VMware is a popular level-2 hypervisor that can run most Windows, Linux, and even some macOS versions. However, some Windows VM features need virtualization support to work. While VMware supports hypervisor emulation, some users face an issue with this feature.

Whenever they power on a VMware virtual machine with virtualization emulation enabled, it displays the "Virtualized AMD-V/RVI is Not Supported on this Platform" error. So, let's check out the methods to fix this issue and let you run your virtual machine as you need.

1. Terminate and Restart VMware

Before moving to complex fixes, you must terminate and restart the VMware app on your system. It is common for apps to encounter temporary glitches and stop working correctly. Here's how to do it:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys at once to open Task Manger.
  2. Go to the top search bar and type VMware player. Press the enter key.
  3. Right-click on the VMware process and select the End Task option from the context menu.
    Terminate VMware
  4. Close the Task Manager.

After these steps, launch VMware Player and run a virtual machine with nested virtualization enabled. Check if you encounter an error.

2. Restart Your System

Restarting is the simplest yet most effective troubleshooting method. It forces your computer to close all the background processes and services and shut down the system. After that, it will power on the system again and run all the core services required for Windows to work properly.

Press the Windows key and click on the Power icon. Select the Restart option from the menu and wait for the system to reboot. Run a VMware virtual machine to check if you encounter any errors.

3. Enable SVM in BIOS

VMware needs hardware virtualization to run a virtual machine properly. So, ensure that virtualization is enabled on your system before launching a virtual machine.

  1. Right-click the Windows key and click the Shut down or sign out option. Then click on the Restart option.
  2. Press the designated F-key repeatedly to enter the BIOS when the computer power on again.
  3. Switch to the Advanced Settings tab and find the virtualization option. Use the enter key to enable it, and then press F10 to save the changes and exit.

4. Uninstall Windows Features

Level-2 hypervisors don't work well with other virtualization features enabled on your system. So, if you want to use VMware features, remove the other additional features. Repeat the following steps:

  1. Press Win + R to launch the Run command box. Type appwiz.cpl and press the enter key to launch the Programs and Features window.
  2. Navigate to the top left section and click on the Turn Windows features on or off option.
  3. Now, uncheck Hyper-V, Windows Subsystem for Linux, and Virtual Machine Platform from the list of available features.
    Remove optional features in Windows
  4. Click on the OK button. A popup window will open, requesting you to restart the computer. Click on the Restart Now button.

5. Turn Off Memory Integrity

According to How-To Geek:

As Memory Integrity uses the system’s virtualization hardware, it’s incompatible with virtual machine programs like VirtualBox or VMware. Only one application can use this hardware at a time.

So, repeat the following steps to disable Memory Integrity on your system:

  1. Press Win + S and type Windows Security. Then, click on the Open button.
  2. Go to the left-hand side vertical menu and click the Device Security option.
  3. Click on the Core isolation details option. Disable the toggle present below the Memory integrity option.
    Disable Memory Integrity
  4. Accept the UAC prompt and click on the Yes button. Close the Windows Security app and restart your system.

6. Disable Virtualization Based Security

VMware has a long-term conflict with virtualization-based security on Windows. Firstly, you need to check if VBS is active on your system. If it is running and you experience an error with VMware, disabling it can help resolve the issue.

Repeat the following steps:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type msinfo in the text box and press Enter to open the System Information app.
  2. Scroll down and locate the Virtualization-based security option. If it is enabled, close the app.
  3. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box again. Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
  4. Now, input the following command and press the Enter key: bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off.
    Turn VBS off
  5. Close the Command Prompt window and restart your system.

7. Remove Other Hypervisors

If you also have other level-2 hypervisors on your system, temporarily remove them and try running the virtual machine in VMware. You can reinstall them later without losing data in your virtual machines. Here's how to do it:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl and press the enter key.
  2. The Programs and Features window will launch. Now, find the other hypervisor program installed on your system and right-click on it.
  3. Select the Uninstall option and follow the on-screen prompts to remove it completely.
  4. Restart your system.

8. Upgrade VMware

Old versions of VMware can encounter errors with new Windows updates. So, it is best to keep both Windows and VMware updated. Here's how to do it:

  1. Launch VMware Player on your system.
  2. Go to the top menu bar and click on the Player icon.
  3. Now, click on the Help > Software updates option. Then click on the Check for updates button to search for new updates.
    Update VMware
  4. If the utility discovers an update, click the Download and Install button to apply the new update to VMware.
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest version of VMware on your system.
  6. Close the installer and restart your computer. Now, run a virtual machine with nested virtualization to check if it works now.

9. Reinstall VMware

VMware core files can get corrupted over time and cause unexpected launch errors. So, you must remove the existing installation and do a reinstallation to remove corrupt files. Repeat the following steps:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
  2. Now, type the following command and press the enter key: Winget uninstall VMware.WorkstationPlayer
  3. Wait for the utility to remove VMware from your computer.
  4. Now, type the following command to install the latest version of VMware: Winget uninstall VMware.WorkstationPlayer
    Reinstall VMware
  5. You don't need to interact with the installer window. Once the VMware installation completes, close the command prompt window.

10. Reset Windows

The last resort is to reset your Windows PC. But before doing that, we recommend uninstalling any recent Windows updates and trying out a system restore. That's why it's wise to have Windows 11 System Restore enabled all the time.

If both fail to fix the VMware issue, you must swallow the hard pill and reset your computer. Make sure to pick the Keep my files option to save all your personal files and documents stored by various apps on your primary drive.

VMware Launch Issue, Resolved

Nested virtualization is crucial for features like WSA or MDAG to work properly in a Windows virtual machine. Start with basic troubleshooting fixes and ensure that hardware virtualization is active on your system. After that, disable the memory integrity and virtualization-based security and reinstall the app.