How to Enable Advanced Graphics in Defender Application Guard

This guide explains how to toggle Advanced graphics for Microsoft Defender Application Guard in Windows 11.

Why do this? Microsoft Defender Application Guard creates a secure, isolated space to run your browser. By default, it turns off certain features like high-end graphics to keep your computer safe. Enabling Advanced graphics improves the video and visual performance inside these isolated windows.

What happens when done? Your browser will run smoother inside the isolated environment, making videos and complex websites look and perform better.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard works with Microsoft Edge Microsoft Edge browser to isolate untrusted sites. When you first set up the Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge, features like camera access and advanced graphics are turned off for security.

Method 1: Using Windows Security Settings

Note: This method requires admin privileges.

First, you must install and enable Microsoft Defender Application Guard for the Microsoft Edge browser. Check out this guide if you haven’t done it yet: How to install and enable Microsoft Defender Application Guarde for Edge browser.

1. Open the Windows Security app. Search for “Windows Security” in your Start menu and click it.

2. Click on the App & browser control section.

3. Under the Isolated browsing area, click the link that says Change Application Guard settings.

4. Look for the Advanced graphics section. Toggle the switch to On to enable it, or Off to disable it.

5. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Method 2: Using the Registry Editor

Note: This method requires admin privileges and should be handled with care.

If you prefer not to use the settings menu, you can use the Windows Registry. Open the Windows Registry and go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Hvsi

If you do not see the Hvsi folder, right-click the Microsoft folder, select New, then Key, and name it Hvsi.

1. Right-click in the empty space on the right side of the Hvsi folder.

2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

3. Name this new value EnableVirtualGPU.

4. Double-click EnableVirtualGPU and set the Value data to 1 to turn Advanced graphics on, or 0 to turn them off.

5. Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.

Once finished, you can open an isolated browser window by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + Q or by selecting New Application Guard window from the Edge browser menu.

For more details, visit this reference: Microsoft.com

Summary

Enabling Advanced graphics makes your isolated browsing experience faster and more visually smooth. You can toggle this feature easily through the Windows Security app or the Registry Editor. Always remember to restart your computer after changing these settings so they can take effect.