Microsoft Provides New Virtual Machines For Windows 11 Enterprise

Microsoft has released new Windows 11 Enterprise Edition image files for download. The images can be used temporarily free of charge to run a virtual machine. In addition to VMWare, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, and Parallels are also supported.

The virtual machines can be found on the official Redmond company website. There are images for different virtualization programs. The download size is about 20 gigabytes. In addition to the operating system itself, the image files contain several applications. The Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition with UWP, .NET Desktop, Azure, and the Windows App SDK are preinstalled so that developers can directly use the environment to work.

In addition, the WSL2 with Ubuntu and the Windows Terminal were integrated into the VM. Furthermore, the developer mode is already activated at the beginning. All images can be used directly after the download and do not have to be configured first. No Microsoft account is required during installation.

Image Files are available until April 12th

The virtual machines now made available can only be used free of charge for a limited time. The images can be downloaded and used until April 12, 2023. A regular license is then required if Windows 11 Enterprise is to continue to be used. The edition is primarily aimed at business customers and has a higher price than the Home and Pro versions. Although there is no official downgrade, it is possible to switch to cheaper versions later.