Installing Windows 11 as a Guest OS on VMware Workstation Pro, Player, and Fusion
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Installing Windows 11 as a Guest OS on VMware Workstation Pro, Player, and Fusion

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Article ID: 315650

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Updated On:

Products

VMware Workstation VMware Fusion

Issue/Introduction

  • This article provides steps to install Windows 11 as a guest Operating System on VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player, and VMware Fusion.
  • Microsoft requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot for Windows 11. When installing Windows 11 in a virtual machine (VM), you may encounter errors such as "This computer does not meet the minimum system requirements" or "The PC must support 2.0".


Environment

  • VMware Workstation Pro 17.x, 16.x
  • VMware Workstation Player 16.x
  • VMware Fusion Pro 13.x, 12.x

Resolution

Before starting the installation, ensure your VM is configured to meet Microsoft’s minimum system requirements:

  1. OS Type: Select Windows 10 and later x64 when creating the new virtual machine.
  2. Processor & Memory: Configure in Guest VM settings > Processors & Memory.
  3. Storage: Increase the Hard Disk size in Guest VM Settings > Hard Disk.
  4. Firmware: Enable UEFI and Secure Boot in Guest VM settings > Advanced.

Resolution Options

There are two ways to address the TPM requirement, depending on your environment and security needs.

Option 1: Enabling Encryption and vTPM (Recommended)

This method satisfies Microsoft’s requirements by adding a virtual TPM (vTPM) device.

Note: This requires enabling VM encryption. VMware Workstation Player does not support vTPM devices.

  1. Enable encryption for the virtual machine. Refer to the product documentation:
  2. In VM settings, add a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) device.
  3. Proceed with the Windows 11 installation.

Option 2: Bypass TPM 2.0 Requirement (Registry Edit)

Use this method if you do not wish to encrypt the virtual machine, or if you are using VMware Workstation Player.

  1. During Windows 11 installation, when you see the "This PC can't run Windows 11" message, press Shift+F10 (or Shift+fn+F10) to open the Command Prompt.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
  4. Right-click the Setup key, select New > Key, and name it LabConfig.
  5. Right-click the LabConfig key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it BypassTPMCheck.
  6. Double-click BypassTPMCheck and set the Value data to 1.
  7. Close the Registry Editor and Command Prompt.
  8. In the Windows Setup dialog, click the Back button, then proceed with the installation.

NOTE: Upgrade of Window 10 to Windows 11 will not be supported in Workstation Player as vTPM is not supported in Workstation player. hence, the only solution to run Windows 11 on Workstation player is to go via Fresh Install path.

 

Additional Information

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