How to enable CPU virtualization in your computer BIOS

If you’ve just built your first testing PC and want to compare different operating systems and applications, then you’ve probably heard about CPU virtualization. It’s a technology that allows one physical CPU to act as multiple independent virtual CPUs, making it great for software testing, running sandboxed environments, and business workloads like servers or development labs.

Enabling it means playing around with some BIOS settings, which is different on every manufacturer and might seem overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re doing. But don’t worry, this guide covers everything you need to know about CPU virtualization, from checking if your system is compatible to enabling it in your BIOS.

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How to check if your system supports CPU virtualization

Not all CPUs support hardware virtualization. Compatibility depends on the processor family, generation, and whether virtualization extensions like Intel VT-x or AMD-V are offered in your motherboard’s BIOS. ARM support is limited and varies by vendor.

Most modern Intel and AMD processors support virtualization, but older or entry-level models might not. ARM-based CPUs, such as those in mobile devices or Apple Silicon, offer limited virtualization support and often require hypervisor-specific configurations.

You can quickly check if your system supports it in these ways:

Task Manager

Task Manager offers the quickest way to check in Windows 10/11 systems.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Task Manager by pressing CTRL + Shift + Escape
2. Navigate to Performance > CPU and look for “Virtualization status”

Whether virtualization is enabled or disabled, simply seeing this setting is enough to indicate the CPU and system firmware expose virtualization extensions, but it doesn’t guarantee full compatibility in all cases.

Some CPUs may display the status but lack support for advanced virtualization functions needed by certain hypervisors or enterprise IT platforms, and ARM-based systems may show related fields with limited or nonstandard support.

Command Prompt

For more detailed system information, including Hyper-V requirements, Command Prompt gives you the most comprehensive Windows-native verification that shows both firmware support and current enablement status.

Follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + R to open Run dialog

2. Type cmd and press Enter

3. In the Command Prompt window, type: <systeminfo>

4. Press Enter and wait for the system scan to complete (10-20 seconds)

5. Scroll down to the Hyper-V Requirements section

Here’s what you might see and what it means:

• “Virtualization Enabled in Firmware: Yes” or “A hypervisor has been detected” means virtualization is active
• “Virtualization Enabled in Firmware: No” means virtualization is supported but disabled in BIOS
• “VM Monitor Mode Extensions: Yes” confirms Intel VT-x or AMD-V support
• “Second Level Address Translation: Yes” confirms EPT (Intel) or RVI (AMD) support

» Go further by learning how to check HWID (Hardware ID)

PowerShell

PowerShell is best for IT professionals who need scriptable verification that allows for remote checks across multiple endpoints through RMM platforms like Atera.

Follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + X and select Powershell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin), depending on your system configuration

2. Copy and paste the PowerShell command: <Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name, VirtualizationFirmwareEnabled>

You’ll see two different options:

1. VirtualizationFirmwareEnabled: True means virtualization is enabled
2. VirtualizationFirmwareEnabled: False means virtualization is supported but disabled

If you don’t see anything, it means virtualization isn’t supported.

» Here’s how to run PowerShell commands on a remote computer

Linux Terminal

This is best for Linux users or system administrators using Linux and won’t work on other operating systems.

Follow these steps:

1. CTRL + Alt + T (on most distributions)
2. Run this command: <egrep -wo ‘vmx|svm’ /proc/cpuinfo>
3. Review the output

You should see one of the following messages:

• vmx (multiple times): Intel VT-x is supported
• svm (multiple times): AMD-V is supported
• No output: Virtualization not supported or disabled in BIOS

Note: The number of times vmx or svm appears corresponds to your CPU thread count. If you have a 4-core/8-thread CPU, you should see vmx or svm listed 8 times.

macOS Terminal

This option will only work for Mac users with Intel processors (not applicable to Apple Silicon).

Follow these steps:

1. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
2. Run this command: <sysctl -a | grep machdep.cpu.features>
3. Look for VMX in the output

What you’ll see:

• VMX appears in the feature list: means Intel VT-x is supported
• VMX not present: Virtualization is not supported (unlikely on modern Macs)

Note for Apple Silicon: M1/M2/M3 Macs use Apple’s Hypervisor.framework instead of traditional VT-x. Virtualization is built-in and always enabled at the hardware level, which means no BIOS configuration needed.

