How to Install Windows 11 in VMware

Are you struggling to install Windows 11 in VMware Player or Workstation? Here is a simple way to bypass TPM requirements and install Windows 11 in VMware.

VMware is one of the most popular virtual machine software to quickly and easily virtualize operating systems like Windows. A virtualized operating system is called a Virtual Machine. As you can guess, a virtual machine helps you in many different ways. For example, it allows you to test new software quickly, access risky websites, test new settings, and more. All in all, if you are doing something unknown or untrusted, you should always do it in a virtual machine to be on the safe side.

With the new Windows 11 requirements, it has become harder for people to install it in a virtual machine software like VMware. For instance, if you try to install Windows 11 normally in VMware, the installation will show the “This PC is not supported” error message due to the failed TPM check. Until virtual machine software can emulate TPM, you must temporarily bypass the TPM check to install Windows 11 in VMware.

Thankfully, it is pretty easy to bypass TPM check in VMware. All you have to do is execute a single command, and you are good to go. If you are wondering, when Windows 11 checks for TPM, it creates a registry key with the result. You can bypass the TPM check by modifying the relevant registry key to match the TPM requirement. Though it sounds complicated, it is pretty easy to do.

So, without further delay, let me show you how to install Windows 11 in VMware Player or VMware Workstation by bypassing the TPM check in simple and easy steps.

Note: The steps shown below will work in VMware Player and VMware Workstation. The guide shown below uses VMware Workstation.

Install Windows 11 in VMware

To install Windows 11 in VMware, there are three significant steps. That is, we need to configure the initial virtual machine, bypass the TPM check, and then proceed with the installation. In these three steps, only bypassing TPM is the new part. That, too, is easy. Let me show you how.

1. Open VMware from the Start menu.
2. Click on the “File > New Virtual Machine” option.
3. Choose “Typical.”
4. Click “Next” to continue.
5. Select the “Installer disc image file (iso)” option.
6. Click the “Browse” button.
7. Find and select the Windows 11 ISO.
8. Click the “Open” button to add it.
9. Click “Next.”
10. If prompted, choose the username and password. Click “Next.”
11. Type a virtual machine name in the “Name” field.
12. Set a maximum disk size and click “Next.”
13. Press the “Finish” button.
14. Click the “Power on virtual machine” option in the main window.
15. Click the “Next” button on the installation screen.
16. Press the “Install Now” button.
17. Click on the “I don’t have a product key” link.
18. Choose a Windows 11 version to install and click “Next.”
19. You will see the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error message.
20. Press “Shift + F10” on this screen.
21. Type “regedit” and press Enter.
22. Go to the “HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig” folder.
23. Right-click on the “Setup” folder.
24. Select the “New > Key” option.
25. Type “LabConfig” as its name.
26. Right-click on the “LabConfig” folder.
27. Select the “New > DWORD Value” option.
28. Type “BypassTPMCheck” as its name.
29. Double-click on the “BypassTPMCheck” value.
30. Type “1” in the Value Data field.
31. Click the “Ok” button.
32. Close the Registry Editor.
33. Type “Exit” in the Command Prompt and press Enter.
34. Close the “Error message” on the installation screen.
35. Click “Yes” in the confirmation message.
36. Follow the installation wizard again.
37. Windows 11 should be installed normally.

Same steps in a bit more detail:

First, open the VMware software from the Start menu. After opening, click on the “File > New Virtual Machine” option to create a new virtual machine.

Now, select “Typical” and click the “Next” button.

After that, choose the “Install disc image file (iso)” option, click the “Browse” button, select the Windows 11 ISO file, and click the “Open” button. Next, click the “Next” button in the main window.

Type the virtual machine name and click the “Next” button.

Choose the maximum disk size you wish to assign. In my case, I’m letting the defaults be. Click the “Next” button to continue.

Now, click the “Finish” button to complete the virtual machine creation process.

After that, click on the “Power on the virtual machine” option at the top. This action will turn on the VM.

Now, select the language of your choice and click the “Next” button.

Here, click the “Install Now” button at the center.

Next, click on the “I don’t have a product key” link at the bottom.

Select the Windows 11 edition of your choice.

You will see the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error message as soon as you do that. Press the “Shift + F10” keyboard shortcut when you see this.

This action will open the Command Prompt window. In this window, type “regedit” and press the Enter key on your keyboard. This opens the Windows 11 Registry Editor.

Go to the “HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\” folder in the Registry Editor.

After that, right-click on the “Setup” folder and choose the “New > Key” option. Name the new folder as “LabConfig” and press Enter.

After that, right-click on the “LabConfig” folder and choose the “New > DWORD Value” option. Name the value as “BypassTPMCheck” option.

Now, double-click on the “BypassTPMCheck” value, type “1” in the Value Data field, and click the “Ok” button to confirm the value change.

Next, close the Registry Editor. After that, type “Exit” in the Command Prompt window and press Enter to complete it.

Now, close the error message on the main screen. Click “Yes” if you see a confirmation message.

You will be taken back to the main installation screen. Follow the same installation steps as before. You shouldn’t see the error message. Windows 11 will be installed normally.

Modify VMX file to install Windows 11 in VMware

In newer versions of VMware, adding a specific config value will bypass the TPM check. Compared to editing the registry, this method is easy. However, according to VMware, this is an experimental feature, and there might be some performance issues with the virtual machine. As time goes by, the feature will improve, and the performance issues will lessen too.

Note: Before proceeding, make sure VMware is up to date. The above steps are only applicable to newer versions of VMware.

1. Open VMware from the Start menu.
2. Click on the “File > New Virtual Machine” option.
3. Choose “Typical.”
4. Click “Next” to continue.
5. Select the “Installer disc image file (iso)” option.
6. Click the “Browse” button.
7. Find and select the Windows 11 ISO.
8. Click the “Open” button to add it.
9. Click “Next.”
10. If prompted, choose the username and password. Click “Next.”
11. Type a virtual machine name in the “Name” field.
12. Set a maximum disk size and click “Next.”
13. Click the “Finish” button.
14. Close the “VMware” software.
15. Now, go to the VM folder in File Explorer.
16. Right-click on the “.vmx” file.
17. Select “Open with > Notepad” option.
18. Add ‘managedVM.autoAddVTPM = “software”‘ at the end of the file.
19. Press “Ctrl + S” to save the VMX file.
20. Close the Notepad window.
21. Open VMware from the Start menu.
22. Select the VM and click on the “Power on Virtual Machine” option.
23. Follow the on-screen Windows 11 installation steps.
24. Windows 11 will be installed normally.

That is all. It is that simple to bypass TPM check in VMware and install Windows 11 in VMware.

I hope this simple guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.