How To Enable Memory Integrity on Windows 11

Memory Integrity is one of those behind-the-scenes security features in Windows that’s supposed to keep malicious stuff out of your memory — kinda weird, but if it’s turned off or acting up, you might see that frustrating ‘Memory Integrity is Off’ warning all the time. Usually, this happens if something gets corrupted after Windows updates or if you manually toggled it off, which of course Windows has to make harder than necessary. Fixing it isn’t always straightforward, especially if some system files are whacked out or settings are just not cooperating. The good news is, there are a few methods that can bring it back online, so you can rest easy knowing your security isn’t basically disabled. This guide walks through some practical fixes—hoping one of them gets you sorted without having to do a full reset or reinstall, but hey, sometimes that’s the only way. So, let’s dive into how to get Memory Integrity working again in Windows 11.

How to Fix Memory Integrity Off in Windows 11

Turn on Memory Integrity from Settings

This is the most direct method and the first thing to try. Because if the toggle’s just off, turning it back on usually solves the problem. It applies when you see the option grayed out or disabled. On some setups, this might work smoothly the first time, but on others, the toggle still won’t activate right away—so it’s worth trying all the tricks below.

1. Hit Windows, type Windows Security, and open it from the search results.
2. Then, navigate to Device Security in the sidebar, and click on Core Isolation Details.
3. Find Memory Integrity and flip that toggle to On. If it’s grayed out, move on to other fixes below because sometimes Windows just refuses to toggle it unless certain conditions are met (like driver updates).

Update Windows — Sometimes Old Bugs Cause the Hang

If the Memory Integrity setting is grayed out or unresponsive, updating Windows might be the trick. Because of course, Windows has to make everything more complicated than it should, and sometimes bugs get stuck in the code that only updates patch out. This applies especially if your system’s still running an older version or build that’s known to have issues with security features.

1. Click the Start Menu, then search for Check for updates and open it.
2. Click the big Check for updates button and let Windows fetch and install all pending updates.
3. Once done, reboot the PC and see if the Memory Integrity toggle now works.

Run System File Checks — Because Corrupted Files Break Stuff

This one’s kind of grossly underestimated. If your system files got corrupted from updates, app installs, or just a weird shutdown, that can mess with Memory Integrity’s settings. Running the System File Checker (SFC) and DISM tools can help repair these files and hopefully restore normal operations.

1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run as administrator. A UAC prompt might come up—click Yes.
2. First, run the SFC scan: sfc /scannow. It’ll start checking system files immediately—this might take a few minutes.
3. If SFC finds and fixes issues, restart, then check if Memory Integrity works.
4. If that didn’t do the trick, go back to the command prompt and run the DISM commands one by one:
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
5. After DISM completes, restart your PC again and test the toggle.

Force Enable Memory Integrity via Registry Editor

This method’s kind of a hack, but if your settings are stubborn, editing the registry can sometimes force it to turn on. Be warned, messing with the registry can cause issues if done incorrectly, so be careful and maybe back up first.

1. Click on Start, type Registry Editor, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Scenarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity.
3. Double-click on Enabled in the right pane. Change the Value Data to 1 and hit OK.
4. Close the registry editor and restart your computer. After rebooting, check if Memory Integrity can be turned on from settings now—this might just do the trick in stubborn cases.

Reset Windows Security App

Sometimes the Windows Security app itself gets weird or stops working properly, which can prevent Memory Integrity from toggling or showing in the menu. Resetting the app can clear out corruption or bugs.

1. Open Settings, then go to Apps.
2. Click on Apps & features. Scroll down to find Windows Security.
3. Click the three-dot menu next to Windows Security, then choose Advanced Options.
4. Scroll down and hit the Reset button. It will reset the app to factory defaults, hopefully clearing any glitches.

Bottom Line

If nothing’s working — no toggle, no update, no registry hack — sometimes the only resort is resetting your Windows or doing a clean install. Yeah, it’s drastic, but if your system files are really toast or something’s deeply broken, that might be the last option. Plus, remember: always backup or create a restore point before messing with deeper system stuff.

Summary

• Try turning on Memory Integrity from Security settings.
• Check for Windows updates and install them.
• Run SFC and DISM scans to fix corrupted system files.
• Use registry editor to force enable Memory Integrity if needed.
• Reset the Windows Security app if it’s acting weird.

Wrap-up

Getting Memory Integrity back on can be a bit of a grind — some machines cooperate, others don’t, and Windows really likes to throw curveballs. But a combination of updates, system checks, and maybe a registry tweak usually does the trick. If all else fails, a full reinstallation might be needed, but fingers crossed, one of these fixes gets it working again without jumping to that. Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours of headache for someone out there.