How To Try Windows 11 Version 24H2 Without The Risk Using A VM

Want to try Windows 11 but you’re worried about the risks? Here’s how to install Windows 11 in a VM so it can’t break your main PC.

Microsoft is preparing to release one of the biggest updates yet for Windows 11, called Windows 11 version 24H2, or the 2024 Update. This update was originally expected to be called Windows 12, and while it looks nearly identical to Windows 11, it’s built on a new Windows platform, the first since Microsoft introduced Windows 11 itself back in 2021. It also comes with major improvements for Arm devices and some new big AI features, so there’s plenty to be excited about here.

But because of all these changes, there’s also going to be some worry that things may not work as expected, and that’s where virtual machines come in. Using a virtual machine, you can test any operating system in a contained environment, so you can keep using your main operating system as normal, but also experiment with the new features without the risk.

Windows 11 has a built-in virtualization tool that allows you to create virtual machines, and it’s called Hyper-V. It’s only available in Windows 11 Pro or higher, but you can enable it on Windows 11 Home with some trickery. Alternatively, there are alternate programs like VirtualBox you can use for virtual machines.

How to install Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home

Want to try a different OS? Here’s how to install Microsoft’s Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home to create and manage virtual machines.

How to check if your PC supports Hyper-V

First things first, you need to make sure you have a PC compatible with Hyper-V. Running a VM is not a lightweight workload, so you’ll want at least 8GB of RAM on your host PC, but mroe is better. Your virtual machine needs at least 4GB of RAM for itself in order to run Windows 11, per the system requirements.

There are two other things you’ll need:

A 64-bit Processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT).
CPU support for VM Monitor Mode Extensions (VT-x on Intel CPUs).

Most modern processors should support these features, but it’s always best to make sure. You can check if your computer can support Hyper-V using Command Prompt or PowerShell. Here’s how to do it:

Right-click the Start icon or press Windows key + Xthen choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).

The option that shows up here depends on the version of Windows you’re running.
Type systeminfo.exe in the Command Prompt/PowerShell window and press Enter.
Check the Hyper-V requirements section at the end. All the items should say Yes for Hyper-V to work.

If you see a message saying “A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed”, you may already have virtualization software installed. It may also be that certain Windows virtualization features are already enabled, but that means your PC should be ready to go.

If Virtualization Enabled in Firmware says Noyou can enable it in your computer’s firmware/BIOS settings.

How to enable virtualization in the BIOS

BIOS settings are a little different for every PC, but if you want to enable virtualization in the BIOS, you can follow these steps:

Open the Start menu
Click the Power button in the bottom right and then hold Shift while clicking Restart.
In the Windows Recovery Environment, click Troubleshoot.
Choose Advanced options.
Click UEFI Firmware settings.
Once you’re in the BIOS, look for an option called Virtualization Technology. It may be under a System section or something similar.
Select that option and set it to Enabled.
Save your changes and exit the BIOS to restart your PC back into Windows.

Now that virtualization is enabled in the BIOS, you should be able to set up Hyper-V.

How to enable Hyper-V in Windows

Finally, you’ll need to make sure Hyper-V is enabled in Windows. Follow these steps:

Open Start and search for Turn Windows features on or off.
Check the Hyper-V box and make sure all the sub-options are enabled.
Click OK and wait for the features to install.
Restart the computer when prompted.

Download a Windows 11 ISO

For Intel and AMD (x64) processors

Next, you’ll need a Windows 11 ISO to install on your virtual machine. Since Windows 11 version 24H2 isn’t generally available yet, your best bet is to download the latest public release of Windows 11 and then enroll that virtual machine in the Windows Insider Program. To download a Windows 11 ISO, follow these steps:

Go to the Windows 11 download page.
Go under Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) and use the dropdown menu to select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices).
Use the new dropdown menu to choose your preferred language and click Confirm.
Click 64-bit Download to begin downloading the ISO.

Alternatively, you can use a Windows Insider ISO so the machine will be enrolled in the Insider program from the get-go. Once you have the ISO downloaded, you can move on to the next step.

For Arm processors

If you’re using a Windows on Arm PC, Microsoft doesn’t provide ISO files for installing Windows 11 on Arm. You could look for third-party websites hosting the ISO, but the best way to go about it is to download icrosoft’s official virtual hard drive for Windows Insiders. To do this:

Go to the Windows Insider Downloads page. You’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account enrolled in the Windows Insider program.
Use the dropdown menu to choose the Dev channel build (currently, it’s build 26080) and click Confirm.
Choose the product language (this build is only available in US English) and click Confirm.
Click Download Now to begin downloading the VHDX file.

Both x64 and Arm downloads are relatively big, but the Arm download is much larger due to already being a virtual drive with the OS installed.

