These Windows 11 users just got another reason to get angry with Microsoft

We have some bad news for virtual machine (VM) software users. Microsoft has revealed that Windows 11 will no longer run on all VMs following the latest early-access release, as TechRadar reports. The company has explained in its changelog that the latest Windows 11 preview build is only compatible with VMs that features TPM 2.0 protection. This is a requirement that also applies to laptops and PCs running the new Windows 11 OS.

“This build includes a change that aligns the enforcement of the Windows 11 system requirements on virtual machines to be the same as it is for physical PCs,” Microsoft explained in the changelog. As a result of this, all VMs currency running Windows 11 preview builds will no longer receive updates if they are not compatible. Also, new Windows 11 VMs created using incompatible virtualisation services will not function “as desired”.

As TechRadar points out, this announcement was not exactly unexpected but it is going make those users who are already put off by Windows 11’s hardware requirements angrier.

Currently, only a handful of VM services meet the necessary requirements to run the latest Windows 11 preview build. And this means, by extension, only a few are compatible to run the launch version that is officially going to roll out on October 5. Microsoft says that VMs created using the company’s own hypervisor, which comes free with Windows 10 Pro, will run Windows 11 if they are set up as “Generation 2” VMs. Also, as reported by Neowin, the VMware Workstation Pro meets the new TPM requirement.

It’s currently unclear whether other popular virtualisation services, like the Oracle VirtualBox and Citrix Hypervisor, meet the necessary requirements.