Windows 10 build 10565 allows running VM within VM

The latest build of Windows 10 appears to contain another extra: the ability to run a virtual machine in a virtual machine. The option causes certain hardware capabilities to be virtualized to run a hypervisor in a VM.

It was previously announced that the latest build of Windows 10 introduced several new features, such as a collaborative Cortana and synchronizing favorites between different Edge browsers. What Microsoft has not yet announced is that nested virtualization is also possible in Hyper-V.

A forum post on Technet.com further explains how to make it function, but also warns that it is a very early preview, something that leads to a long list of “known issues” and requirements, such as that both hypervisors have the latest version of Hyper -V should be.

For Windows 10 users, the addition will generally not be a big deal, as nested virtualization is targeting Windows Server 2016. The Hyper-V in Hyper-V capability only works with hardware with virtualization supports, such as Intel VT-x and AMD-V, otherwise Hyper-V won’t work at all, although the nested version only works with Intel for now.