How to Install Windows 11 on VirtualBox

This guide explains how to install Windows 11 on a virtual computer using VirtualBox.

VirtualBox is free software that lets you run a “virtual” computer inside your regular computer. This is useful for testing new software or trying out a new operating system without changing your main PC.

Why do this? Windows 11 has strict security requirements. VirtualBox sometimes struggles to meet these, so we have to manually bypass them.

What happens when done? You will have a fully functional Windows 11 environment running inside a window on your desktop.

Setting Up Your Virtual Machine

Before you begin, ensure you have VirtualBox installed. If not, follow this guide: How to install VirtualBox on Windows 11. Next, create a new virtual machine by following these instructions: How to create a Windows 11 virtual machine.

Open VirtualBox and go to Settings > System. Under the Motherboard tab, set the RAM to at least 4096 MB (4 GB).

Under the Processor tab, ensure you have selected at least 2 CPUs.

Go to the Storage tab and ensure your virtual hard drive is at least 64 GB.

In the Display window, set Video Memory to 256 MB. Ensure the Graphics Controller is set to VBoxSVGA and check the box for 3D Acceleration.

Installing Windows 11

Go to Settings > Storage. Click on the empty disc icon and use the browse button to select your Windows 11 ISO file.

Once selected, click OK. Now, click the Start button to boot your virtual machine.

When the machine starts, press any key if prompted. Choose your language and time settings, then click Next. language to install, time and currency format, keyboard input method.

On the “Install Now” screen, press SHIFT + F10 on your keyboard. This opens a command prompt window. (Requires Admin Privileges)

Type the following command into the black box and press Enter:

regedit

In the window that opens, go to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup

Right-click the Setup folder, select New > Key, and name it LabConfig.

Now, right-click the LabConfig folder. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Create these three items, one by one, and set the “Value data” for each to 1:

• BypassTPMCheck
• BypassRAMCheck
• BypassSecureBootCheck

Close the Registry Editor and the command prompt. Click Install now to continue. If asked for a product key, enter one or click the link to skip it. country or region, keyboard layout or input method, name of your computer, Microsoft online account.

Once you finish the setup steps, your virtual computer will restart. You can now log in to your new Windows 11 desktop.

Summary

To run Windows 11 on VirtualBox, you must configure the virtual machine with at least 4 GB of RAM, 2 processors, and 64 GB of storage. Because Windows 11 has specific security requirements, you must use the Registry Editor (regedit) to create three specific keys—BypassTPMCheck, BypassRAMCheck, and BypassSecureBootCheck—inside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig. Once these are set, the installation will proceed normally, allowing you to use Windows 11 for testing and development.