Enabling CPU virtualization: step-by-step guide

Once you’ve confirmed your CPU supports virtualization, the next step is enabling it through your system’s BIOS or UEFI interface. While the core process is similar across all systems, the exact location of settings and terminology varies by manufacturer.

WARNING: Enabling CPU virtualization allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical host, improving hardware utilization and operational efficiency. For typical business workloads (like endpoint testing, sandboxing, or running isolated services), the performance impact is minimal. However, CPU-bound applications may experience a slight performance dip due to hypervisor overhead, especially under high VM density. Thermal behavior can also increase, so be sure to keep an eye on your performance with local tools or RMM platforms like Atera.

» Struggling? Start by identifying your motherboard make & model

Step 1: Access BIOS/UEFI

Restart your PC, then press the BIOS key repeatedly during startup until you get to the BIOS menu. The BIOS key varies per device, but is usually either Del, F2, F10, F12, or Esc.

If you boot into your OS, you were either pressing the wrong key or didn’t press it at the right time.

You should see a menu that looks something like this:

Note: Every manufacturer will have a BIOS menu that looks a little different (colors, layout, labels, etc.). At the very least, you should boot into something that isn’t your OS login screen.

» Don’t miss our guide to finding your Windows PC serial number

Step 2: Navigate to virtualization settings

Navigate through the following BIOS menus until you find virtualization settings:

• Advanced
• Security
• CPU configuration
• Processor

Tip: Some configurations may prevent your mouse from working in the BIOS menu. If this is you, just navigate through the menus with the arrow keys.

This is different for every manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, and custom-built PCs). Either check the manufacturer website for specific BIOS configurations of your OEM system or motherboard, or navigate through the menus above until you find what you’re looking for (one of the settings below).

Our Gigabyte example looks like this, in Advanced Mode > Advanced CPU Settings.

Step 3: Enable virtualization

Locate the virtualization setting and change it from disabled to enabled. The terminology varies by manufacturer and configuration, so here’s what to look out for:

Intel

Intel VT-x (Intel Virtualization Technology):

• Primary setting name: “Intel Virtualization Technology,” “Intel VT,” “VT-x,” or “Vanderpool Technology” (older systems).
• What it does: Enables core CPU virtualization extensions.
• Required for: Running any virtual machines with VMware, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, KVM.
• Status: Must be set to Enabled.

Intel VT-d (Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O):

• Setting name: “VT-d,” “Intel VT for Direct I/O,” or “IOMMU”.
• What it does: Enables device-level virtualization (hardware passthrough).
• Required for: GPU passthrough to VMs, SR-IOV networking, advanced VM configurations.
• Status: Optional unless you need device passthrough.
• Important note: VT-x and VT-d are separate settings, so you can enable VT-x without VT-d for basic VM functionality.

Intel EPT (Extended Page Tables):

• Typical behavior: Automatically enabled when VT-x is enabled.
• What it does: Hardware-assisted memory virtualization.
• Note: Usually not a separate BIOS setting. It’s part of the VT-x feature set.

AMD

AMD-V (AMD Virtualization) / SVM Mode:

• Primary setting name: “SVM Mode” (Secure Virtual Machine), “AMD-V,” or “AMD Virtualization”.
• What it does: Enables core CPU virtualization extensions (equivalent to Intel VT-x).
• Required for: Running any virtual machines
• Status: Must be set to Enabled.
• Important: “SVM Mode” is the most common label in AMD BIOS interfaces.

AMD IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit):

• Setting name: “IOMMU,” “AMD IOMMU,” or “AMD-Vi” (note: AMD-Vi is different from AMD-V).
• What it does: Device-level virtualization support (equivalent to Intel VT-d).
• Required for: PCI passthrough, GPU passthrough to VMs.
• Status: Optional unless you need device passthrough.

AMD RVI (Rapid Virtualization Indexing):

• Typical behavior: Automatically enabled with AMD-V.
• What it does: Hardware-assisted memory virtualization (equivalent to Intel EPT).
• Note: Usually not a separate BIOS option, it’s enabled automatically when AMD-V is active.

On our Gigabyte example, it’s SVM:

Step 4: Save and exit

Press F10 (on most systems) or navigate to Exit > Save & Exit Setup. Confirm when prompted (“Save changes and reset?”), then the system will reboot with virtualization enabled.