Creating a Windows VM in Hyper-V

Creating a VM in Hyper-V isn’t as scary as it might initially seem. Here’s what you need to set up a VM with Windows 10 or 11:

Open Start and search for Hyper-V Manager. Press Enter to launch it.
Select your PC’s name from the pane on the left (this should only be required the first time you use Hyper-V).
On the right-side menu, click Newthen Virtual machine.
Click Next.
Choose a name for your VM. You can also choose a different location from the default, if you want to.

Click Next.
Since you’ll be running Windows 11, choose Generation 2 then click Next.
Choose the amount of memory (RAM) to assign to the virtual machine. Windows 11 requires at least 4GB, or 4096MB. Make sure the Use Dynamic Memory for this virtual machine option is enabled.
Click Next.
Change the Connection option to Default switch to enable internet support in the virtual machine. Click Next.

Choose the Create a virtual hard disk option and (optionally) choose a name for the virtual hard disk (VHDX) file.
Choose a size for the virtual hard drive. Windows 11 requires at least 64GB. Click Next.
If you’re using an Intel or AMD processor, choose the Install an operating system from a bootable image file option and click Browse to search for the ISO file you downloaded earlier.
1. If you’re using WIndows on Arm, choose Install an operating system later instead.
Click Nextthen Finish.
In the Hyper-V Manager window, right-click the VM you just created, then click Settings….

Click the Security section on the left-side menu.
Make sure the Enable Secure Boot and Enable Trusted Platform Module options are both enabled. You’ll need these for a Windows 11 VM. Also enable the option that says Encrypt state and virtual machine migration traffic.

Windows 11 on Arm currently doesn’t support enabling TPM in Hyper-V. You’ll have to work around it later.
Click Apply.
Switch to the Processor section on the left-side menu and make sure the Number of virtual processors is 2 or more, as required by Windows 11. If you’re using Intel or AMD processors, you can click OK to finish setting up.
For Windows on Armyou need an additional step, which is adding the VHDX file you downloaded. Go to the SCSI Controller section.
Choose Hard Drive and click Add.
Change the Location dropdown menu to 2 (or another number that’s not in use).
Click Browse to find the VHDX file you downloaded earlier.
Click OK.

Install W indows 11 on your VM

Now that the VM is properly configured, all that’s left to do is to run it and set up Windows 11. Follow these steps:

Double-click your newly created VM in Hyper-V.
Click Start and press any key when prompted to boot the VM using the ISO file.

If you take too long to press OK, the virtual machine will be stuck. You can click the Reset button in the toolbar to try again.
If you have an Intel or AMD processorskip to step 7. For Arm PCsbecause Hyper-V on Arm doesn’t currently support TPM, you’ll have to bypass the TPM requirement before getting started. Press Shift+F10 to open Command prompt.
Enter the following command to open Registry Editor:
```
regedit
```
Navigate to HKLMSYSTEMSetup.

Right-click this folder and choose New> Key. Name it LabConfig.
Open the LabConfig key and right-click it then choose New> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it BypassTPMCheck and set its value to 1.
Create another DWORD 32-bit Value and name it BypassSecureBootCheck. Set its value to 1 as well.
Close Registry Editor and Command Prompt to follow the installation as usual.
Choose your language and region settings. The default settings should be fine, so you can click Next.

Click Install now.
Enter a product key if you have one at hand. You can choose to skip this for now, but you’ll need it later.
Choose the edition of Windows 10 you want to install. You have to choose an edition that matches the product key you used.
Accept the license agreement, and then choose Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced).
You’ll now have to create a partition to install Windows. Simple click Drive 0 Unallocated Spacethen click Next.
From here, you can just set up Windows 11 as you would on a brand-new PC. If you need any help with this process, we have a guide on how to install Windows 11, which goes over the out-of-box-experience (OOBE).

You’ll now be running Windows 11 in your VM. If you used a Windows Insider ISO, all you should need to do is check for updates to get the latest build Windows 11 version 24H2 available to test. However, if you used the general Windows 11 ISO for your Intel or AMD PC, you’ll need to enroll the virtual machine in the Windows Insider Program, which you can do in the Settings app, under Windows Update.

Be mindful of Windows Insider channels

Keep in mind that Windows Insider channels can sometimes get you on a track where you’ll get unstable updates in the future. Currently, Windows 11 version 24H2 is only in the Dev channel, but that will change as we approach the general release. We recommend switching to the Beta channel when possible, and eventually making sure you’re out of the Insider program if you don’t want to keep receiving unstable updates after version 24H2.

Explaining the Windows Insider Program channels for Windows 11 betas

Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program can be confusing if you’re new, so here’s everything you need to know for testing the Windows 11 beta.