Enable Virtualization in BIOS: Determine if the Intel VT-x or AMD-V Virtualization Technology is enabled in BIOS

In this article, we shall discuss “Determine if the Intel VT-x or AMD-V Virtualization Technology is enabled in BIOS”. Virtualization technology enables you to utilize the same hardware resources to run a secondary operating system in complete isolation from the other. An example of this is if you running a macOS inside Windows 10 or Windows 11 using a sandbox. Please see the virtual machine ran into a non-fatal problem as described below, we suggest that you take appropriate action to prevent the problem from recurring, and how to install Windows Server 2019 on Virtualbox.

For this to be possible, Intel VT-x or AMD-V Virtualization needs to be enabled in the BIOS. It is of two types: one that comes with AMD CPUs and another on Intel-powered computers. They both support 64-bit virtual machines. AMD refers to its virtualization technology as AMD-V, and Intel refers to its as VT-x.

As you can tell these technologies, there is not much difference between these two. The only difference is that they are provided by different processor manufacturers.

If you are looking for a device that is capable of Virtualization, then you should first determine if your device is based on Intel or AMD processors. These two processors come with the capability to manage virtualization using a pair of integrated CPU codes.

You may want to see the following guides on how fix VirtualBox Displaying only 32 bits Option, and how to enable Hyper-V on a VMware Workstation. You can also use a third-party utility such as securAble, or utility tools provided by Intel or AMD.

How to check if your CPU has Intel VT-x or AMD-V?

You need to check for Intel VT-x if you are using Intel-based CPU and AMD-V if you are using AMD CPU. Two different processor manufacturers offer the same technology. You can check if your CPU has virtualization technology or not right from within Windows OS. In Windows 10, and Windows 11 OS, this can be determined by launching the Task Manager and clicking on the Performance Tab.

Observe that Virtualization is enabled, as depicted in the image below. If it is enabled, it means that your CPU supports Virtualization and is currently enabled in BIOS. You need to enable it in BIOS, if it shows disabled. If you don’t see virtualization, it means that your CPU does not support virtualization.

In The Task Manager window, the CPU details are shown by default as you open the Performance tab.  Under CPU details on the right side of the screen check the Virtualization section. It will show if it’s Enabled or Disabled.

Here, we can see it’s Enabled. Search for Task Manager from the search menu on Windows 11 or right-click on the Taskbar on Windows 10 to launch the Task Manager.

Kindly refer to these related guides: How to enable virtualization (VT-X) in VMWare workstation, how to install virtual machine Guest Addition, Linux Machine: Is it Virtual or a Physical server, and how to install virtual machine Guest Addition.

Checking virtualization Via the “Systeminfo” Command

The systeminfo command displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system, including operating system configuration, security information, product ID, and hardware properties (such as RAM, disk space, and network cards).

You may want to see these guides for related information: Systeminfo switches: How to use Systeminfo command-line tool switches, and how to determine the last boot time of a Windows Server.

Open Command Prompt to display the information of interest. Use Windows Key + R to open the run box, type cmd, and hit Enter. In the Command Prompt, type systeminfo command and Enter. This command will display all the details of your system including Virtualization support.

Once your system information is displayed, check the details under “Hyper-V Requirements”. If you see “Yes” for each detail, it means your CPU is virtualization-capable (could be either Intel VT-x or AMD-V). However, the “Virtualization Enabled in Firmware” detail might show “NO”. If that’s the case, you’ll have to enable virtualization in your BIOS

Via MSINFO32

Windows includes a tool called Microsoft System Information (Msinfo32.exe). This tool gathers information about your computer and displays a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment, which you can use to diagnose computer issues. If you run MSINFO32 without Administrator privileges, it may show some drivers as stopped when they are not.

This is because the cache for this information requires Administrator privileges to update.  To avoid this issue, make sure to run MSINFO32 with Administrator privileges.

You may want to see this guide for more information: How to use System Information, MSINFO32 via the command-line.

To view the Microsoft System Information, lauch from the Command Prompt or from the Windows Search. Alternatively, this can be launched from the Run dialog window as well “Right-click Start > Run > msinfo32“.

Here are some similar VM errors, the virtual machine has terminated unexpectedly during startup with exit code 1 (1×0), Windows failed to start, a recent hardware or software change might be the cause and how to fix Taking ownership of a VM failed: The virtual machine appears to be in use.

Via PowerShell

The line HyperVRequirementVirtualizationFirmwareEnabled : True shows if virtualization is enabled in BIOS (firmware). In PowerShell run: Get-ComputerInfo -property "HyperV*"

NOTE: It is also important to note that a 64-bit VM machine will not run on a 32-bit processor. However, you may be able to run a 64-bit VM machine if you have a 64-bit processor but have installed a 32-bit host OS and your processor supports the right extensions

How to install Docker Engine on Ubuntu, how to install Docker Desktop and register GitLab-Runner with Docker-windows executor: Deploying and using Windows containers with Gitlab CI, and how to install and uninstall Docker Desktop on Windows 10 and Windows Server.

Enabling Virtualization in your PC BIOS

Each laptop differs on how to modify the BIOS settings. Although the available options in the BIOS are quite similar for every laptop, process and function keys may differ a bit. To turn this feature on, try these steps discussed below.

• Reboot your computer
• Right when the computer is coming up from the black screen, press Delete, Esc, F1, F2, or F4. Each computer manufacturer uses a different key but it may show a brief message at boot telling you which one to press. If you miss it the first time, reboot and try again. It helps to tap the key about twice a second when the computer is coming up.
• In the BIOS settings, find the configuration items related to the CPU. These can be in under the headings Processor, Chipset, or Northbridge.
• Activate virtualization; you might find the setting labeled as VT-x, AMD-V, SVM, or Vanderpool. Enable Intel VT-d or AMD IOMMU if the options are available.
• Save your changes and reboot.

For a DELL Specific Devices

Below are the steps to access the BIOS settings of a DELL device. Newer models: F2 key whilst Dell logo is on screen. Alternatively: F1, Delete, F12, or F3. Older models: CTRL+ALT+ENTER or Delete or Fn+ESC or Fn+F1.

1. Turn ON the System.
2. Press F2 key at startup BIOS Setup.
3. Press the right arrow key to the Advanced tab, Select Virtualization, and then press the Enter key.
4. Select Enabled and press the Enter key.
5. Press the F10 key and select Yes and press the Enter key to save changes and Reboot into Windows.

I hope you found this blog post on how to “determine if the Intel VT-x or AMD-V Virtualization Technology is enabled in BIOS” helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.