Why Is VMware Workstation Pro 17.x Runs Slow on Windows 11 24H2? And How to Fix It

Table of Contents

Struggling with VMware Slowness on Windows 11? Here’s the Real Fix!
Key Findings
Solution 1: Run VMware as Administrator
Solution 2: Disable VBS and Hyper-V
Solution 3: Adjust Power Settings
Solution 4: Tweak CPU Core Usage
Solution 5: Set Process Priority

Struggling with VMware Slowness on Windows 11? Here’s the Real Fix!

A user reported sluggish performance when running VMware Workstation Pro 17.x on a Windows 11 24H2 client. Virtual machines (VMs) took forever to load, and basic tasks like opening Windows Explorer were painfully slow. Resource usage (CPU, RAM, network) seemed normal, but the issue persisted. Interestingly, running VMware as an administrator resolved the problem entirely.

The root cause appears to be tied to virtualization features in Windows 11, particularly Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hyper-V. These features can conflict with VMware’s performance. Additionally, Intel hybrid CPUs (12th Gen and newer) exacerbate the problem by assigning VM tasks inefficiently to E-cores (efficiency cores) instead of P-cores (performance cores).

Key Findings

VBS and Hyper-V Conflicts: VBS, a security feature in Windows 11, is known to slow down virtualization tools like VMware and VirtualBox.
Intel CPU Core Assignment: Windows 11 often assigns VM workloads to E-cores, leading to poor performance.
Temporary Fix: Running VMware as an administrator bypasses these issues for many users.

Solution 1: Run VMware as Administrator

Right-click the VMware Workstation shortcut.
Select “Run as Administrator.”

This simple step resolves the slowness for most users.

Solution 2: Disable VBS and Hyper-V

Open msinfo32 and check if “Virtualization-based security” is enabled.
Use a PowerShell script like disabledevicegard.ps1 (available on GitHub) to turn off VBS and Hyper-V completely.
Restart system after making changes.

Solution 3: Adjust Power Settings

Switch power mode to “Best Performance” in Windows settings. This can improve VM speed by up to 15%.

Solution 4: Tweak CPU Core Usage

Disable E-cores in BIOS settings if supported by motherboard. Alternatively, modify the .vmx configuration file of VM to prioritize P-cores.

Solution 5: Set Process Priority

Open Task Manager while the VM is running.
Find vmware-vmx.exe, right-click it, and set its process priority to “High.”

While these workarounds can help, the underlying issues stem from how Windows 11 interacts with virtualization software and modern hardware. Until Microsoft or VMware provides a permanent fix, these steps should mitigate most performance problems.