Fix: CPU Virtualization Extensions Disabled in VMware

The 30-Second Fix: Check Your BIOS Setting

This is the most common reason. Your computer's processor has a feature called Intel VT-x (on Intel CPUs) or AMD-V (on AMD CPUs). VMware needs this to run virtual machines. Sometimes it gets turned off in the BIOS.

What you'll see: When you try to start a virtual machine, VMware shows a message like "This host supports Intel VT-x, but Intel VT-x is disabled." Or just "CPU virtualization extensions are disabled."

1. Restart your computer.
2. Press the key to enter BIOS setup. This varies by manufacturer. Common keys: F2, Del, F10, Esc. Watch the screen when it boots — it usually says "Press F2 for Setup" or something similar. If you miss it, reboot and try again. Be patient.
3. Once in BIOS, look for a setting called "Intel Virtualization Technology", "Intel VT-x", "AMD SVM Mode", or just "Virtualization". It's often under a menu named "Advanced", "CPU Configuration", or "Security".
4. Change that setting to Enabled.
5. Press F10 to save and exit. Say yes to the confirmation.
6. Boot into Windows and try VMware again.

Expected outcome: If this was the cause, your virtual machine should start normally. If you still see the error, move to the next fix.

The 5-Minute Fix: Turn Off Hyper-V and Windows Features

If the BIOS setting was already on, the issue is likely a software conflict. Windows 10 and 11 often enable Hyper-V, which locks out VMware from using virtualization.

Real-world trigger: You installed Docker Desktop, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2), or enabled Windows Sandbox. All of these turn on Hyper-V behind the scenes.

1. Open the Control Panel. Click Programs, then Turn Windows features on or off.
2. In the list, find these items. Uncheck all of them:
   • Hyper-V
   • Windows Hypervisor Platform
   • Virtual Machine Platform
   • Windows Subsystem for Linux
3. Click OK. Windows will install some changes. It might ask to restart — do it.
4. After restart, open a Command Prompt as Administrator (right-click Start menu, choose "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Terminal (Admin)"). Run this command:
   

   bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

   Press Enter. You should see "The operation completed successfully."
5. Restart your computer again.
6. Open VMware and try your virtual machine.

Expected outcome: VMware should now work. If you still get the error, there's one more thing to check.

The 15+ Minute Fix: Disable Core Isolation and Memory Integrity

Windows Security has a feature called Memory Integrity (part of Core Isolation). It uses virtualization for security, which again locks out VMware. This one is less common but happens often on newer PCs.

Skip this fix if you tried the previous steps and they worked. Only do this if you still see the virtualization disabled error.

1. Open Windows Security. You can search for it in the Start menu.
2. Click Device Security on the left.
3. Under "Core Isolation", click Core Isolation details.
4. You'll see a switch for Memory integrity. Turn it Off.
5. Windows will ask to restart. Do it.
6. After restart, verify that Hyper-V is still off from the previous fix. Run this in an Admin Command Prompt:
   

   systeminfo | findstr /i "hyper"

   If it says "Hyper-V Requirements: A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed." — that means Hyper-V is still active. Go back and run the bcdedit command again.
7. Restart one more time.

Expected outcome: VMware should now see your CPU virtualization and start the VM.

What if it still doesn't work?

If none of these fixes work, you might have a different version conflict. Check if your VMware Workstation is updated. Sometimes older versions (like 14 or 15) have bugs with newer Windows updates. I have personally seen this with VMware Workstation 15.5 on Windows 10 version 22H2.

Update VMware to the latest version (16 or 17 as of now). It's free to try. Download it from the VMware website. The update often resolves these conflicts without any BIOS changes.

Also, if you have a laptop with dual graphics (Intel + NVIDIA or AMD), some BIOS versions lock virtualization when the dedicated GPU is active. In that case, try switching to integrated graphics in the BIOS temporarily. But that's rare — 95% of the time, the first two fixes solve it.