How to fix
Can’t turn on Core isolation – Memory integrity
on Windows

Hello. Memory integrity is greyed out and cannot be turned on on my PC. I also got the message in Windows Security that the Memory integrity is off, but I can't do anything about it and turn it on. I try to do so, but the message appears again, stating that it is not possible. Can I solve this problem somehow on my own? 

Core isolation - Memory integrity issues are pretty common in Windows, unfortunately. These problems often occur due to incompatibility issues or when drivers are affected, outdated, damaged, and conflicts with the needed processes on the machine. Users report[ref en-1] problems with this function online for a while, and the problem sometimes explains the cause with particular messages about driver problems.

The error message can even indicate which driver or different system file is causing these issues with processes on the computer, so you know what to do with these pieces and how to fix the problem. However, accessing the registry editor or updating drivers can be intimidating for some users.

The issue can occur on newer or older versions of devices that run Windows 10 or even the Windows 11 operating system. In most cases, the issue when users can't turn on Core isolation - Memory integrity in Windows is related to drivers and the operating system that is not interacting with those pieces correctly.

Drivers are the pieces that allow the OS and devices to communicate, and when the OS wants to run something, but drivers cannot connect the device to the OS, failure of some functions happen. Drivers can be damaged during updates[ref en-2] of the operating system itself or corrupted by the PUP or malware[ref en-3]. These small pieces can lead to major issues.

You can sometimes solve common issues with files and malware leftovers by running a tool like [d1] that finds such files and fixes issues related to system data that is altered. This is the quick way to fix additional issues or even the solution for the cause of Core isolation - Memory integrity problem in Windows. If that is not helping you - follow instructions thoroughly.

1. Enable Core Isolation & memory Integrity in Settings

• Sign in as an administrator and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Look for Device Security option.
• Here you should check if Core Isolation under Virtualization is enabled on your PC.
• Core isolation provides virtualization-based security features to protect core parts of your device.
• Click on Core isolation details.
• You will be offered to enable Memory Integrity, so toggle it to On.
• Restart the PC when asked.

2. Enable features using the registry

• Press Win+R to open the Run dialog.
• Type regedit and hit the Enter button.
• Click on the Yes option.
• Navigate to Scenarios in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
• Right-click on Scenarios > New > Key.
  

  

  
  
• Name it as HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity.
• Right-click on it New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  

  

  
  
• Name it as Enabled.
• Double-click on it to set the Value data as 1 to enable and 0 to disable.
  

  

• Click the OK button.
• Restart your computer.

3. Enable Memory Integrity using the Group Policy editor

• Head to the Start Menu and type Group Policy in the menu to search for it.
  

  

• Click on the Edit Group Policy tile to open the Group Policy Editor on your screen.
• Double-click on the Computer Configuration option present in the right section of the window.
  

  

• Locate and double-click on the Windows Settings folder from the list of folders to continue.
  

  

• Locate and double-click on the Device Guard folder to proceed.
• Double-click on the Turn on Virtualization Based Security setting file. 
• From the separately opened window, click on the radio button preceding the Enabled option located in the top-left section of the window.
• Click Apply button to apply the changes, and then click on the OK button to close the window.
• Restart the PC to save changes.

4. Update drivers

• In the search box on the taskbar, enter the device manager.
• Select Device Manager.
• Select a category to see the names of devices - you can choose drivers with exclamation points near them.
• Then right-click the one you’d like to update.
• Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
• Select Update Driver.
• You can also rely on the automatic driver update tool [rev id="DriverFix"] that finds and upgrades all the pieces quickly for you. It finds needed and compatible driver pieces for your machine.