Microsoft has released a new version of its Windows 11 virtual machines available for free during a 90-day evaluation period. The latest update, version 2311, lets you try the latest features Microsoft introduced in the Moment 4 update. Those include a redesigned File Explorer, a new volume mixer, native RGB controls, native RAR support, Copilot, and more.
Windows Development Environment (WDE) version 2311 is built upon Windows 11 Enterprise with build number 22621.2715 (the latest Patch Tuesday update). The new Moment 4 update features are enabled by default, so you can try them without installing any extra updates. However, you can update it to Windows 11 version 23H2, released on October 31, 2023.
Downloading Windows Development Environment 2311 will let you try the latest Windows 11 update and Microsoft's developer tools. Those include Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition (including UWP, NET Desktop, Azure, and Windows App SDK), Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 with Ubuntu installed by default, Windows Terminal, and Windows Developer mode.
You cannot activate Microsoft's Windows 11 virtual machines, but the company allows you to use them during a free 90-day evaluation period. Version 2311 will expire on February 13, 2024. After that, your virtual machine will begin displaying typical symptoms of activation issues, such as black backgrounds, activation messages, etc. If you see an activation error right after installing the VM, run Windows Activation Troubleshooter to resolve it.
Is it possible to activate the Windows license in these images for long term use?
No, these VM images use Windows Enterprise Evaluation Edition and do not support activation with a product key.
You can download Windows Development Environment version 2311 from the official website. It is available as a prebuilt virtual machine for Hyper-V, VMware Workstation Pro and Workstation Player, Parallels Desktop for Mac, and VirtualBox. Note that WDE requires a minimum of 8GB of RAM and at least 70GB of free disk space. You can also download evaluation images without extra software here (Windows 10) and here (Windows 11).
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