How to Disable VBS to Fix Low FPS in Games (Windows 11)

Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) can quietly cost you FPS on Windows 11 — often 5–10% in CPU-bound games, sometimes more on older hardware. It’s frequently enabled by default on clean Windows 11 installs, and most players never know it’s running. This guide shows you how to check if VBS is active and how to safely turn it off for gaming.

One caveat first: some anti-cheats and workplace security policies expect VBS or Memory Integrity to be on. If you only play single-player and competitive titles on a personal PC, disabling VBS is a common and safe performance tweak. If a managed/work device or a specific anti-cheat requires it, leave it on.

Step 1 – Check whether VBS is running

1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter.
2. In System Information, find Virtualization-based security.
   • Running means VBS is active and may be costing you FPS.
   • Not enabled means you have nothing to do here.

While you’re there, note Virtualization-based security Services Configured / Running — “Hypervisor enforced Code Integrity” is Memory Integrity, the most common cause of the FPS hit.

Step 2 – Turn off Memory Integrity (Core Isolation)

This is the cleanest first step and reverses most of the performance loss.

1. Open Windows Security (search it in the Start menu).
2. Go to Device security → Core isolation details.
3. Set Memory integrity to Off.
4. Reboot.

Re-check msinfo32. If VBS now shows Not enabled, you’re done.

Step 3 – Disable VBS fully (if it’s still running)

If VBS still shows Running after disabling Memory Integrity, turn off the platform feature.

1. Press Win + R, type optionalfeatures, press Enter.
2. Untick Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Hypervisor Platform (only if you don’t use WSL2, Docker, Hyper-V, or Android emulators — those need them).
3. Press Win + R, type regedit, and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard
4. Set EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity to 0 (create it as a DWORD if missing).
5. Reboot and re-check msinfo32 — it should read Not enabled.

Step 4 – Confirm the FPS gain

Run a CPU-bound game or a built-in benchmark before and after. The biggest improvements usually show up in:

• competitive shooters at high frame rates (CPU-bound)
• games on older or lower-core-count CPUs
• 1% lows and frame-time consistency, not just average FPS

When you should NOT disable VBS

• Your PC is a managed/work device with security policy enforcement.
• An anti-cheat explicitly requires Memory Integrity (rare, but check the game’s launch error).
• You rely on WSL2, Docker Desktop, Hyper-V, or Android emulators — these need virtualization features.

VBS is independent from Secure Boot and TPM, which most anti-cheats do require — disabling VBS does not affect those. If a game won’t launch, that’s usually a Secure Boot/TPM issue, not VBS. See How to Enable Secure Boot in ASUS BIOS for Windows 11.

Combine with other performance tweaks

VBS is one of several Windows-level settings worth tuning for gaming. Stack it with:

• How to debloat Windows to optimize PC for Gaming
• How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming
• The Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming + Tier1Timer

Summary

• Check VBS status in msinfo32.
• Turn off Memory Integrity under Core Isolation first — that fixes most of it.
• Disable VBS fully via Optional Features + registry only if it’s still running.
• Don’t disable it on managed devices or if you use WSL2/Docker/Hyper-V.

Disabling VBS is one of the few “free FPS” tweaks that’s genuinely measurable on Windows 11, especially in CPU-heavy competitive games.