Supported Windows guest operating systems for Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016
Applies To: Windows Server 2016
Hyper-V supports several versions of Windows Server, Windows, and Linux distributions to run in virtual machines, as guest operating systems. This article covers supported Windows Server and Windows guest operating systems. For Linux and FreeBSD distributions, see Supported Linux and FreeBSD virtual machines for Hyper-V on Windows.
Some operating systems have the integration services built-in. Others require that you install or upgrade integration services as a separate step after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. For more information, see the sections below and Integration Services.
Supported Windows Server guest operating systems
Following are the versions of Windows Server that are supported as guest operating systems for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016.
| Guest operating system (server) | Maximum number of virtual processors | Integration Services | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2016 | 240 for generation 2; 64 for generation 1 | Built-in | |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | 64 | Built-in | |
| Windows Server 2012 | 64 | Built-in | |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP 1) | 64 | Install the integration services after you set up the guest operating system. | Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard and Web editions. |
| Windows Server 2008 with Service Pack 2 (SP 2) | 4 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard and Web editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
| Windows Small Business Server 2011 | Essentials edition 2 Standard edition 4 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Essentials and Standard editions. |
Supported Windows client guest operating systems
Following are the versions of Windows that are supported as guest operating systems for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016.
| Guest operating system (client) | Maximum number of virtual processors | Integration Services | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 | 32 | Built-in | |
| Windows 8.1 | 32 | Built-in | |
| Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP 1) | 4 | Upgrade the integration services after you set up the guest operating system. | Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
| Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (SP2) | 2 | Install the integration services after you set up the guest operating system. | Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate, including N and KN editions. |
Guest operating system support on other versions of Windows
The following table gives links to information about guest operating systems supported for Hyper-V on other versions of Windows.
| Host operating system | Topic |
|---|---|
| Windows 10 | Supported Guest Operating Systems for Client Hyper-V in Windows 10 |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 | - Supported Windows Guest Operating Systems for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 - Linux and FreeBSD Virtual Machines on Hyper-V |
| Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 | Supported Windows Guest Operating Systems for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 |
| Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 | About Virtual Machines and Guest Operating Systems |
How Microsoft provides support for guest operating systems
Microsoft provides support for guest operating systems in the following manner:
Issues found in Microsoft operating systems and in integration services are supported by Microsoft support.
For issues found in other operating systems that have been certified by the operating system vendor to run on Hyper-V, support is provided by the vendor.
For issues found in other operating systems, Microsoft submits the issue to the multi-vendor support community, TSANet.