How To Install Windows 11 in a Virtual Machine VMware

In this step-by-step tutorial, I will install the latest version of Windows 11 once released officially on the VMware virtual machine. I’ll cover how you can download VMware for Windows 11, install VMware on the host machine, upgrade VMware to the newest version, set up a virtual machine, download Windows 11 ISO image, how to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine on VMware Workstation, and then complete Microsoft Windows post-installation steps.

As it’s installing it in emulation, you can install it in your main machine as well by creating a bootable Windows 11 ISO USB from this guide.

This is the complete guide from A-Z from not having anything from your PC or host machine to the installed Windows 11 on the virtual machine and using it through virtualization for day-to-day tasks.

How To Download and Install VMware for Windows 11 Virtualization

Let’s first see how to download VMware for windows 11 installation and install the VMware workstation on the Windows host machine.

Step 1. Download VMware workstation pro

To download VMware Workstation Pro, go to this official VMware website and download the trial for the Pro version.

However, there is a free VMware workstation named VMWare workstation player for non-commercial use; you can download that as well. But this tutorial is based on VMware workstation Pro for windows 11 emulation.

Step 2. Installing VMware workstation

Double-click on the Exe file to start the installation of the downloaded VMware workstation.

Then go through the installation wizard and click Next and choose different options based on what you are trying to accomplish, hit the Next button for two-three times and VMWare will be installed.

Step 3. Finish installation

Once the installation is complete, you can either enter the license right there if you have it in the wizard or click finish and use it as a trial version.

When you launch the VMware workstation, you will see the message to upgrade if an upgrade is available.

Its always recommended being on the latest version of the VMware workstation pro as it contains fixes and minor improvements.

Step 4. Update wizard

You need to click download and install; you can also skip the upgrade if you are in the higher end just trying to use VMware, or you can put a reminder on.

So it will tell you that you need to close VMware and continue the Wizard. Click Next to accept terms and conditions, click Next, join the program, create shortcuts and click upgrade. Once the install is complete, just click finish.

 This is how to download VMware for windows 11 and install it. Now I’ll show you how to create a virtual machine below, and then how to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine.

How To Set up a virtual machine on VMware Workstation Pro for Emulation To Install Windows 11

Now I’ll set up a virtual machine on the host machine and then install Microsoft Windows 11 on VM with the functionality of a physical computer.

Step 1. Launch VMware workstation pro

When you launch the VMware workstation pro, the virtual machine is the first menu presented to you, I will create a new VM.

Step 2. Create new virtual machine

Click on create a new virtual machine. When you go ahead, there you will have to pick the already selected recommended option and click next.

Step 3. Install OS later

Next, select I’ll install the operating system later, and click on the Next.

We’ll select the ISO file later for installing the OS. Select Microsoft Windows on the guest operating system page, then from the drop-down, select windows 10 x64 and click the Next button.

We’re selecting windows 10 x64 bit because VMware has yet to be updated to show windows 11 in the drop-down menu. However, selecting the win 10 works perfectly for win 11 as well.

Step 4. Name the virtual machine

Give the VM a name to remember.

It does not matter which name you will choose, and you would need to pick the location where you will be installing the VM. This is where the large .vmdk files or virtual optical disk drive files will be created.

If C Drive is not the right place, you can probably pick a different place, maybe D Drive if you have a bigger Drive depending upon your hardware configuration, and hit the Next button.

Step 5. Choose virtual hard disk space

Choose the virtual disk space; you can enter 100GB or default value depending on how much storage you are required in the VM.

This space is just a virtual memory, and it doesn’t mean how much you will be used. However, the required one will be used from your system’s physical disk drives.

Step 6. Store virtual disk as single file

Select the store virtual disk as a single file option. This will make just a few .vmdk files rather than too many virtual optical disc drive files (.vdmk files), and hit the Next button.

Step 7. Assign Ram

Moving forward, click on customize the hardware, first select the Ram for your guest operating system in a virtual machine.

Remember that the selected Ram, how much is required, will be taken from the host operating system, which is your main computer as virtual memory.

So it’s better to select almost 40% of the Ram for virtual machine operating systems to run smoothly without lag. Keep in mind you can change these settings or Ram or Processor later any time from the settings.

Step 8. Assigning processors to VM

For the number of processors, for virtualization, the best practice for VMware workstations is, not to use one processor but more than one processor.

Still, it is typically not recommended if you don’t have a capable physical machine or if you have any multiple machines. Depending upon your configuration, you might have challenges if you choose more than one processor.

Hence, one processor and two cores are a good configuration; click Next. Keep in mind you can change these settings or Ram or Processor later any time from the settings.

Step 9. Set USB control

Select the USB controller tab, select 2.1 from the drop-down and tick the checkbox stating show all USB input devices.

Step 10. Virtual machine is setup

Now just click on close, and then on the finish, the virtual machine is now created, and you’ll find it on the left side under My Computer in the VMware workstation Pro.

Under My Computer on the left side, it shows all the configurations in its interface for the VM, which is a substitute for a real machine.

You can close this window because also it shows each a new virtual machine as a separate tab there what you can do then you can power on this VM and go ahead and modify settings if necessary if we change something and remember I told you that memory you can change later. Check here how to take a screenshot on windows 11 using multiple free methods.

The virtual machine is installed on our host operating system; now, we need to download the Windows 11 ISO image file to install windows on a virtual machine we just created. Below is the step-by-step process to download the Windows 11 ISO image file on your computer.

However, if you are to install it on your original PC, you must check windows 11 system requirements because it doesn’t support all of the computers as other windows, you can check that from our mentioned guide that not only elaborates minimum requirements, also features specific requirements as well.

