Microsoft Removes Windows 11 Hack That Increased SSD Performance For Free

Microsoft has disabled a registry-based method that allowed Windows 11 users to enable native NVMe support, according to reports from the My Digital Life forum and recent Insider builds. This hack allowed SSDs to work a lot faster than before.

The workaround relied on four FeatureManagement registry overrides to activate a native NVMe storage stack that was present but disabled in Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. That method no longer functions in the latest Insider releases.

The tweak had delivered significant performance improvements, including up to 85% higher random write speeds in earlier benchmarks.

The native NVMe driver replaces the legacy storage path, which routes NVMe commands through a SCSI translation layer that predates modern NVMe SSDs.

Microsoft introduced this driver in Windows Server 2025, where it reported up to 80% higher IOPS and 45% lower CPU usage under heavy workloads.

Following the Server 2025 release, users discovered that enabling the driver in Windows 11 produced consistent gains in random I/O performance.

Testing by Neowin showed improved write speeds, while StorageReview recorded up to 64.89% faster 4K random reads in server-side FIO benchmarks.

The workaround came with limitations. Third-party SSD tools such as Samsung Magician and Western Digital Dashboard were not compatible with the native driver.

In some cases, BitLocker triggered recovery prompts after switching drivers.

Users can still enable native NVMe support using ViVeTool, a third-party utility that activates hidden Windows features. The required feature IDs are 60786016 and 48433719. The process requires an elevated command prompt and a system reboot.

The same compatibility risks apply, and users with BitLocker enabled are advised to suspend protection before attempting the change.

Microsoft has not confirmed when native NVMe support will be officially enabled in Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 26H2.