How to optimize gaming performance on Windows 11

• To optimize Windows 11 for gaming, open Windows Security and disable “Memory integrity.”
• Also, open “Windows Features” and disable “Virtual Machine Platform.”
• After playing games, Microsoft recommends re-enabling the features for security.

If you play games on Windows 11, you probably notice that gaming performance is not at the same level as on Windows 10. According to Microsoft, after user testing and feedback, the performance impact is due to two security features (Memory Integrity and Virtual Machine Platform) that come enabled by default on Windows 11.

On the Windows 11 2022 Update or original release, “Memory Integrity” is a feature that prevents hackers from using malicious code and guarantees that drivers on the computer are trustworthy. And the “Virtual Machine Platform” provides the elements to use virtualization, such as the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Hyper-V.

If you want to optimize gaming performance over security, Microsoft recommends disabling these two features to improve the experience. Once you are done playing games, the company says you should turn the features back on.

This guide will teach you the steps to disable the two security features to optimize gaming performance on Windows 11.

Optimize Windows 11 for gaming performance

On Windows 11, you can find the option to disable Memory Integrity in the Windows Security app, while the option to disable virtualization is available through the Settings app. 

1. Disable Memory Integrity

To disable Memory Integrity to optimize Windows 11 gaming performance, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.

3. Click on Device Security.

4. Under the “Core isolation” section, click the “Core isolation details” option.

   

5. Turn off the “Memory integrity” toggle switch to optimize gaming.

   

6. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the security feature will be disabled, thus improving gaming performance on Windows 11.

2. Disable virtualization

To disable virtualization on Windows 11 to optimize gaming, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Apps.

3. Click the Optional features tab.

4. Under the “Related settings” section, click the “More Windows features” setting.

   

5. Clear the “Virtual Machine Platform” option to disable the feature and optimize gaming.

   

6. Click the OK button.

7. Click the Restart now button.

After you complete the steps, the virtualization components will be disabled on your computer to boost gaming performance on Windows 11.

Once you are done playing, you can use the instructions to enable the features again, but on step 5 (first set of steps), turn on the toggle switch to re-enable Memory Integrity, and do not restart yet. Then in step 4 (second set of steps), check the option to re-enable virtualization and restart the computer.

Although Microsoft acknowledges that these features can impact gaming performance, the overall improvements will vary per device. Also, consider that there are many other factors that can play a role in performance. For example, the graphics card may not be powerful enough. The hard drive may be running out of space, or it’s not fast enough. You can be dealing with driver issues on a specific game. You are not using a monitor with a high refresh rate. The device may be experiencing thermal problems. You can be using an older processor, not enough memory, etc.