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Enabling Virtualization-based security (VBS) in Windows 11 turns on an isolated environment run by the Windows hypervisor. That environment changes little on screen by itself. What changes is which security features can use it. The most visible of those features is Memory integrity, which moves kernel-mode code integrity checks into the isolated space. Credential Guard is a separate service that also depends on VBS. Whether either one is actually protecting a device depends on the hardware, the configuration, and whether the service is running. A setting being switched on is not enough to establish that.
What VBS does
VBS uses the Windows hypervisor to create a virtual environment that the ordinary operating-system kernel cannot freely reach. Microsoft describes this environment as a root of trust, built on the assumption that the kernel itself could be compromised. Security features placed inside it can keep performing their checks even if the normal kernel has been subverted.
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The terms are easy to blur, so it helps to keep them apart. VBS is the underlying capability. Memory integrity and Credential Guard are services that use it. Turning on VBS does not, by itself, prove that either service has been configured and is running.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| Item | Role | What it protects | Configuration note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtualization-based security (VBS) | Underlying platform | Provides the isolated environment that security features run in | Enabled state does not prove that individual services are running |
| Memory integrity (also called HVCI or hypervisor-enforced code integrity) | VBS feature | Kernel-mode code integrity checks, the Control Flow Guard bitmap for kernel-mode drivers, and kernel memory allocations that could be used to compromise the system | Can be enabled by a user in Windows Security or deployed by an administrator |
| Credential Guard | VBS-dependent service | Secrets such as NTLM password hashes and Kerberos Ticket Granting Tickets, shielded from malware running with operating-system administrator privileges | Has its own licensing, hardware, software, and default-enablement conditions |
What Memory integrity changes
Memory integrity is the change most people will notice, because it has a switch in Windows Security. Microsoft’s Learn documentation on enabling virtualization-based protection of code integrity, last updated 2026-08-14 and accessed 2026-10-07, describes the feature as a VBS capability that runs kernel-mode code integrity inside the isolated environment.
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Enable it as a user
- Open Windows Security.
- Select Device security, then Core isolation details.
- Switch Memory integrity to On.
- Restart the PC when Windows asks you to.
Starting with Windows 11 22H2, Windows Security shows a warning when Memory integrity is off. You can dismiss the warning, so its absence is not evidence that the feature is on.
Enable it through administration
Administrators can deploy Memory integrity through several routes:
- Microsoft Intune, using the configuration service provider (CSP) settings
- Group Policy
- Registry settings
- App Control for Business
Microsoft advises piloting the change on a group of computers before a broad rollout, because driver compatibility problems can cause devices or software to malfunction.
Enabling with or without UEFI lock
For managed deployments, Microsoft distinguishes between enabling Memory integrity with a UEFI lock and enabling it without one. The lock is meant to stop remote or policy-based disablement. The trade-off is recovery. After enabling with UEFI lock, Microsoft says access to UEFI firmware settings is required to turn off Secure Boot as part of the recovery procedure. Choose the lock only when a reversible configuration is not needed.
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Credential Guard is conditional, not automatic
Credential Guard is the second VBS-dependent service most readers encounter, and it should not be treated as part of the same switch. Microsoft says that starting with Windows 11, version 22H2, qualifying devices can have Credential Guard enabled by default. The device must meet licensing, hardware, and software requirements and must not have been explicitly configured to disable it. The Credential Guard overview describes the default-enablement context as domain-joined systems that are not domain controllers. A previously set explicit disablement persists across an upgrade.
In practical terms, a Windows 11 PC does not have Credential Guard simply because VBS is on. Check the service state directly, as described below.
Security benefit and its limits
Memory integrity makes it harder for code that is not properly signed or approved to run in kernel mode, and it restricts kernel memory allocations that attackers commonly use to escalate privileges. Credential Guard makes stored credentials harder to extract, even for malware that has administrator rights on the Windows operating system.
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Will enabling VBS slow down my PC?
The honest answer is that it depends on the processor. Microsoft says Memory integrity performs better on processors with hardware support for the relevant execution controls:
| Processor class | How Memory integrity runs | Expected performance effect, per Microsoft |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Kaby Lake and later, with Mode-Based Execution Control (MBEC) | Uses hardware support | Better performance than older hardware |
| AMD Zen 2 and later, with Guest Mode Execute Trap | Uses hardware support | Better performance than older hardware |
| Older processors without these controls | Relies on an emulation called Restricted User Mode | Bigger performance impact |
The Microsoft pages reviewed for this article give no general percentage, no workload benchmark, and no promise of zero impact. Do not assume the effect on one PC predicts another. Measure your own workloads before and after the change if speed matters to you.
Compatibility problems and how to handle them
Microsoft warns that some applications and hardware drivers may be incompatible with Memory integrity. The result can be a malfunction, and in rare cases a blue-screen boot failure. Examples Microsoft names include:
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Microsoft recommends checking for updates to the affected application or driver first. Managed environments should pilot the change before deployment.
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Credential Guard raises its own application issues, because it blocks certain authentication capabilities. Microsoft lists Kerberos DES, unconstrained delegation, TGT extraction, and NTLMv1 among requirements that can break an application. Digest authentication, credential delegation, MS-CHAPv2, and CredSSP can expose credentials to risk when an application requires them. Microsoft recommends testing applications before deployment. It does not recommend enabling Credential Guard on domain controllers, and it states that Credential Guard is unsupported on Exchange Server.
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Do not rely on the presence of a toggle. Use one of these checks to see the device state.
Query the VBS status from PowerShell
- Open PowerShell as administrator.
- Run the following command:
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_DeviceGuard -Namespace rootMicrosoftWindowsDeviceGuard
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Read these fields:
- VirtualizationBasedSecurityStatus: 0 means VBS is not enabled, 1 means enabled but not running, and 2 means enabled and running.
- SecurityServicesConfigured: the services that are configured, such as Credential Guard and Memory integrity.
- SecurityServicesRunning: the services that are actually active.
A value of 1 is the case that a simple toggle check misses. The feature is set, but the platform is not running.
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Check System Summary
Press Windows key + R, type msinfo32.exe, and press Enter. The System Summary page lists the virtualization-based security fields.
Turning it back off
If a device becomes unstable or shows a critical boot error after Memory integrity is enabled, Microsoft documents recovery through the Windows Recovery Environment. The steps include disabling the policy that enabled VBS and Memory integrity, setting the Memory integrity registry value to off, and restarting. If UEFI lock was used, Secure Boot must be disabled through UEFI firmware settings to complete the documented steps. Plan for that before enabling the lock on a machine you cannot easily reach.
What the evidence does and does not establish
The Microsoft Learn documentation accessed 2026-10-07 defines what VBS, Memory integrity, and Credential Guard do and how they are configured. The Memory integrity page was last updated 2026-08-14, and the policy CSP page was last updated 2025-03-12. Credential Guard default behavior and driver compatibility lists change over time, so check the current Microsoft pages before relying on either.
The same documentation does not provide adoption statistics, a measured protection rate for VBS, or a universal performance percentage. Any figure you see for those should be treated as unsupported unless it names its test conditions.
Microsoft Learn describes Memory integrity directly with this sentence: “Memory integrity is a Virtualization-based security (VBS) feature available in Windows.”
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