This is the step-by-step guide to creating a Windows 11 Hyper-V VM I use whenever I need a clean Windows 11 test machine for Microsoft Intune, Autopilot, or any other endpoint scenario. From enabling Hyper-V to configuring the VM with the right TPM, secure boot and network settings — all in one place.
With Windows 11, the hardware requirements have been increased. It is no longer possible to start a Windows 11 machine in Hyper-V without additional settings. In this blog post, I explain what you need to do to run Windows 11 in a VM.
Activate Hyper-V
First of all, you need to enable Hyper-V on your system. Before changing Windows features, it can also be useful to know how to backup and restore the Registry. How you can enable Hyper-V is explained very well in this article.
The easiest way to do this is to use the following PowerShell command:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
Create VM
Now we need to create a new virtual machine in Hyper-V. For this you need to download a Windows 11 ISO first. You can download the ISO from the following link. If you plan to use this VM for enrollment scenarios, you can also follow my guide to setup a Windows Autopilot test lab.
1. Open the Hyper-V Manager.
2. Right click on your Computername -> New -> Virtual Machine.
3. Click Next.
4. Enter a name and click Next.
5. Select Generation 2 and click Next.
6. Enter at least 4096 MB and click Next.
7. Select the “Default Switch” and click Next.
8. Optionally, change the name of the VHDX and click Next.
9. Select “Install an operating system from a bootable image file” and click Browse…
Select the previously downloaded ISO file.
Click Next.
10. Click Finish.
11. The VM is created. Now we have to change some settings. Right click on the VM and click Settings...
12. Click Security and enable “Enable Trusted Platform Module“.
13. Click Processor and change the “Number of virtual processors” to minimum 2.
Click OK.
Install Windows 11
1. Right click on the VM and click Connect…
2. Click Start and directly select the Window and press any key.
3. Choose the Language Settings and click Next.
4. Click Install now.
5. Enter a Product key and click Next or click I don’t have a product key.
6. Select the Windows Edition. I use Windows 11 Pro. Click Next.
7. Accept the License Terms and click Next
8. Click Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)
9. Click Next
10. Wait until the installation is completed. The VM will reboot automatically.
If you are also planning Windows 11 upgrades for managed clients, you might also like Tracking Windows 11 Upgrades with Azure Automation and Intune.
For a related lab scenario, check out how to setup an Autopilot lab on MacOS.
If you need an alternative installation method, you might also like this guide to install Windows 11 without TPM.
