Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC — *Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC*

Hyper-V is a powerful feature in Windows 11 that allows you to create and run virtual machines (VMs) on your PC. With Hyper-V, you can run multiple operating systems, including different versions of Windows and Linux, all on one device. It’s a handy tool for IT pros, developers, and anyone who wants to test software in a virtual environment without affecting the main system. If you need to Run Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC, this guide will help you through the process. Please see “How to create a password reset disk: Reset Windows Password“

This guide will walk you through the steps to enable Hyper-V on your Windows 11 PC, whether you’re using the Pro or Home edition.

We’ll also cover how to convert a physical PC into a Hyper-V VM using Microsoft VMC.

Please see Could not connect to virtual machine try to connect again Hyper-V, How to Create a Windows Server VM on HyperV, Copy and Paste between your device to a VM running in Hyper-V, How to Create Hyper-V Virtual Switch.

Step 1: Enable Virtualization in BIOS/UEFI

Before you can enable Hyper-V in Windows 11, you need to turn on virtualization in your computer’s BIOS/UEFI. Virtualization is a hardware feature that Hyper-V depends on, and it must be enabled at the system level before you can use it.

Steps to enable virtualization:

Press Windows + I to open Settings on your Windows 11 PC and click on System. Scroll down and select Recovery.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Click on recovery — *Click on recovery*

Under the “Recovery options,” click the Restart now button next to Advanced startup.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Hit the restart now button — *Hit the restart now button*

After the system restarts, select Troubleshoot.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Select Troubleshoot — *Select Troubleshoot*

Go to Advanced options and then choose UEFI Firmware Settings.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Select UEFI Firmware Settings — *Select UEFI Firmware Settings*

Click Restart to enter UEFI (BIOS).

In the UEFI/BIOS interface, locate the Virtualization Technology setting. It might be listed as “Intel VT-x” or “AMD-V” depending on your CPU.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Turn on virtualization — *Turn on virtualization*

Enable the virtualization option and save your settings (usually by pressing F10).

Restart your computer. Once virtualization is enabled, you can proceed to enable Hyper-V.

Step 2: Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Pro

If you’re using Windows 11 Pro (or a higher edition), enabling Hyper-V is a straightforward process. You can do it either through the Settings app or by using PowerShell commands.

Method 1: Enable Hyper-V via Windows Features

Open Settings on Windows 11 and select System. Scroll down and click on Optional features.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Select Optional features — *Select Optional features*

Scroll down to the Related settings section and click More Windows features.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Click more windows features — *Click more windows features*

In the Windows Features window, check the box for Hyper-V.

Enable Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC: Enable Hyper-V — *Enable Hyper-V*

Click OK and then select Restart now when prompted.

After the restart, Hyper-V will be installed, and you can start creating virtual machines using the Hyper-V Manager.

Method 2: Enable Hyper-V via PowerShell

If you prefer the command line, you can enable Hyper-V using PowerShell:

Open Start, search for PowerShell, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.

Type the following command and press Enter:

   Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All

Enter Hyper-V command — *Run Hyper-V command*

Type Y when prompted to restart your computer. Once your system restarts, Hyper-V will be enabled, and you’ll have access to Hyper-V Manager.

Please see how to Install HyperV and Configure vSwitch on Windows Server with PowerShell.

Step 3: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM Using Microsoft VMC

If you want to create a virtual machine from your existing physical PC, you can use Microsoft’s Virtual Machine Converter (VMC). This tool allows you to convert a physical machine into a virtual machine (P2V).

Download and Set Up Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC)

Download Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter from Microsoft’s official website and install it.

*Install Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter*

Open the Start menu and search for Allow an app through Windows Firewall.

In the Windows Defender Firewall, click on Change settings and allow Windows Management Instrumentation. This enables MVMC to communicate over the network without being blocked.

*Enable Windows management instrumentation (WMI)*

Press the Windows + R button and type services.msc to open the Services manager.

Verify that Remote Procedure Call (RPC), DCOM Server Process Launcher, and RPC Endpoint Mapper are all running.

This is especially important for cross-network communication.

Start the PC Conversion Process in Microsoft VMC

Launch MVMC, click Machine Type and choose the option to convert a physical machine. Click Next to continue.

Provide the IP address, computer name, or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the physical PC you’re converting. Enter admin credentials and click Next.

Click Scan System to allow MVMC to gather details about the source machine’s configuration.

This scan installs a lightweight agent on the source machine temporarily.

Configure VM Settings for the Destination

Set up the VM’s name, processor count, and memory allocation. This will determine how the virtual machine will run once it’s on Hyper-V.

Specify the Hyper-V host where the VM will be created. If you’re using the local Hyper-V host, you can enter localhost as the server name. Make sure that the Hyper-V role is enabled on this host.

Select Storage Paths

Specify where you want the virtual disk files to be stored on the Hyper-V server. Use a network path, such as \\localhost\e$\virtual, if MVMC and Hyper-V are on the same host.

Choose a temporary directory where MVMC will store files during the conversion process. You can use the same directory as the final destination if both MVMC and Hyper-V are on the same machine.

Set Up Network Configuration

Pick the virtual switch for your VM’s network adapter, or choose Not Connected if you plan to configure networking manually after the conversion.

Before you start the VM on Hyper-V, ensure the physical source machine is shut down or disconnected to avoid network conflicts.

Double-check all configurations before clicking Finish.

MVMC will now begin converting your physical machine’s disks to virtual disks. This involves two key stages:

Convert Disk: MVMC creates VHD files for each volume you selected.
Copy Disk: Once the virtual disks are ready, MVMC copies them to the final destination directory.

After the conversion, open Hyper-V Manager. You should see your new VM listed.

Conclusion

Hyper-V is a powerful tool for running virtual environments on your Windows 11 PC. Whether you’re using the Pro edition or applying the workaround for the Home edition, enabling Hyper-V lets you manage virtual machines efficiently.

You can also convert a physical PC into a Hyper-V VM using Microsoft VMC to further extend your virtualization capabilities.

I hope you find this post helpful on how to Run Hyper-V on Windows 11: Convert Physical PC to Hyper-V VM via Microsoft VMC. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

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