- Microsoft will switch on Memory Integrity on more Windows 11 computers starting in October 2026.
- The feature stops harmful code from reaching deep parts of Windows, but tests show it can lower gaming performance.
- People who already turned the feature off will keep their old settings, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft plans to expand a security feature called Memory Integrity to more Windows 11 computers. The change starts in October 2026. It will arrive through a normal update, not a big new version of Windows. The Verge reports that Microsoft wants to protect more users from attacks that target the core of Windows.
Memory Integrity goes by another name too. Experts call it Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity, or HVCI. It works inside a bigger system called Virtualization-Based Security, or VBS. This system builds a wall between your normal apps and the sensitive parts of Windows.
The wall blocks bad code and risky drivers from slipping through. Microsoft’s own documentation treats this feature as a key part of keeping Windows safe from the start.
A New Rollout Begins in October
Microsoft will not touch every computer at once. The company will first check each device. It looks at the hardware, the drivers, and how the device performs. Only computers that pass this check will get the feature turned on automatically, Tom’s Hardware explains.
This step matters because Microsoft wants safety without breaking anyone’s setup. The company treats this update as routine maintenance. It slips in with regular monthly patches. Most users will not need to do anything at all. Their systems will simply gain stronger protection over time.
Security experts see this move as part of a bigger pattern. Microsoft keeps pushing Windows toward tighter, built-in defenses. The company wants fewer users to fall victim to kernel-level attacks. These attacks target the deepest layer of the operating system, and they are hard to detect once they succeed.
Games May Run Slower on Some PCs
Stronger security often comes at a cost, and this case proves it again. Memory Integrity adds extra checks while your computer runs. Those checks use up processing power. Gamers may notice a real difference, especially on older machines.
Tom’s Hardware tested VBS and HVCI directly on real systems. The tests found an average performance drop of around five percent on some Intel computers. AMD systems also lost some speed. The exact drop depends on your processor, your game, and other parts of your setup, according to Tom’s Hardware’s benchmark report.
TechSpot ran its own tests across fifteen different games. Most titles lost close to five percent of their frame rate. A few games dropped much further. Microsoft Flight Simulator lost about eleven percent of its speed at 1080p resolution, based on TechSpot’s findings.
Newer processors handle this better. Chipmakers built some recent CPUs with extra support that eases the load HVCI creates. Older processors do not have this help, so they may feel a bigger hit. This means the slowdown will not feel the same on every Windows 11 computer.
Users Who Turned It Off Are Safe
Not everyone will feel this change, though. Microsoft says the rollout targets computers where Memory Integrity sits off by default, not by choice. If you or your IT team already turned the feature off on purpose, your setting stays untouched, Windows Latest confirms.
Microsoft is pushing Bing on Windows 11 with a standalone app that promotes Bing as the default search engine in Chrome, Firefox, and Brave, with the option pre-selected but users able to decline.
Businesses that manage devices through Group Policy or Intune keep full control too. Their existing rules will not get overridden by this update, according to Thurrott’s coverage of the rollout.
Reactions online show a split opinion. One user, posting as @c_sec73, called Memory Integrity a needed upgrade and suggested it could also help stop cheaters in online games. Another user, @LinuxSecurity, admitted the security gain is real but worried about the performance cost, especially for people running older hardware.
A third user, @French_Slavic, argued that players should always have the choice to turn the feature off if they want to. Notebookcheck’s report sums up the trade-off well. Windows becomes harder to attack, but some gamers may pay for it in lost frames.
This rollout puts Microsoft in a tough spot. The company wants every Windows 11 computer to stay safe from kernel attacks. At the same time, it does not want to upset gamers who care about every frame per second. Most modern computers may barely notice the change. Older or budget hardware could feel it more once October arrives.
For now, users have a clear choice ahead. Those who value security more can let the update run as planned. Those who prioritize gaming speed can check their settings once the rollout begins and adjust Memory Integrity if their system allows it.
