Microsoft has released new free Windows 11 virtual machines updated to the latest stable version of the operating system known as “Moments 3”, which Microsoft rolled out last month. They are intended for development professionals, students, and software programming enthusiasts.
In case you don’t know them, say that these virtual machines are ideal for accessing the Windows 11 development environmentas it enables you to quickly build Windows apps with a virtual machine by including the latest versions of Windows, developer tools, SDKs, and a collection of ready-to-use samples.
What is included in the free virtual machines of Windows 11
This Windows development environment is available in four variants: VMWare, Hyper-V Gen2, Parallels, and VirtualBox. Virtual machines are pre-built and do not require any additional configuration.
After powering on the virtual machine, you will have available:
- Windows 11 Enterprise SKU.
- Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition, with UWP, .NET Desktop, Azure, and Windows Apps SDK for C# workloads enabled.
- Windows Subsystem for Linux with Ubuntu pre-installed.
- Windows Terminal installed.
- Developer mode enabled.
The license to use Windows 11 is free for a certain time, these specifically until September 13, 2023. If the evaluation period expires and you have not activated it with a valid license, your desktop background will turn black, you will see a persistent desktop notification that the system is non-genuine, and your computer will shut down every hour.
In any case, they serve to fully assess (or get to know it if you have concerns) this Windows development environment, taking into account that you can customize the system and use all its capabilities during the specified period. Furthermore, all of the listed developer tools are available without the need for additional installations.
You can download the free virtual machines of Windows 11 on the official portal Windows Dev Center.
