to the Windows Insider Program to download and install previews of Windows 11. Once Microsoft starts publishing ISO files, you can install the OS directly without going through the extra steps to install Windows 10 and then upgrading to Windows 11.
To install previews of Windows 11 on a virtual machine, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the Windows 11 preview will download and install like any other pre-release of Windows you may have installed in the past.
You may be able to install previews of Windows 11 on a virtual machine that doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, but in this guide, we try to configure the environment that match the final release hardware requirements.
More Windows resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
