Microsoft restores some of its previously removed free Windows 11 virtual machines

One month ago, Microsoft notified users that it would remove some of its Windows 11 virtual machines. They are usually available in four variants: Hyper-V, VMware, Parallels, and VirtualBox. However, due to unknown "ongoing technical issues," on July 15, Microsoft pulled the VMware and Parallels variants. A little later, Microsoft released version 2407 of its virtual machines (they are known as Windows Development Environment) with the latest Patch Tuesday updates.

Now, one of the previously delisted virtual machines is back—Microsoft re-released Windows Development Environment version 2407 for VMware, letting users of VMware Workstation Player or Workstation Pro download the latest Windows 11 VM from Microsoft.

In addition to publishing WDE 2407 for VMware, Microsoft updated the expiry date, giving the latest update a few more weeks of work. Now, version 2407 is set to expire on October 29 instead of October 9. Microsoft's official virtual machines are available for free for 90 days, and they do not support activating with genuine license keys. Once they expire, they start nagging users with typical messages of a non-activated Windows installation, such as a black desktop background, regular shutdowns, and notifications.

It is worth noting that the Windows Development Environment version 2407 for Parallels is still missing. The official WDE web page says that the virtual machine is not available "due to ongoing technical issues." We will update this post once the Parallels variant is back.

For those unfamiliar, Windows Development Environment is a Windows 11 Enterprise-based virtual machine with a bunch of developer tools that allow everyone to start making Windows apps. Those tools include Visual Studio 2022, WSL 2 with Ubuntu, Windows Terminal, and Developer Mode. Microsoft updates its VMs every month with the latest Patch Tuesday updates and new features (if available).

You can download Microsoft's official Windows 11 virtual machines here.

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