I’m trying to get a USB dongle working inside a Hyper-V VM, but the device isn’t being detected by the guest OS. I need the dongle for software licensing purposes and am not sure what steps or settings are required. Has anyone successfully set this up, and if so, what should I do to make it work? Any help or guidance would be appreciated.
You’d think plugging a USB dongle into your PC and having it work seamlessly in a Hyper-V VM would be easy, right? Yeah, not so much. Hyper-V’s pretty stubborn about direct USB passthrough—unlike VMware or VirtualBox, it just isn’t built for dongle love out of the box. The only USB devices you can “redirect” the normal way are keyboards, mice, and sometimes storage, and even that depends on having Enhanced Session Mode enabled (which doesn’t support dongles for licensing).
So what now, besides pulling your hair out? You’ve got two real options:
- RemoteFX USB Redirection—the magical feature that everyone hoped would solve problems, but Microsoft deprecated it (and it’s a pain to set up, plus security risks and oh, it STILL doesn’t play well with all dongle types).
- USB over Network Solutions—third-party tools that do what Microsoft can’t be bothered with. Donglify is a popular pick if you want a straightforward way to access a ‘Hyper-V dongle’ for software licensing inside your virtual machine. It’s basically an app you install on your host machine and the VM, and then you ‘share’ the dongle over your network. The guest OS thinks the dongle’s plugged in directly—problem solved.
If you wanna dive deeper, here’s a great link that walks you through how to easily connect hardware dongles to Hyper-V VMs without smashing your head against the wall.
Bottom line: Hyper-V just doesn’t support native USB dongle access, but third-party tools like Donglify save the day. Don’t bother fighting the Hyper-V settings—take the shortcut and reclaim your sanity.
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Honestly, Hyper-V and USB dongles mix like oil and water—Microsoft kinda acts like they’ve never heard of USB licensing dongles at all. I’ll agree with @boswandelaar: native USB passthru support basically doesn’t exist unless you’re dealing with storage or the odd keyboard, and Enhanced Session Mode isn’t magic for this either (wish it was!). But I think there’s a little more wiggle room if you get creative.
Here’s something folk sometimes overlook: If your dongle is a network dongle (you know, the type designed for ‘floating’ licenses or network-based keys), there’s a chance it might just work if your VM’s on the same subnet. Not likely given most are USB, but it happens, so worth a shot.
Failing that, yeah, third-party solutions are the go-to. Donglify gets brought up everywhere for a reason—as a dedicated USB dongle redirection app, it’s basically plug-and-play for these scenarios. But just so we’re clear: there are alternatives (FlexiHub pops up too), though in my endless trawling, Donglify tends to land more positive feedback for actual licensing dongle use.
One thing to watch for, though—some companies or IT depts get all hot-and-bothered about adding extra software to hosts or messing with licensing rules. Always check if your software vendor is cool with network-based dongle sharing, otherwise you could break terms (unlikely, but possible). Oh, and don’t forget the small print: USB-over-network speeds are not local speeds, so sometimes there’s a tad more latency, rare tho that it matters for dongles. Just take a peek at the best way to connect your dongle to a Hyper-V VM and see if the trial works for your setup.
In short: fight Hyper-V if you want, but unless you like pain, go software-based dongle access and call it a day.
Let’s cut through the Hyper-V noise: direct USB passthrough for licensing dongles? Flat out, not happening unless you’re dealing with basic storage, and even then it’s dicey. @voyageurdubois and @boswandelaar totally nailed the struggle, and I get not everyone wants to tack on extra tools, but honestly, fighting Hyper-V’s limitations is just self-punishment at this point.
If you’re hunting for the cleanest fix, software like Donglify really is the front-runner for this pain point. Plug USB dongle into your host, fire up Donglify, share with your VM, boom—the guest OS thinks the physical dongle is right there. Pros? It just works out of the box, the UI is smooth, updates are regular, latency is minimal, and, crucially for licensing dongles, Windows and most macOS flavors play nice. You don’t need to deep-dive Windows Group Policy or gamble with deprecated features like RemoteFX that Microsoft nuked for being buggy and insecure.
But hey, let’s not act like Donglify’s spotless: you gotta drop some cash (subscription, natch), and if you ever lose network connection between host and VM, your license blips out. And, some really paranoid vendors (rare, but check your EULA) might think network dongle access breaks their rules. Also, you’re stuck needing both host and guest installs, plus an internet connection during setup.
Now, shout-out to the competition: there’s FlexiHub (pricing is wild), and USB Network Gate—both do the dongle-sharing thing, though I’ve found Donglify usually throws up fewer driver headaches and, unlike some cheaper clones, doesn’t fail mid-renewal. If you want totally offline solutions, you’re outta luck everywhere without going down a PCI passthrough rabbit hole, which is way more admin overhead than most folks want to deal with.
Endgame: Hyper-V + USB dongle = use Donglify if you want plug-and-play reliability. Hate subscriptions or need rock-solid local speeds? Might be time to check if your software supports a network dongle variant or if you can use a different hypervisor (VMware’s still friendlier to USB stuff, for what it’s worth). Otherwise, buckle up—third-party tools are your only practical route. Don’t waste your weekend on registry hacks—life’s too short.