Unique considerations for ARM-based systems

ARM processors handle virtualization differently than x86/x64 systems, and in most cases, you won’t have traditional BIOS access.

Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)

No BIOS/UEFI to access because virtualization is always enabled at the hardware level. Apple Silicon uses the Hypervisor.framework built into macOS. Virtualization is managed entirely by the operating system and no user configuration needed.

This means you can only run ARM-based guest operating systems (ARM Windows 11, Linux ARM distributions). x86/x64 emulation is possible but much slower.

Compatible hypervisors include:

• Parallels Desktop (optimized for Apple Silicon)
• UTM (open-source QEMU frontend)
• VMware Fusion (with ARM guest OS support)
• Docker Desktop (uses Apple’s virtualization framework)

Qualcomm Snapdragon (Windows on ARM)

This offers limited virtualization support and no traditional BIOS. Windows 11 ARM includes Hyper-V support on Snapdragon X Elite processors and virtualization is enabled by default when supported.

Android devices and ARM servers

Consumer ARM devices (tablets, phones, etc.) don’t often offer BIOS access. Virtualization is used internally by the OS for app sandboxing and trusted execution environments), but is not user-accessible for running traditional VMs.

Troubleshooting: What if virtualization is greyed out?

You’ve accessed BIOS and found the virtualization option, but it’s greyed out and won’t let you change it. This is actually a very common issue with several possible causes:

Bios administrator password is set

This is common on business/enterprise systems. In this case, other advanced settings may also be greyed out.

If you don’t have the password:

• For enterprise systems: Contact your IT department.
• For purchased used systems: Some manufacturers (Dell, HP, Lenovo) offer password removal services with proof of ownership.
• Last resort: CMOS reset (clears all BIOS settings, including passwords). See your motherboard manual but be careful as resetting CMOS if you don’t know what you’re doing can brick your motherboard.

Outdated BIOS/UEFI firmware

In this case, your virtualization option could be missing entirely or still be greyed out despite no password protection. It’s unlikely for modern systems, but if your system is more than 5 years old then this might be your problem.

Follow these steps:

1. Check current BIOS version: In BIOS, look for version information (usually on the main screen). Note the exact version number.
2. Check for BIOS updates: Visit your manufacturer’s support website, enter your model number, and look for BIOS/firmware updates in the downloads section.
3. Update BIOS carefully: Download the appropriate update for your exact model and follow manufacturer instructions precisely. WARNING: Do not interrupt the update process or power off the system, and ensure laptop is plugged in (not running on battery).
4. Re-enable virtualization after update

» Learn more about BIOS updates and firmware updates

Conflicting BIOS settings

Newer Windows systems might have security features enabled, like Secure Boot, TPM, or Device Guard, which can interfere with CPU virtualization settings.

On Windows 11 systems with TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements, you typically can use virtualization alongside these security features. The conflict usually only occurs when you try to enable it.

Here’s how to temporarily disable conflicting settings:

1. In BIOS, navigate to Security or Boot section
2. Set Secure Boot to Disabled (temporarily)
3. Navigate to virtualization settings; they should now be editable
4. Enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V
5. Save and exit
6. Re-enter BIOS and re-enable Secure Boot

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Your endpoints are ready, is your IT infrastructure?

Enabling CPU virtualization in BIOS is the first step for deploying VMs for development, enabling Windows security features like Credential Guard, or preparing endpoints for containerized workloads. While the process varies by manufacturer and CPU type, the core principles remain consistent: verify compatibility, access BIOS/UEFI, and enable the appropriate settings (VT-x for Intel, SVM Mode for AMD).

This is straightforward for individual systems, but for MSPs and IT teams managing dozens or hundreds of endpoints across mixed hardware fleets, manual BIOS configuration becomes a significant operational bottleneck.

This is where Atera’s all-in-one RMM platform transforms virtualization management from a tedious manual process into an automated, scalable operation. IT teams can deploy PowerShell verification commands remotely across their entire fleet through Atera’s remote scripting capabilities, collecting virtualization status without manually accessing each device. Combined with software deployment for hypervisor tools and system monitoring for performance tracking, Atera provides the centralized infrastructure to manage virtualized environments efficiently. AI Copilot is your virtual assistant that can guide you through the process and even generate the essential scripts you need to simplify IT issues.

» Interested? Try Atera for free