Latest build requires TPM 2.0 for virtual machines

Sep 16, 2021 18:39 GMT  ·  By

Many people try out Windows 11 in virtual machines, and this happens for a very good reason. By installing the latest preview builds in a virtual machine and not directly on a stand-alone system, they can therefore be up-to-date with all the changes that Microsoft is working on, all without letting any potential bugs or stability issues to impact the performance of their devices.

Until now, installing Windows 11 was as easy as it got, simply because these preview builds didn’t come with any special requirements.

Aside from the typical hardware requirements, that is, and everybody knows already just how controversial these have been for Windows 11 users.

The most recent Windows 11 preview builds available for users in the Dev and Beta channels start enforcing TPM 2.0 even on virtual machines, therefore bring them in line with devices running the operating system separately.

Windows 11 launching in October

In other words, Microsoft wants all system requirements to be available everywhere, so in theory, you would no longer be able to run Windows 11 in a virtual machine unless TPM 2.0 is available.

“This build includes a change that aligns the enforcement of the Windows 11 system requirements on Virtual Machines (VMs) to be the same as it is for physical PCs. Previously created VMs running Insider Preview builds may not update to the latest preview builds. In Hyper-V, VMs need to be created as a Generation 2 VM. For more details on the Windows 11 system requirements – see this blog post here,” Microsoft explained in an announcement.

Windows 11 is projected to start rolling out to supported devices next month, with the first wave of devices to get it on October 5. Microsoft has promised to release Windows 11 for all eligible computers by mid-2022, so the rollout is supposed to complete by the next summer.