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Unofficial Tweak Brings Native NVMe Driver to Windows 11 as Early Tests Show Select Gains

The feature is officially in Windows Server 2025, and on Windows 11 it currently requires a risky registry change that can disrupt SSD utilities.

Overview

  • Microsoft’s new storage stack treats NVMe drives as NVMe rather than converting commands to SCSI, cutting overhead and latency in Windows Server 2025.
  • Enthusiasts have enabled the same native NVMe driver on Windows 11 25H2 via a registry edit that publications caution can render systems unstable.
  • User benchmarks report modest improvements in many cases—roughly 12–22% in random I/O and minimal sequential gains—with one setup showing an 85% jump in random writes.
  • SSD management software such as Samsung Magician and Western Digital Dashboard is reported to malfunction or fail to detect drives when the driver is enabled.
  • Analysts note the biggest benefits are likely for server-style workloads rather than everyday or gaming use, and some outlets expect official Windows 11 support to arrive later.