All of the Windows 11 VMs, including VMWare and Parallels, are unavailable for download

Microsoft says it’s temporary.

2 min. read

Updated onOctober 25, 2024

updated onOctober 25, 2024

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Microsoft is temporarily stopping access to all of the free Windows 11 virtual machines, especially Parallels (macOS) and VMware (multi-platform). This was announced in a short note in the latest blog poston the Developer’s site.

In a statement posted to the Windows Development Environment website, Microsoft says that it’s “temporarily” pulling the Windows 11 virtual machines due to “ongoing technical issues.”

Due to ongoing technical issues, as of October 23, 2024, downloads are temporarily unavailable.

This could be a bit troublesome for managers and developers. Here’s why. Currently, the Windows Development Environment virtual machines are available in four types: VMware, Hyper-V Gen 2, Parallels Desktop, and VirtualBox. Microsoft usually updates these virtual machines every month after the Patch Tuesday updates.

It’s not clear what caused the technical problems, but customers can no longer download or activate any of Microsoft’s four Windows 11 virtual machines in Hyper-V, VMware, VirtualBox, and Parallels formats. If you already have one of the Windows 11 virtual machines up and running, it will now display a persistent “Activate Windows” watermark and automatically shut down every hour.

The official Windows 11 virtual machines still have value. They are equipped with Windows 11 Enterprise and provide a complete set of development tools, such as Visual Studio,Windows Subsystem for Linux, Terminal, developer mode, and more.

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

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All of the Windows 11 VMs, including VMWare and Parallels, are unavailable for download#

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

All of the Windows 11 VMs, including VMWare and Parallels, are unavailable for download