How to Create a Virtual Switch in Hyper-V on Windows 10

Hyper-V virtual switches connect virtual machines to networks. Depending on the switch type, a VM can communicate with the physical network, only with the host and other VMs, or only with other VMs on the same host.

Windows 10 support note: Windows 10 reached end of normal support on October 14, 2025. Microsoft still documents the same Hyper-V virtual-switch concepts for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Choose the switch type

• External — connects VMs to the physical network through a host network adapter.
• Internal — connects VMs to each other and to the host, but not directly to the external physical network.
• Private — connects VMs to each other only on that Hyper-V host.

Create a virtual switch with Hyper-V Manager

1. Open Hyper-V Manager as an administrator.
2. In the Actions pane, select Virtual Switch Manager.
3. Choose External, Internal, or Private.
4. Select Create Virtual Switch.
5. Enter a descriptive name.
6. If you selected External, choose the physical network adapter the switch should use.
7. Decide whether the management operating system should continue sharing that network adapter.
8. Select Apply > OK.

Creating or changing an external switch can briefly interrupt the host’s network connection while Hyper-V reconfigures the adapter.

Connect a VM to the switch

1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine and select Settings.
2. Select Network Adapter.
3. Choose the virtual switch from the Virtual switch list.
4. Select Apply > OK.

Official reference

Microsoft Learn: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/get-started/create-a-virtual-switch-for-hyper-v-virtual-machines