VirtualBox ranks among the most popular VM platforms available today. Despite its widespread use, Oracle still hasn’t included direct support on VirtualBox for certain Windows 11 requirements such as TPM, which has troubled many users.
We’ve got you covered, though. In this article, we’ve detailed how to bypass these requirements and install Windows 11 in VirtualBox.
VirtualBox Windows 11 Installation Process
You’ll need the following before you can get started:
- 80 GB disk space
- Windows 11 ISO
- VirtualBox
Once you have these, you’ll basically create a Virtual Machine (VM), bypass some of the Windows 11 requirements, and finally, install Windows 11. Here are the steps in detail:
- Launch VirtualBox and click on the New button.
- Name the Virtual Machine, select the location to store the VM file, select Windows 11 as the version, and press Next.
- Allocate 4 GB or higher memory to the VM and press Next.
- Select Create a virtual hard disk now > VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image).
- Select Dynamically allocated if storage space is a concern. Otherwise, pick Fixed size for better performance.
- Confirm the file location, allocate 80 GBs or higher disk space for the VM, and press Create.
- Select the VM from the left panel and click on Settings.
- In the System > Processor tab, ensure at least 2 processors are allocated.
- Switch to the Storage tab.
- Select the Empty device. Enable Live CD/DVD, click on the CD icon and select Choose a disk file.
- Select the Windows 11 ISO and press Open > OK.
- Finally, select the Windows 11 VM from the left panel and click on Start.
- Once you get to the install Wizard, press Shift + F10. Here, you can access the Registry Editor and add some keys to bypass the Windows 11 requirements (TPM, Secure Boot, CPU).
- The rest of the installation process is the same as if you normally installed the OS. Select the language and other preferences and press Next > Install Now.
- Click on I don’t have a product key and pick the Windows 11 version you’d like to install.
- Accept the license agreements and select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
- You can separate the drive into partitions if you want, but we recommend just leaving it unallocated in most cases.
- After you configure the account, privacy, and other preferences to your liking, the Windows 11 installation will be complete.
Related Questions
Why Can’t I Upgrade to Windows 11?
Users encounter the This PC Can’t Run Windows 11 error because the VM specs don’t satisfy Windows 11’s minimum requirements. We’ve detailed how you can bypass these requirements in the article above. Additionally, we also recommend using the latest stable version of VirtualBox as versions older than 6.1.28 have compatibility issues with Windows 11.
Should I Use VirtualBox or VMware to Install Windows 11?
As stated, VirtualBox had compatibility issues with Windows 11, but this has been patched recently. VMware is slightly better in terms of performance and functionality. For the average user, you can use install Windows 11 on VMware or VirtualBox as you prefer since the difference isn’t significant. But for large businesses, VMware Workstation Pro will generally be more appropriate.
Can I Use VirtualBox to Install Windows 11 on Mac / Linux?
Mac or Linux users can also use VirtualBox to try out Windows 11. The steps detailed in the guide above will be helpful for this purpose.
How to Resize the Windows 11 Virtual Machine to Fit Your Screen?
You can resize the VM with the following steps:
- Select Devices > Insert Guest Additions CD image from the menu bar.
- Navigate to the Guest Additions drive via file explorer and launch the VBoxWindowsAdditions installer file.
- Follow the on-screen instructions and restart once the installation is complete.
How to Bypass Requirement Checks if I Can’t Access CMD / Registry Editor?
You can try pressing Shift + Fn + F10. Alternatively, you can also select Input > Keyboard > Soft Keyboard and use your mouse to press Shift + F10 on the on-screen keyboard.
If the keyboard still doesn’t work, you can select Repair your computer in the installation wizard and access the Command Prompt > Registry from there.
Finally, you can also replace the appraiser file, which is responsible for performing the requirement checks during the Windows 11 installation.
