How to Enable Virtualization (Intel VT-x / AMD-V) in BIOS on Windows 10 and 11

Why virtualization lives in the BIOS, not in Windows #

Hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x, AMD AMD-V) is a capability built into your CPU. Windows can only use it after the firmware, the BIOS or UEFI that starts before Windows, has switched it on. That is why no Windows setting can turn it on, and why one switch serves every tool that needs it:

• WSL 2 and Docker Desktop
• Android emulators, and Android devices that run on your own PC
• Virtual machines (Hyper-V, VirtualBox, VMware)
• Windows Sandbox

Before you start: three quick checks #

1. Does your CPU support it? Almost every Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processor of the last decade does. For WSL 2, Microsoft requires second level address translation (SLAT), introduced with Intel's first-generation Core ("Nehalem") and AMD Opteron. Older CPUs such as the Core 2 Duo cannot run WSL 2 even if the Windows features install without errors. To see your CPU model, run this in PowerShell (no administrator rights needed):

   Get-CimInstance Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name

2. Is it already on? Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → Performance → CPU. If the lower-right block says Virtualization: Enabled, you are done. Our guide How to check if virtualization is enabled covers four methods and a trap that makes PowerShell report False while virtualization is actually on.
3. Can you change BIOS settings? Work and school PCs often have a BIOS password or locked settings. If yours does, ask your IT administrator.

Step 1: Restart into your firmware settings #

You have three ways in. Method A is the fastest on any PC that boots with UEFI, which is almost every PC sold since about 2012.

Method A: one command (UEFI PCs) #

Save your work, then open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

shutdown /r /fw /t 0

/r restarts, /fw makes the next boot go to the firmware user interface, and /t 0 removes the countdown. The PC restarts immediately.

Method B: through Windows settings #

• Windows 11: Settings → System → Recovery → Advanced startup → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings → Restart.
• Windows 10: Settings → Update & Security → Recovery → Advanced startup → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings → Restart.

The UEFI Firmware Settings tile appears only on UEFI PCs. If you don't see it, use Method C.

Method C: press the key at power-on #

Restart the PC and, as soon as the logo appears, tap the key for your brand repeatedly. A single press is easy to miss.

Step 2: Find the virtualization option #

Once inside, switch to Advanced mode if the screen offers it (often F7 on ASUS and MSI boards). Then look under anything CPU-related. The option has one of these names:

Typical locations (names change between BIOS versions):

Step 3: Switch it on, save and exit #

1. Set the option to Enabled.
2. Press F10, the usual Save and Exit key (the on-screen legend shows the real one), and confirm with Yes.
3. The PC restarts into Windows.

Step 4: Confirm it worked #

Open Task Manager → Performance → CPU and check for Virtualization: Enabled. If you are about to use WSL 2, Docker Desktop or Android devices, that is the only check you need at this stage.

If the line still says Disabled, the change didn't save or you switched a different option. Go back in and look again, or work through the troubleshooting list below.

If something goes wrong #

The option isn't there.

• Your CPU may not support virtualization. Some entry-level and older Intel Atom, Pentium and Celeron parts don't. Look up the exact model on the maker's specification page; Intel's ARK lists "Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x): Yes/No".
• Some laptops hide advanced options until you update the BIOS to the latest version from the maker's support page.

The option is greyed out or locked. A supervisor or administrator BIOS password, or a corporate policy, is controlling it. Ask the administrator.

It was on and is now off. BIOS updates, a cleared CMOS or a dead CMOS battery restore factory defaults, and virtualization is often off by default. Enable it again.

The BIOS says Enabled but Windows says Disabled. Restart properly (Start → Power → Restart, not Shut down) and check again. If you use other hypervisors, Microsoft's minimum versions for coexisting with Hyper-V are VirtualBox 6 and VMware Workstation 15.5.5; older versions need updating or turning off.

Windows runs inside a virtual machine. The host must expose virtualization to it (nested virtualization). On a Hyper-V host, open PowerShell as administrator and run:

Set-VMProcessor -VMName <VMName> -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

Replace <VMName> with the name shown in Hyper-V Manager.

Is it safe, and will it slow my PC down? #

Turning the option on is a normal, supported setting: it is a standard CPU capability, not an overclock. Nothing runs virtualized until you start a tool that asks for it, and the option costs nothing by itself. Windows' hypervisor, which starts later when a feature such as WSL 2 needs it, can add a small overhead in some workloads, and most people never notice it.

A few older emulators and some anti-cheat software don't get along with Windows' hypervisor. If that affects you, you can turn the hypervisor off without touching the BIOS (run as administrator, then restart):

bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

Turn it back on with bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype Auto.

What to do next #

• WSL 2: open PowerShell as administrator, run wsl --install, restart, and follow Microsoft's setup steps. If you hit an error code, see Fix common WSL 2 errors.
• Android devices on your PC with ADSSPEED: ADSSPEED runs its Android devices on your own PC through Windows' virtualization, so this setting has to be on first.