Every major release of Windows comes in a few editions, or SKUs, which have different features. Windows 11 is no different, with multiple SKUs like Windows 11 Home, Pro, Enterprise, and so on. Many of these editions have certain exclusive features that aren't available on the lower-tier editions, and one big example is Hyper-V. However, it's actually possible to install Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home, and we're here to show you how.

What is Hyper-V?

Hyper-V was first implemented with Windows Server 2008, and it's been part of Windows ever since. It's Microsoft's hypervisor software, which allows you to create and run virtual machines (VM) on your PC. VMs let you create isolated instances of an operating system that don't affect your host PC. There are a few options for virtualization software out there, but Hyper-V is native to Windows, so it's ideal if you're managing Windows VMs.

Hyper-V can be useful for testing unstable, dangerous apps or if you need a specific feature from another operating system. For example, you can install Ubuntu if there's something you need from Linux but you prefer Windows as your main operating system.

Screenshot of Hyper-V Manager Quick Create dialog with Ubuntu chosen as the OS to install in a virtual machine

For regular Windows, it's only available in Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions — officially, that is. Even in those editions, it's usually an optional feature, so you have to go into the Settings app to install it. On Windows 11 Pro and other editions, you can install Hyper-V by going to Apps > Optional features. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click More Windows features, then find Hyper-V and install it. Of course, it's not so simple with Windows 11 Home since it's not supposed to be available. But it is possible to get it up and running.

How to install Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home

You might think it's complicated to get Hyper-V running on Home editions of Windows, but it's surprisingly simple. Here's what you need to do:

  1. Open Notepad (or another plain text editor) to create a text file.
  2. Paste this content into the file as shown below.
    pushd "%~dp0"dir /b %SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\*Hyper-V*.mum >hv.txtfor /f %%i in ('findstr /i . hv.txt 2^>nul') do dism /online /norestart /add-package:"%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\%%i"del hv.txtDism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Hyper-V -All /LimitAccess /ALLpause
    Screenshot of Notepad with text containing commands to install Hyper-V on Windows 11
  3. Save the file with the name hv.bat. You can save it wherever you prefer.
  4. Once you've saved it, right-click the file and choose Run as administrator.
  5. Let the process run; it may take a while. Once it completes, you'll have to restart your computer.
  6. Hyper-V should automatically be installed, and you can find it by searching in the Start menu. It'll be called Hyper-V Manager.
    Screenshot of Hyper-V Manager in Windows Search

If it doesn't show up, try the following:

  1. Open the Settings app and go to Apps > Optional features.
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click More Windows features.
  3. Find Hyper-V on the list and enable it. You may have to restart afterwards.
    Screenshot of the optional Windows features list with Hyper-V Management Tools and Hyper-V Platform enabled
  4. You should now be able to use Hyper-V to create and manage virtual machines.

This guide also works for Windows 10. Unfortunately, installing Hyper-V doesn't enable Windows Sandbox, which is another cool virtualization feature in Windows that lets you create a clean copy of your current Windows version, so you can test software on it. It has a slightly different use case since it only duplicates your current Windows version and not any OS you want. Plus, Windows Sandbox is reset every time you close it. It's really just meant for quickly testing a specific app or setting without damaging your PC.

Using Hyper-V, you can create virtual machines using your own ISO files, or you can choose one of the options provided by Microsoft. The company actually offers the ability to create an Ubuntu virtual machine right out of the box. Virtual machines are persistent unless you choose to delete them, so there are certainly different applications for them compared to Windows Sandbox.

If you're interested in the latest Windows 11 features, keep an eye on our Windows 11 update tracker if you want to get the latest updates.