.nh
.TH podman-system-hyperv-prep 1
.SH NAME
podman-system-hyperv-prep \- A Windows administrator command to prepare a host that is going to run Hyper-V based Podman machines

.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBpodman system hyperv-prep\fP [\fIoptions\fP]

.SH DESCRIPTION
Prepare a Windows host to run Hyper-V based Podman machines by creating the
required registry entries in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for Hyper-V VSock communication
and adding the current user to the Hyper-V Administrators group.

.PP
The registry entries are marked to persist even when all machines are removed,
and the group membership allows the user to manage Hyper-V virtual machines.
Together, these avoid the need for administrator privileges during normal machine
operations.

.PP
This command requires administrator privileges and is only available on Windows.
The \fB--status\fP option can be used without administrator privileges.

.SH OPTIONS
.SS \fB--mounts\fP=\fInumber\fP
Number of VSock entries for mount purpose. Every mounted host folder of a running machine needs a dedicated VSock. There should be enough VSock to satisfy the needs of running Podman machines on the host. The default is \fB2\fP\&.

.SS \fB--force\fP, \fB-f\fP
Skip confirmation prompts during reset. Only valid with \fB--reset\fP\&.

.SS \fB--reset\fP
Remove all Podman VSock registry entries and remove the current user from the
Hyper-V Administrators group. Prompts for confirmation before each action unless
\fB--force\fP is specified.

.SS \fB--status\fP
Show the list of VSock registry entries and the current user's Hyper-V
Administrators group membership status.

.SH EXAMPLE
Create the required registry entries and add the current user to the Hyper-V
Administrators group:

.EX
podman system hyperv-prep
.EE

.PP
Show existing registry entries and group membership status:

.EX
podman system hyperv-prep --status
.EE

.PP
Remove all Podman VSock registry entries and the current user from the Hyper-V
Administrators group (with confirmation prompts):

.EX
podman system hyperv-prep --reset
.EE

.PP
Reset without confirmation prompts:

.EX
podman system hyperv-prep --reset --force
.EE

.SH SEE ALSO
\fBpodman(1)\fP, \fBpodman-system(1)\fP

.SH HISTORY
April 2026