Windivert Driver Cannot Be Installed You Must Restart Your Computer |top| Jun 2026

If you are trying to run network filtering software, VPNs, or proxy tools like GoodbyeDPI, Requiem, or custom packet capture scripts, you might encounter a frustrating error message:

Click and select the entire folder where your application is located. Step 6: Temporarily Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

Ensure that your Windows system and drivers are up-to-date, as outdated versions can cause compatibility issues.

I'm extremely disappointed with the Windivert driver installation process. After attempting to install the driver, I'm repeatedly told that I need to restart my computer, only to encounter the same issue over and over again. The driver simply cannot be installed, no matter how many times I restart my system.

Look for background processes associated with network bypass tools, VPNs, proxies, or custom firewalls (e.g., goodbyedpi.exe , clash.exe , requiem.exe ). Right-click the process and select . If you are trying to run network filtering

The WinDivert driver is a Windows-specific driver that allows network packets to be diverted from the standard IP stack, enabling network monitoring and analysis tools to capture and process network traffic. The driver is designed to work with various network interfaces, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and others.

This is a virtualized security feature that uses hardware to isolate critical system processes. It also to protect the core of your OS. If Memory Integrity is turned on, and the WinDivert driver is not compatible with it, Windows will block it. This is a common issue on Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 builds.

Therefore, when you see "," it means that an application on your system attempted to load this crucial driver, but Windows blocked the operation for some reason.

The error message "WinDivert driver cannot be installed, you must restart your computer" After attempting to install the driver, I'm repeatedly

Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings > Exclusions . Add the entire folder containing your WinDivert application to the exclusion list.

If Windows marks the driver as "pending deletion," you can force-remove the service configuration block using the Command Line.

Ensure that you are running the WinDivert driver installation as an administrator:

To prevent this error from occurring in end-user environments, developers should: Right-click the process and select

WinDivert operates at the kernel level of your operating system. When an application utilizes WinDivert, it registers and starts a temporary kernel driver ( WinDivert.sys or WinDivert64.sys ).

Antivirus suites regularly flag WinDivert.sys or WinDivert64.sys as a "HackTool" or "Trojan" due to its packet-injection capabilities. Open -> Virus & threat protection .

Type the following command to forcefully stop any active WinDivert service and press : sc stop WinDivert Use code with caution.