Microsoft Hyper-V

Enable the Microsoft Hyper-V optional feature and identify whether Windows must restart.

Use the exact name hyperv to enable the Microsoft-Hyper-V-All Windows optional feature and its parent features. Hyper-V is optional and supports local virtual-machine testing of OSDeploy media and deployment workflows.

Requirements

Run the command on a physical workstation from an elevated PowerShell 7.6 or later MSI installation on Windows 11 25H2 build 26200 or later.

The parent command requires the current OSDeploy module and curl.exe, even though enabling Hyper-V does not download an installer. Windows must provide Get-WindowsOptionalFeature and Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature.

Preview

Return the feature name, documentation links, and install command without inspecting or enabling the feature:

Install-OSDeploySoftware -Name 'hyperv'

Install

Enable Hyper-V when its state is not already Enabled or EnablePending:

Install-OSDeploySoftware -Name 'hyperv' -Force

The helper runs Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature with -All and -NoRestart, then reads the feature state again. It does not restart Windows automatically.

When the parent command detects a virtual machine, it skips the Hyper-V helper and returns Status set to NotSupported. Nested Hyper-V installation is not attempted.

Download Only

Hyper-V is a Windows feature and has no separate installer to download:

Install-OSDeploySoftware -Name 'hyperv' -DownloadOnly

On a physical workstation, this returns Action set to DownloadOnly, Status set to NotSupported, and a note.

WhatIf and Result

Use -Force -WhatIf to report the enable action without invoking the Hyper-V helper.

A completed action returns Component set to Hyper-V, Status set to Installed, and RestartNeeded. Status does not distinguish newly enabled Hyper-V from a feature that was already enabled. Restart Windows when RestartNeeded is True.

Inside a virtual machine, the skip result contains Name, Component, Action, Status, and Note instead.

Verify

Confirm the feature state after any required restart:

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName 'Microsoft-Hyper-V-All'

Next Step

After Hyper-V is operational, use New-OSDeployHyperVM to create an OSDeploy test virtual machine. Review the Windows 11 requirement when preparing the host.