Virtual Workspaces in Windows 11: Enable Hyper-V, Sandbox, and WSL Features
Windows 11 Virtual Workspaces Settings: Manage Hyper-V, Sandbox, and More in One Place
Windows 11 includes a Virtual Workspaces page in Settings that centralizes common virtualization components. Instead of switching between multiple admin tools, you can enable or disable key features from a single location in the Settings app.
What “Virtual Workspaces” Controls
The Virtual Workspaces page provides toggles for several Windows virtualization components, including:
- Containers: Core components to create and manage Windows containers.
- Guarded Host: Capabilities used to run shielded virtual machines in higher-security environments.
- Virtual Machine Platform: Platform support used by virtualization-based workloads such as WSL 2.
- Windows Hypervisor Platform: Lets applications access the Windows hypervisor, which can be required by some virtualization and security tools.
- Windows Sandbox: A lightweight isolated environment for safely testing apps and files.
- Hyper-V components:
- Hyper-V GUI Management Tools (Hyper-V Manager, VM Connection)
- Hyper-V Module for PowerShell (Hyper-V cmdlets)
- Hyper-V Hypervisor (core hypervisor)
- Hyper-V Services (services that support VM operations)
How to Open Virtual Workspaces in Settings
- Press Win + I to open Settings.
- Go to System.
- Select Advanced.
- Under Virtual Workspace, select Virtual Workspaces.
From there, you can toggle features like Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox on or off.
What to Expect After Enabling a Feature
- Windows installs the required components in the background.
- You may be prompted to restart to complete the change.
- Until you restart, some toggles may appear greyed out or temporarily locked.
In general, enabling these components does not noticeably affect day-to-day performance. However, running virtual machines or containers can increase CPU and memory usage depending on workload.
Troubleshooting: When Options Are Greyed Out
If settings are unavailable or stuck disabled, the most common causes include:
1) Windows edition limitations
Some virtualization features depend on your Windows edition and may not be available on all versions.
2) Hardware virtualization disabled in BIOS/UEFI
Confirm virtualization is enabled in firmware settings:
- Intel: VT-x (and often VT-d)
- AMD: SVM (and IOMMU where applicable)
3) A pending restart or partial configuration state
If you enabled a component but haven’t restarted yet, Windows may lock related toggles until the configuration completes.
4) Alternative management paths still exist
Even with the Settings page, you can still manage these components via:
- Windows Features (optionalfeatures.exe)
- PowerShell or DISM
This is useful for automation or managed environments where UI changes are restricted.
Virtual Desktops vs Virtual Workspaces: Quick Clarity
These two features are often confused, but they are not the same:
- Virtual Desktops: Multiple desktops for organizing apps and windows.
- Open Task View: Win + Tab
- Create a new desktop: Win + Ctrl + D
- Virtual Workspaces: Virtualization components such as Hyper-V, Sandbox, and platform features used by WSL and other tools.
Admin Notes for Managed Devices
If you manage endpoints with Intune, Configuration Manager, or Group Policy, keep these considerations in mind:
- Change control: Enabling Hyper-V or related platform features can affect developer tools, security baselines, and compatibility with some third-party virtualization software.
- Standardization: Decide whether features like WSL 2, Windows Sandbox, or Hyper-V are allowed and enforce those choices consistently.
- Scalability: For larger environments, scripted deployment and verification often scale better than per-device UI configuration.
