# Can I run Ubuntu, WSL2, or a Linux VM on my Windows VPS?
Source: https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/windows-vps/no-linux-vms-on-windows-vps
Last reviewed: 2026-07-02
Summary: No, your Windows VPS is itself a virtual machine, and nested virtualization isn't supported, so Hyper-V, VirtualBox, VMware, WSL2, and Docker Desktop won't run inside it. What actually works for each underlying goal: a Linux VPS alongside (usually cheaper than the workaround), WSL1 for light command-line use, and where containers should really live.

## What this is

The short answer: **no**, and it's a physics-of-virtualization no, not a policy one. Your Windows VPS **is itself a virtual machine** (running on Hyper-V), and **nested virtualization, a VM inside a VM, isn't supported** on our platform. Everything on this list needs exactly that, so none of it will run on a Windows VPS:

- the **Hyper-V role** itself,
- **VirtualBox** and **VMware Workstation**,
- **WSL2** (Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2, which is a lightweight VM under the hood, `wsl --install` will end in a virtualization error),
- **Docker Desktop** (it requires WSL2 or Hyper-V).

The installers mostly fail with messages about virtualization support or hypervisor errors, that's this page.

## What you're actually after, and what works

**"I want a Linux machine."** Then have one, a [Linux VPS](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/linux-vps-vs-premium-vps) is a *real* separate machine, starting at $5/month, which is almost certainly less than the RAM you'd have sacrificed carving a VM out of your Windows plan. Run both side by side, each OS on hardware-level footing, managed from the same account, and connected to each other over the network like any two servers.

**"I just want Linux command-line tools on the Windows box."** Two honest options: **WSL1**, the older translation-layer version of WSL, is not a VM and doesn't need nested virtualization, `wsl --install` with the distro, then `wsl --set-version <distro> 1` (or set version 1 as default first), gives you bash, ssh, grep, and friends for light use, with WSL1's known limits (no systemd, slower file I/O across worlds, some software incompatible). Or skip WSL entirely: **Git for Windows** bundles bash and the common Unix tools, and [PowerShell](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/windows-vps/ssh-on-windows) covers more ground than people expect.

**"I want to run containers."** Docker's Linux containers belong on a Linux host: a [Linux VPS runs Docker natively](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/technical-questions/docker-on-vps), no Desktop app, no VM layer, full performance. (Windows *containers*, the niche Windows-image kind, also rely on virtualization features unavailable here.)

**"I want to test another OS."** A second small VPS is the honest lab bench, deploy, experiment, [reinstall](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/client-area/services/reinstall-os) or cancel when done.

## Why this limitation exists

Hardware virtualization extensions don't pass through to guests by default, and enabling nested virtualization trades away stability and performance isolation on shared hosts, so we don't. The same answer applies on [Linux VPS and Premium VPS](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/pre-sales-faq): no nested hypervisors anywhere on the platform. The practical pattern is always the same, **one VPS per operating system**, which is also how they perform best.

## Still need help?

You can [open a support ticket](https://vpsdime.com/open-ticket/). So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning:

- the VPS hostname or IP,
- what you tried to run (WSL2, a VM, Docker Desktop),
- what you're ultimately after, so we can point you at the setup that works.

## Related questions

- "Why does WSL2 fail to install on my Windows VPS?"
- "Can I run VirtualBox or Hyper-V on my VPS?"
- "Why doesn't Docker Desktop work on my Windows VPS?"
- "How do I get Linux tools on Windows Server without WSL2?"
- "Can I run Windows and Linux on the same VPS?"