You usually do not need to disable Hyper-V just to run modern VirtualBox or VMware Workstation on Windows 11. Current versions can operate with Microsoft’s hypervisor enabled, although performance and feature compatibility may be worse than when they have direct access to hardware virtualisation.
If VirtualBox or VMware works well with Hyper-V enabled, leave Windows alone. If you encounter major performance or compatibility problems, you can temporarily boot Windows with the Microsoft hypervisor disabled.
What changed since the old Windows 10 workaround?
The original version of this guide said VirtualBox and VMware simply could not run while Hyper-V was enabled. That used to be broadly true.
Today:
- VirtualBox 7.x can detect Hyper-V and use Microsoft’s hypervisor interfaces, although Oracle warns that performance can degrade significantly.
- VMware Workstation 15.5.5 and newer can use Windows Hypervisor Platform when Hyper-V or VBS is active on a supported Windows host.
Oracle VirtualBox 7.2 documentation and Broadcom’s VMware Hyper-V guidance document this coexistence.
Option 1: keep Hyper-V enabled
This is the best starting point on a current Windows 11 PC.
- Update VirtualBox or VMware Workstation to the latest current version.
- Install all current Windows updates.
- For VirtualBox, make sure Windows Hypervisor Platform is available if required by your configuration.
- Launch a VM and check performance before changing security or boot settings.
Microsoft also recommends current VMware/VirtualBox versions when Windows hypervisor features are in use.
Option 2: temporarily disable the Windows hypervisor
If you need maximum VirtualBox/VMware performance or encounter a compatibility problem, Windows supports the boot setting:
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off
Run that in an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell, then restart Windows.
To turn the Microsoft hypervisor back on:
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto
Restart again.
Microsoft documents hypervisorlaunchtype values of Off and Auto.
See Microsoft’s BCDEdit documentation.
Option 3: create a separate “Hypervisor Off” boot entry
If you regularly switch between Hyper-V/WSL2 and direct VirtualBox/VMware operation, a second boot entry is more convenient than changing the setting every time.
Open an elevated terminal and run:
bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Hypervisor Off"
Windows returns a new GUID. Use that exact GUID in:
bcdedit /set {YOUR-GUID-HERE} hypervisorlaunchtype off
After restarting, Windows should offer the normal boot entry and the new Hypervisor Off entry.
Be careful with BCDEdit. It changes Windows boot configuration. Copy the GUID exactly and do not delete or modify unrelated entries.
Why might VirtualBox still be slower with Hyper-V?
When Hyper-V owns hardware virtualisation, VirtualBox can use the Windows hypervisor rather than controlling VT-x/AMD-V directly. Oracle’s current documentation still warns of significant performance degradation on some hosts.
That is why disabling Hyper-V remains useful for some workloads even though coexistence is now possible.
What about Memory Integrity, Credential Guard and VBS?
Modern Windows security features can also use the Microsoft hypervisor. Disabling Hyper-V in Windows Features does not necessarily mean the hypervisor is completely absent.
Do not turn off Memory Integrity, Credential Guard or other security features merely to chase a small VM benchmark improvement. Oracle explicitly notes the security impact of disabling these protections.
Does this affect WSL2 and Windows Sandbox?
Yes. Features such as WSL2, Windows Sandbox, Virtual Machine Platform and some security functions depend on Microsoft’s virtualisation stack.
If you boot with hypervisorlaunchtype off, expect Hyper-V-dependent features to be unavailable until you boot with the hypervisor enabled again.
How to check whether the hypervisor is enabled
Open an elevated terminal and run:
bcdedit /enum | findstr -i hypervisorlaunchtype
If the result shows Off, the hypervisor is disabled for that boot entry. Microsoft documents Auto as the setting that enables normal hypervisor launch.
Quick answer
Try current VirtualBox or VMware with Hyper-V enabled first. If performance or compatibility is poor, use bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off and restart, then restore it with auto when you need Hyper-V/WSL2 again. A second boot entry is convenient for people who switch frequently.
