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Hyper-V Hypervisor Not Running — Virtualization Platform Startup Failure

Errorsystem

Overview

Fix 'Hypervisor is not running' error preventing Hyper-V virtual machines, WSL 2, and Docker from functioning on Windows Pro and Enterprise.

Key Details

  • The hypervisor is the low-level virtualization layer that enables Hyper-V VMs, WSL 2, and Docker
  • Even with Hyper-V feature enabled, the hypervisor may fail to start due to BIOS or configuration issues
  • The error appears in Event Viewer as Event ID 1 from Hyper-V-Hypervisor source
  • Secure Boot and hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) are prerequisites for the hypervisor
  • Some third-party security software disables the hypervisor for 'kernel protection' features

Common Causes

  • Hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) disabled in BIOS/UEFI
  • Hyper-V hypervisor launch not configured in boot configuration data
  • Third-party security software (anti-cheat, anti-rootkit) disabling the hypervisor
  • Secure Boot disabled when the hypervisor requires it

Steps

  1. 1Enable virtualization in BIOS: restart > enter BIOS > Advanced/Security > enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V and VT-d/IOMMU
  2. 2Enable Hyper-V hypervisor launch: run 'bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto' in elevated Command Prompt, then restart
  3. 3Enable Hyper-V feature: 'dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Hyper-V /all /norestart' then restart
  4. 4Check for conflicting software: disable third-party security, anti-cheat, or kernel protection tools temporarily
  5. 5Verify in Event Viewer: Windows Logs > System > filter by source 'Hyper-V-Hypervisor' for startup messages

Tags

hyper-vhypervisorvirtualizationwsl2docker

Related Items

windows-wsl-error-0x80370102windows-docker-desktop-wsl2-error

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Frequently Asked Questions

You need the hypervisor platform (Virtual Machine Platform feature) but not the full Hyper-V management tools. The hypervisor is shared between Hyper-V VMs, WSL 2, and Docker.