Hyper-V is a virtualization software that is built into Windows 10 and Windows Server. It allows users to create and manage virtual machines on their Windows PC or server.

Oracle's VM VirtualBox is a powerful, free, and open-source virtualization tool—but you'll have to do some tinkering to make it work for you.

Install Windows 10 safely in a virtual machine with this step-by-step guide from ExtremeTech—ideal for testing software or managing files securely.

The free VMware Player brings many of the benefits of virtual machines to the average user. It can't create VMs and doesn't include the most advanced features of the $189 VMware Workstation. But ...