Choose a Hyper-V VM generation from guest and boot requirements

Source facts

Microsoft says VM-generation selection depends on the guest operating system and the intended installation boot method, and generally recommends generation 2 subject to documented exceptions. Generation 2 enables Secure Boot by default and checks the boot loader against trusted UEFI authorities. The documentation provides guest support guidance for each generation, including differences for Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. Microsoft documentation.

Applicability

Use this review before creating a virtual machine. Identify the exact guest release, installation media, boot method, and application owner. Consult the current guest-support table instead of inferring compatibility from a broad operating-system family.

DSE recommendation

Record the selected generation and the requirement that justified it. Verify the installation media and intended Secure Boot configuration in an approved pilot. Ask the guest owner to include application installation and recovery tooling in the acceptance plan. Keep exceptions to the preferred generation explicit and linked to the requirement, rather than allowing copied VM settings to become an undocumented standard.

Verification

Create the approved test VM and record its generation, boot settings, and successful guest installation. Exercise the selected application and recovery boot path. Preserve any failure with the exact media and guest version. Resolve a compatibility mismatch before using the configuration as a template for additional virtual machines.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: Should I create a generation 1 or 2 virtual machine in Hyper-V?. Source reviewed September 8, 2026.