Virtualization

As we will use a VM, you need to enable virtualization. It is usually done in your systems UEFI, EFI, or BIOS; look for settings labelled Virtualization, Virtualization Technology, VT-x, VT-d, Extended Page Tables, EPT, Vanderpool, AMD-V, SVM, SVM Mode, VMX, etc.

Check if Virtualization is Enabled

You can check if virtualization is enabled following the instructions below for your operating system.

Linux

Run the command:

lscpu | grep "Virtualization"

If you see output, such as:

Virtualization: AMD-V

on AMD platform, or:

Virtualization: VT-x

on Intel platform, then virtualization should be enabled.

If the above did not work you can also try:

grep --color -E "vmx|svm" /proc/cpuinfo

if you see output then virtualization should be enabled.

macOS

Depending on if you have an Intel-based or Apple-based Mac:

Apple silicon

Should be enabled.

Intel

Run the command:

sysctl -a | grep -o VMX

If you see VMX in the output then it should be enabled.

Windows

On Windows you need to make sure that both virtualization is enabled and Hyper-V is running. To check if virtualization is enabled, run the command:

systeminfo | findstr /i "virtualization"

If you see output such as:

Virtualization Enabled In Firmware: Yes

then it should be enabled.

To check if Hyper-V is running, run the command:

Get-Service vmcompute

If you see output such as:

Status   Name               DisplayName
------   ----               -----------
Running  vmcompute          Hyper-V Host Compute Service

then Hyper-V is running. Otherwise, you need to enable it (see below for instructions).

Enable Virtualization

If virtualization is not enabled on your computer, please follow the instructions below for your OS to enable it. You may need to ask your IT support to allow to use it.

NOTE: Enable AMD IOMMU or Intel VT-d, if the options are available. AMD IOMMU and Intel VT-d are used for PCI device assignment.

Linux

It differs depending on your computer. Below we link to some of the most popular brands's instructions.

Acer

How to Enable Virtualization Technology on Acer Products

Asus

AMD CPU [Notebook] How to enable or disable AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™) technology?

Intel CPU (laptop) [Notebook] How to enable or disable Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)?

Intel CPU (desktop) [Motherboard] How to enable Intel(VMX) Virtualization Technology in the BIOS

Dell

How To Enable or Disable Hardware Virtualization on Dell Computers

HP

HP PCs - Enable Virtualization Technology in the BIOS

Lenovo

How to enable Virtualization Technology on Lenovo PC computers

Microsoft

Virtualization is already enabled on Surface devices.

Other

If your PC manufacturer is not listed, you will need to find the instructions on your own. They should (hopefully be on their website).

macOS

Could only find information saying it should be enabled. Please let us know if this was not the case for you so we can update this.

Windows

Please see Microsoft's instructions for how to enable virtualization.

You will also need to enable Hyper-V; you can do so by following Microsoft's guide for enabling Hyper-V.