How to Enable or Disable Core Isolation Memory Integrity in Windows 11

Before enabling Memory Integrity, verify your system supports this feature and check its current status.

Open Windows Security by pressing Windows + I, then navigate to Privacy & security > Windows Security. Click Open Windows Security.

In Windows Security, click Device security from the left sidebar. Look for the Core isolation section. If you see "Core isolation details" link, your system supports the feature.

Click Core isolation details to view the current status. You'll see whether Memory integrity is currently on or off, and any incompatible drivers that might prevent activation.

The primary method to enable Memory Integrity uses the Windows Security interface, which provides the safest approach with built-in compatibility checks.

From the Core isolation details page (accessed in Step 1), locate the Memory integrity toggle switch. Click the toggle to turn it On.

If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to allow the change. Windows will display a notification that a restart is required.

Optionally, you can also toggle the Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist setting. Keep this enabled unless you specifically need to run older, known-safe drivers that trigger false positives.

Click Restart now when prompted, or restart manually through the Start menu.

You may need to disable Memory Integrity for gaming performance, virtual machine compatibility, or to resolve application crashes.

Navigate back to Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details. Click the Memory integrity toggle to turn it Off.

Confirm the UAC prompt if it appears. Windows will again notify you that a restart is required to apply the change.

Restart your computer to complete the process. The change takes effect immediately after the restart.

When Memory Integrity won't enable due to incompatible drivers, you need to identify and update or remove the problematic drivers.

In the Core isolation details page, look for a link that says "Review incompatible drivers" or similar text. Click this link to see a list of drivers blocking the feature.

For each listed driver, note the driver name and manufacturer. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Device Manager.

Get-WindowsDriver -Online | Where-Object {$_.Driver -like "*problematic_driver_name*"}

Use this PowerShell command to get detailed driver information, replacing "problematic_driver_name" with the actual driver name from the incompatible list.

Update drivers through Device Manager by right-clicking the device > Update driver > Search automatically. Alternatively, download the latest drivers directly from the manufacturer's website.

When the Windows Security interface is grayed out or managed by group policy, use the Registry Editor to directly control Memory Integrity.

Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Approve the UAC prompt to open Registry Editor.

Navigate to the following registry path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Scenarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity

Locate the Enabled DWORD value. If it doesn't exist, right-click in the right pane > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it "Enabled".

Double-click the Enabled value and set the Value data:

• 1 = Enable Memory Integrity
• 0 = Disable Memory Integrity

Click OK and close Registry Editor. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

For frequent toggling, create .reg files to quickly enable or disable Memory Integrity without manual registry navigation.

Open Notepad and create the first file for enabling Memory Integrity:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Scenarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity]
"Enabled"=dword:00000001

Save this as Enable_Memory_Integrity.reg on your desktop.

Create a second file for disabling:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Scenarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000

Save this as Disable_Memory_Integrity.reg.

To use these files, right-click the desired .reg file and select Merge. Approve the UAC prompt and restart your computer.

Address the most frequent problems encountered when configuring Memory Integrity in Windows 11.

Issue 1: "Memory Integrity can't be enabled" error
This persistent 2026 error often requires a registry-first approach. Use the registry method (Step 5) to enable the feature, restart, then check for driver updates.

Issue 2: Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) after enabling
Boot into Safe Mode by holding Shift while clicking Restart, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart > F4. Disable Memory Integrity via registry or remove problematic drivers.

Issue 3: Applications crashing or refusing to start
Temporarily disable the Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist in Core isolation details. If crashes persist, the application uses incompatible code injection techniques.

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; ID=219} | Select-Object TimeCreated, Message

Use this PowerShell command to check Event Viewer for HVCI-related errors and identify specific problematic drivers.

Issue 4: Gaming performance degradation
Disable both Memory Integrity and Virtual Machine Platform through Windows Features. Re-enable after gaming sessions for security.