How To Download the Microsoft Windows ISO Image file for Virtual Machine virtualization

To download Windows 11 ISO image file, I have written a separate step by step guide with pictures to download windows 11 ISO image, you can follow it to download the ISO file, including all those steps would make this article too long, so go to mentioned link and download iso image and come back.

We have a complete step-by-step tutorial as well that you can follow that to create windows 11 ISO bootable with Rufus if you are installing windows 11 on your main machine, not on VM.

How To Install Windows 11 on a Virtual Machine in VMware Workstation

In this section, how to install windows 11 on the virtual machine from the ISO image that we just downloaded to use the emulation windows with the functionality of a physical computer on our host machine! In case you face any error on your main computer that states can’t run Windows 11, here is the fix to this pc can’t Windows 11 error, three solutions are mentioned in our complete definitive guide to this error.

Step 1. Edit virtual machine settings

Go back to the VMware, select the VM we just created, then click on Edit virtual machine settings.

Click on a CD/DVD SATA and choose use ISO file image option and click browse and select where you have downloaded Windows 11 ISO image file, and click OK.

Step 2. Power on the virtual machine

Now click on, power on this virtual machine.

VMware will start its starting process first. Do not worry if you see network timeout or unsuccessful on the first screen; it’ll go further and start the installation process.

Step 3. Select boot manager option

In most cases, you’ll see the new Windows 11 icon, and the setup will start.

But if you see this screen below, first select the boot normally option. If it doesn’t proceed and show you this blue screen again, select the second option and hit enter. I’ll start the windows 11 setup.

The second option did work for me and proceeded me further to the setup. Try all of the options until it proceeds you further to the setup screen.

Step 4. Set language and time

As you’re on the setup screen, select the language, time zone, and keyboard settings if those aren’t set already, and click on the Next.

Step 5. Select install windows 11 on virtual machine

On the next screen, click on install now to install windows 11 on the virtual machine.

Going forward, if it asks you for the key, just click on I do not have the product key. Then, select the windows 11 version you want to install in the VM and hit next on the next screen. After that, click on the agreement accept button and hit Next. If you face issues of the system can’t run Windows 11, here is the fix to this PC can’t run windows 11 issue.

Step 6. Select custom install windows

On the next page, select the second option, Custom: install windows only, and hit the Next button.

Format the drive first that you selected while creating a virtual machine in the VMware workstation by clicking on the New button, then on Apply button to allocate all the space to one drive only. You may choose to create multiple partitions as well in your virtual machine.

Step 7. Allocating virtual drive space for windows 11

After the partition space is allocated, select the one in which you want to install windows 11 on VMware, click on the Format button to format this drive first, and then click on the Next button.

The process to install windows 11 on the virtual machine will start; it won’t take too long to complete to check the newly launched Windows 11 by Microsoft.

Once the setup completes, the virtual machine will restart. After that, you’ll be on the initial setup Getting Ready screen.

Step 8. Windows 11 setup screen

After the getting ready screen is gone, you’ll be brought to an awesome Windows 11 setup screen.

Select the settings according to you, like selecting your country, the keyboard scheme you want on your computer. Guys, you’ll be glad to see this as I was while installing windows 11, looks like a completely new operating system for the user interface.

Step 9. Sign in with a Microsoft account

After you have selected a few initial settings, it’ll show you the screen checking for updates.

Just sign in with your Microsoft account on the next page, or you can create a new one right there if you don’t have to use Microsoft services that come in new windows 11.

Step 10. Put in security pin

After you are signed in, just create a security pin for your computer, as security is the number one priority.

Just go through little setup steps on your own, selecting which things you want and which you don’t. You can select customization as there are a lot of customizations you can do in Windows 11.

And then, it’s done! Now windows 11 will take some time again to getting things ready for you. Just be patient until you are on the desktop. This is how to install windows 11 on the virtual machine.

You can see the picture below when I entered the latest windows 11 desktop on the virtual machine.

How To Run Windows 11 On Full-screen Mode on Virtual Machine VMware Workstation Pro

Your screen is rather small, and you don’t have a driver that fits the screen well. So what do you need to do? You need to install VMware tools to update the drivers to run Windows 11 in full-screen mode in the virtual machine.

Step 1. Go to install VMware tools option

Just click on the VM on the top left side menus on the VMware workstation, and select Install VMWare Tools options.

It will insert the downloaded ISO image file for the VMware tool that it downloaded into D Drive, and you just need to click File Explorer. You just need to go to this PC, and this is D Drive VMware tool will just double click setup x64 confirm click yes, and it will trigger the VMware tools installation process.

Step 2. Select settings in the wizard

Just go through the wizard and choose default options typical installation, click install and click finish, and after the restart, you should see much better resolution and smooth mouse movement as well.

All the features VMware is working much better and more integrated with the latest version of Windows 11 after installing VMware tools to run windows 11 in full-screen mode in VMware.

Step 3. Enable full screen mode on windows 11

Now to enable full-screen mode on VMware, if it’s not already, Go to the View menu, then click on Stretch Guest, and then click on Free Stretch, it’ll make the full-screen mode on windows 11 inside the VMware workstation.

Now to show windows 11 on your host computer as a full screen, go to Views and select the first option of Full Screen. That’s it!

Conclusion

This is how to download VMware for windows 11, set up a virtual machine, and then install windows 11 on a virtual machine with ease. You can use this guest operating system in the VM as you use your host machine because it comes with the functionality of a physical machine where the virtual memory resources are taken from your physical machine for virtualization purposes.

Let me know in the comments below if you face any problems and need to know anything, I’ll try my best to assist you.

Install Windows 11 in a Virtual Machine (FAQs)