Overview
- Microsoft announced in a Windows IT Pro blog that Windows quality updates will begin enabling Memory Integrity on eligible devices starting in October 2026.
- Before turning the feature on, Windows will run device readiness checks that consider CPU, firmware virtualization, RAM, storage, and driver compatibility and it will not change devices where administrators or users have already disabled the setting.
- Eligible hardware requirements reported by Microsoft include modern CPUs (Intel 8th‑gen or newer, AMD Zen 2 or newer, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8180 or newer), virtualization enabled in firmware, at least 8GB RAM on x64, and a 64GB SSD or larger.
- Admins can manage the rollout at scale through registry keys, Group Policy, or Intune and Windows will log driver conflicts in the CodeIntegrity operational log under Event ID 3087 to help troubleshoot blocked drivers.
- Users may see tradeoffs such as older drivers being blocked, reduced frame rates in some games, and loss of undervolting tools that require virtualization off, and this rollout closes a widespread gap in kernel protection as vulnerability discovery accelerates.