Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT is not supported on this platform in VMware Workstation
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Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT is not supported on this platform in VMware Workstation

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Article ID: 389469

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi VMware Workstation

Issue/Introduction

VMware Workstation or Fusion fails to power on a virtual machine when the "Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT" feature is enabled. This occurs primarily due to conflicts with Windows Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) or when running in a nested environment where hardware virtualization is not passed through to the guest.

  • Symptoms:
    • The virtual machine fails to start with the error: Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT is not supported on this platform.
    • The error message VM Workstation and Device/Credential Guard are not compatible appears on Windows 10 or Windows 11 hosts.
    • Power on fails with: This host appears to be running in a virtual machine with VHV disabled.
    • Significant performance degradation occurs when the monitor mode is not set to CPL0.

 

Environment

  • VMware Workstation Pro 15.x, 16.x, 17.x
  • VMware Fusion
  • VMware vSphere ESXi

Cause

The issue is caused by the host operating system (specifically Windows Hyper-V/VBS) or the physical hypervisor (ESXi) reserving hardware virtualization features, preventing VMware Workstation from accessing Intel VT-x/EPT directly.

Resolution

Phase 1: Verify Monitor Mode

  • Check the vmware.log file located in the virtual machine directory. Search for the string "Monitor Mode":
    • Monitor Mode: CPL0: The VMware engine is running with optimal performance.
    • Monitor Mode: UML: The slower Hyper-V API is in use; follow the steps below to disable Hyper-V/VBS.

Phase 2: Disable Hyper-V and VBS (Windows Hosts)

  • Turn off Memory Integrity: Navigate to Settings > Core Isolation and toggle Memory Integrity to Off.
  • Disable Windows Features: Open Turn Windows features on or off and uncheck:
    • Hyper-V
    • Virtual Machine Platform
    • Windows Hypervisor Platform
    • Windows Sandbox
  • Command Line Override: Open Command Prompt as Administrator and execute: bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off
  • Registry Modification: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard. Set EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity to 0.
  • Restart the system.

Phase 3: Enable VHV (Nested ESXi Environments)

  • If VMware Workstation is running inside a VM hosted on ESXi: 
    • Right-click the VM in the vSphere Client and select Edit Settings.
    • Expand the CPU section.
    • Check the box Expose hardware assisted virtualization to the guest OS.
    • Click OK and power on the VM.

Additional Information

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