If you've tweaked every part of your Windows 11 machine and still aren't getting good performance, disabling VBS may be the savior you need.
The Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) feature came into the spotlight with Windows 11 and comes enabled by default on newer systems. This feature existed in Windows 10 too, but it hogged quite a lot of system resources.
If you experience a drop in gaming performance after upgrading to Windows 11, don't fret. If you've tried everything already and nothing seems to work, VBS may be the culprit behind your low frame rates. As such, let's explore how to disable VBS and squeeze the maximum amount of performance from your system.
PC Gamer and Tom's Hardware dove in deep to learn about the drop in performance after enabling VBS. Both findings revealed performance drops ranging from 5-25 percent. Popular titles like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Shadow of the Tomb Raider suffered massive FPS drops.
Surprisingly, the CPU and GPU frequency remained unchanged. But these components were drawing less power. There haven't been any detailed findings about what is actually causing it. But if you want to get maximum performance in games and applications, VBS is likely standing in your way.
Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) works with Windows Hypervisor to create an isolated memory region. This isolated region securely stores login credentials, crucial Windows security code, and more. HVCI is a feature that uses VBS to conduct integrity checks on programs.
In simple words, attackers have a tough time when VBS is active. So, turning it off leaves you exposed to kernel-level attacks. If you are someone who uses their system for confidential official work, it is best to keep VBS enabled. If you are a gamer or use resource-intensive apps, disabling VBS will minimize the performance drop.
If you want to disable VBS, here are a few tricks you can try.
Perform the following steps to disable VBS from the Settings app.
You can also disable VBS using the command prompt. Keep in mind that you must grant administrator access before executing the commands.
To turn off VBS using the command prompt, repeat the following steps:
VBS can run on your system only if virtualization is active. If you shut off all the Virtualization features of Windows, VBS won't work. So, you have to uninstall a few Windows features.
To turn off Virtualization features in Windows 11, do as follows:
You can use the Group Policy Editor to turn off VBS permanently. Keep in mind that GPE is not available for Windows 11 Home users. You need to run a batch script to enable GPE. Check out our complete Group Policy Editor guide for more information on this.
To disable VBS using the Group Policy Editor, do as follows:
The last option is to disable virtualization technology from the system BIOS. As mentioned before, VBS won't work if you disable virtualization features. So, by doing this, you can ensure that VBS doesn't turn on ever again.
To turn off virtualization technology from BIOS, repeat the following steps:
VBS is a pretty cool feature that is available in both Windows 10 and 11. However, the drastic performance drops surely make it less enticing for gamers. Firstly, start by disabling the Memory Integrity feature in Windows Security. Then turn off VBS using the Group Policy Editor.
After that, move to other steps to disable virtualization features such as MDAG, and Virtual Machine Platform. Lastly, disable the virtualization technology from the BIOS. Features like VBS won't work without it.
Abhishek loves computer ever since he got his hands on the Lenovo G570. He loves writing how-to articles, listicles, and informational posts on Windows, Android, and Internet. When he is not writing anything, he is busy watching new episodes of One Piece.
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