AWS First Steps
New feature

Amazon WorkSpaces Now Supports Nested Virtualization

Amazon WorkSpaces enables nested virtualization, allowing direct execution of various development tools on user desktops

Amazon WorkSpaces now enables nested virtualization for both Personal and Core Managed Bundles. This feature allows developers to run Docker Desktop, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2), and other hypervisor-dependent tools directly on Windows WorkSpaces, as well as KVM-based workloads, Android emulators, and nested containers on Linux WorkSpaces-without requiring separate physical hardware or workaround environments. Supported operating systems include Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025; Windows 11; Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9; and Rocky Linux 8 and 9, when using the DCV protocol. A Power instance (4 vCPU or higher) is recommended. GPU bundles, the PCoIP protocol, and Amazon WorkSpaces based on Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 do not support this feature. Administrators can enable or disable nested virtualization at the individual workspace level via the console, API, or CLI. The functionality is available in all AWS Regions where Amazon WorkSpaces operates, except for China (Ningxia) and Israel (Tel Aviv) Regions.

Why it matters

This update provides developers and end users with greater flexibility in virtualized environments. Amazon WorkSpaces offers remote desktop services.

Read the original AWS announcement

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