Microsoft Forcing Memory Integrity Protection on All Eligible Windows 11 PCs

Microsoft is set to enable Memory Integrity protection on all eligible Windows 11 PCs in October. This feature uses hardware-dependent methods to prevent malware from infecting OS processes, but it may slow down older PCs. The update will also include a movable taskbar and other features.

Memory Integrity protection works best with Intel Kabylake or AMD Zen 2 or later processors. Older processors rely on an emulation of these features, called Restricted User Mode, which can have a bigger impact on performance. Users can check if Memory Integrity is already active on their PC by going to Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation Details.

If the feature slows down your PC, you can turn it off in the Windows Security app. Microsoft recommends keeping Memory Integrity protection active unless you have a defensible reason to deactivate it.