Microsoft is enabling a Windows 11 security feature that can hurt gaming performance

image via The Verge

September 2, 2026, 8:57 AM

• •Microsoft says Windows quality updates will start enabling memory integrity on eligible Windows 11 devices next month.
• •The feature is designed to allow only trusted kernel-mode code and drivers to run.
• •Microsoft says the rollout will also enable Virtualization-based Security on applicable systems.
• •Game performance may drop on some hardware, with older CPUs more likely to see frame-rate effects.
• •Systems where users have already disabled memory integrity will not have it automatically turned back on.

Microsoft plans to begin enabling Windows 11's memory integrity protection on more eligible devices starting next month through quality updates. The kernel-level feature is intended to block malicious code and untrusted drivers, and Microsoft says the rollout will also turn on Virtualization-based Security where applicable. The company has previously warned that memory integrity can reduce game performance on some systems, especially older processors. Users can check or change the setting through Core Isolation in Windows Security, and Microsoft says devices where the feature was already disabled will not have it re-enabled automatically.

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