Unfortunately, the Hyper-V feature is only available in Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, and Education editions. You can’t install it on Windows 10 Home edition by default. However, using the steps in this article, we’ll show you how to enable Hyper-V in the Windows 10 Home edition.
Does Your System Support Virtualization?
Before moving forward, we need to check if our system supports virtualization. Hardware virtualization is required for Hyper-V to function correctly. Otherwise, you can use other virtualization platforms like Virtualbox and VMWare. There are four basic requirements for Hyper-V to be installed on a Windows 10 computer:
VM Monitor Mode ExtensionsVirtualization enabled in firmwareSecond Level Address Translation (SLAT)Data Execution Prevention
All four of these requirements can be easily checked through a Command Prompt cmdlet. Run the following cmdlet in an elevated Command Prompt and obtain the results on the four requirements: This will generate a list, and you will find the section “Hyper-V Requirements” at the end of the list containing the details of the 4 requirements, as in the image below:Check Hyper-V requirements If these requirements are met, the results will display “Yes.” However, if you find that “Virtualization Enabled In Firmware” states “No,” you need to enable it using the guide below.
Enable Virtualization in Firmware/BIOS
Most modern computers support all the requirements of Hyper-V. But some systems have virtualization disabled from BIOS. You can go to the BIOS setup computer at the startup and enable Virtualization using the following steps: When it reboots, continue with the following steps to install and enable Hyper-V.
Install Hyper-V in Windows 10 Home
Note: Since Windows Home edition comes without Hyper-V, you must first install it. If you have the Pro, Education, or Enterprise editions, then you may skip this step and proceed to the next section of this article. To check which edition you have, type in winver in the Run Command box and obtain your operating system’s details. Follow the steps below to install and enable Hyper-V in Windows 10 Home: Once rebooted, Hyper-V will have installed and automatically enabled on your Windows Home. Hyper-V installer and enabler for Windows 10 Home (317 bytes, 34,903 hits) It may take some time to complete the installation. Please let it complete without interruption. The computer will now reboot and update.
How to Enable Hyper-V on Windows 10 (Pro, Enterprise, Education)
The method given above automatically enables Hyper-V as well as installing it on a Windows Home. However, if you are running Windows Pro, Education, or Enterprise edition, then you can enable Hyper-V using any one of the following methods.
Enable Hyper-V from Optional Features
Since Hyper-V is an optional feature that one can enable when needed, you can enable it from the Optional Features applet. Here is how: Hyper-V will now be installed and enabled. You can now access the Hyper-V manager by searching for it in the search box in the taskbar or through the Start menu. Alternatively, you can also use the other 2 command-line methods to enable Hyper-V on Windows 10.
Enable Hyper-V from Command Prompt
Follow these steps to enable Hyper-V using the DISM command tool in the Command Prompt: The computer will now restart, When it does, Hyper-V should be enabled successfully.
Enable Hyper-V from Windows PowerShell
If you’d rather prefer to use Windows PowerShell, here is how to enable Hyper-V: These are the 3 methods to enable Hyper-V in Windows 10, provided that the hardware is supported and Hyper-V is installed. When the computer reboots, Hyper-V will have installed successfully.
How to Disable Hyper-V in Windows 10 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education)
If you don’t want this functionality on your computer, you can always disable it. There are three ways to disable it:
From Optional FeaturesOpen the Optional Features applet by typing in optionalfeatures in the Run Command box.Open Optional Features appletUncheck the box next to Hyper-V and click Ok.Disable Hyper-V from Optional FeaturesWhen done, click Restart now to finalize the changes.Restart PCFrom Command PromptRun the following cmdlet in an elevated Command Prompt to disable Hyper-V:DISM /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V-allIf asked for a reboot, enter Y for Yes.Disable Hyper V from Command PromptFrom PowerShellRun the following cmdlet in an elevated PowerShell to disable Hyper-V:Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-AllIf asked for a reboot, enter Y for Yes.Disable Hyper V from Windows PowerShell
Closing Thoughts
Sometimes Hyper-V is very useful even for home users. It can be used to test and evaluate new software without hurting the host system. But there are times when enabling virtualization support or installing Hyper-V is not recommended. Run the following cmdlet in an elevated Command Prompt to disable Hyper-V: If asked for a reboot, enter Y for Yes.Disable Hyper V from Command Prompt Run the following cmdlet in an elevated PowerShell to disable Hyper-V: If asked for a reboot, enter Y for Yes. Hyper-V requires some system resources to run its virtual machines. For example, if you have 4 GB RAM, you won’t be able to give any resources to the virtual machine. So it would not be wise to enable Hyper-V functionality. For what purpose do you want to enable Hyper-V functionality on your Windows 10 Home computer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Also see:
How To Enable Hyper-V In Windows 11 (Home & Pro)How To Enable Virtualization In Windows 11/104 Ways To Enable/Disable Optional Windows FeaturesHow to Enable Local Security Policy (secpol.msc) in Windows 11 (Home + Pro)How To Enable Nested Virtualization (VT-x) On Hyper-V, VMWare, VirtualBox VMs In Windows
