To be able to use two or more hypervisors at the same time in Windows, the first thing you need is to have the latest version of Windows installed. Support for multiple hypervisor is enabled from May 2020 Update, the 2004 version of the operating system. Therefore, installing this version, or any later, is the first thing we must do. Also, remember that Hyper-V is an exclusive feature of Windows 10 and Windows 11 Proso if we have the Home edition we will not be able to use it.
You also need to make sure you have the latest versions of both VirtualBox and VMware installed. The support for the nested paging and VT-x together with Hyper-V It is available from VirtualBox version 6.0, and from VMware Workstation version 15.5.5. However, we recommend using at least more advanced versions such as Virtual Box 6.1 either VMware Workstation 16since stability and performance are improved (and much) with this feature.
If we already have the latest versions of the virtualization software installed on our computer, now we are going to see how to activate everything.
Enabling Hyper-V Shared Virtualization on Windows
The first thing to keep in mind is that Hyper-V is only available for Windows users, but it is its Pro version. Home editions of the operating system do not have this feature, so we will not be able to use it.
The main reason for all this is quite obvious, since this is a function especially indicated for advanced users of the operating system. Therefore, in the event that you need to use Hyper-V in the Microsoft system for work or personal reasons and you have the Home edition, you will have to purchase the Pro.
Thus, after verifying that we do indeed have the professional version of the operating system, what we must do is follow the steps below to enable this functionality. To check if we have the Pro version or the Home version, we just have to access the Windows configuration options (Win + i) and click on System. Then, in the left column, click on About and in the left section, in the Windows Specifications section, we check if it is the Home version or the Pro version.
Enable virtualization in BIOS
The first thing we are going to have to do is activate virtualization support in the BIOS of our computer. By default, BIOS/UEFI disable processor virtualization as it is not a feature that users typically need. Therefore, if we are going to use it, we will have to activate it manually.
Intel processors carry VT-xwhile AMD processors carry the technology V-AMD. Each BIOS is different, but the most common is to find these options within the CPU section of the advanced configuration. We only have to move through the BIOS of our equipment to locate the function that interests us in this case from among the different menus available. As we tell you, generally each BIOS of a certain manufacturer is different from the rest, but it will not be too difficult for us to locate the feature that interests us in this case.
Once these two features are activated, we can enter Windows. Although before being able to use these systems at the same time we will have to do some configuration in the operating system as well. Therefore, next, we only have to start the PC in a conventional way to configure what we are looking for in these lines, but within Windows.
Enable Hyper-V, WSL and other features in Windows
Hyper-V is disabled by default in Windows, although we use the aforementioned mandatory Pro edition in this case. Therefore, unless we have manually activated it at some point in the past, it will not be available, at least for the moment.
This component, like others, is part of the so-called Windows features. Therefore, to enable it, we will have to write in the Windows 10 search bar “Windows features» to open this configuration window. Here we find a series of somewhat special functions of the Microsoft operating system that are not usually activated by default. These are more specific functionalities than in other circumstances and if we do not need them they could create some conflicts in the operation of the software.
Now we can see the window to activate or deactivate Windows features. Here, the characteristics that interest us with Hyper V and “Windows hypervisor platform«. To locate this entry we only have to move with the drop-down list that we have on the screen and that is full of additional functions of the system.
But we can also take advantage of and enable other features that we can use in Hyper-V, such as the Windows Subsystem for Linux or the Sandbox, also known as Windows Sandbox. As you can imagine, all this will help us to take advantage of the Mayoral operating system by making use of some of its most advanced functions.
Once these options are activated, we only have to restart the PC for Windows to apply the changes and that’s it, we can start using what we are looking for in these lines.
Using VMware and VirtualBox with HyperV
After carrying out the previous steps, and restarting Windows, we will have everything ready. From now on, virtual machine programs will not work alongside Windows features that depend on Hyper-V. For example, we can have a Windows virtual machine while we update the Linux repositories in WSL. We must be clear that if we use two virtual machines at the same time, the consumption of Windows resources will skyrocket since it is using part of our PC’s hardware to emulate the environments.
In VirtualBox, for example, we will be able to know that we are using this compatibility method because we will see the icon of a turtle in the lower right part, so the program makes it easy for us.
Both in VMware and in VirtualBox it is necessary to install the latest drivers (Guest Addition or Tools) for everything to work correctly. Otherwise, until we do, we’ll have performance issues because of this compatibility layer, which means it’s highly recommended. Also, thanks to these additional applications, we will be able to copy and paste files and text between the virtual machines and the host machine in the same way that we can do between Windows applications and folders. In addition, we will also be able to establish the resolution that best suits the one offered by our monitor / graphics card.
Improve VMware performance with Hyper-V
While VirtualBox doesn’t give us any problems, VMware can show performance issues. This is due to a security measure that this software brings that allows us to mitigate the Meltdown and Specter vulnerabilities of the processors. This feature provides us with greater security, but at the same time implies a significant loss of performance. When we start a VM with this feature enabled we can see a message like the following.
Luckily, we can easily disable this security measure from the program’s settings. To do this, we simply have to open the virtual machine settings, go to the options tab, and the “Advanced” section. Here we will find the option to enable or disable this security measure.
If we disable it, we can significantly improve the performance of the virtual machine. Although we may be in danger because of these vulnerabilities. We must always use it carefully. The performance improvement, once again, will be based on the amount of resources that we have established in the virtual machine, since, as we have commented above, virtual machines share the hardware resources of the machine where they run.
And it is that one of the main drawbacks that the virtualization of operating systems presents to us through these programs is the high consumption of equipment resources that as a general rule they present to us. In order to be able to use these virtualization applications smoothly and to make their use worthwhile, it is advisable to have a sufficiently powerful computer both in terms of CPU like in RAM available. Otherwise, we are going to find ourselves with serious operating problems even with the entire team blocked.
Precisely from there comes the importance of configuring properly for now more like the ones we are talking about in these lines, VMware and VirtualBox, all in order to get the most out of the available functions with the best user experience.
If you don’t use WSL, Sandbox or Docker, better disable Hyper-V
This mode of compatibility between hypervisors is something that many of us have been waiting for a long time. Especially taking into account the novelties that Microsoft is working on, such as WSL2. Now we no longer have to decide between using one type of virtualization or another, since we can have it all without compatibility problems.
However, if we are not going to use these features, it is unnecessary to have Hyper-V enabled, since it will consume resources that could perfectly be used by other programs. Also, the Hyper-V compatibility layer can detract from virtual machines performance. Therefore, if we are not going to use these features, the best thing we can do is disable the options that we have explained how to activate in the previous steps. It is only recommended to have it activated if we need to use it, but if we have our needs covered with VMware or Virtualbox, this function is not necessary.
We have also been able to notice that there are some operating systems, such as macOS, the Insider versions of Windows 11, or some Linux distros, that work poorly when you have Windows virtualization turned on. Therefore, if we are going to use these operating systems, it is best to disable Hyper-V to use each program’s own hypervisor and improve overall performance.
Of course, if we need it again tomorrow we can activate it again as we have shown you in this article.