Windivert Driver Cannot Be Installed You Must Restart Your Computer Top | 2026 Update |

If none of the fixes work, you may face a deeper issue:

This is a very common and frustrating error, typically associated with software that needs to intercept or modify network traffic (such as VPNs, ad blockers like AdGuard, or firewall applications like SimpleWall).

She remembers: WinDivert is a kernel-mode driver . Windows locks driver installation when: If none of the fixes work, you may

Most of the time, the driver is registered but not actually running. You can clear this by opening and typing: sc stop windivert sc delete windivert Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard

Sometimes the application’s bundled installer is outdated. Instead, install WinDivert manually: You can clear this by opening and typing:

Windows 10/11 requires all drivers to be digitally signed. If the WinDivert driver signature is corrupted or deemed invalid, Windows will refuse to install it. Go to . Under Advanced startup , click Restart now .

Antivirus or another driver is blocking it. Corrupted system files. Top Solutions: "WinDivert Driver Cannot Be Installed" If the WinDivert driver signature is corrupted or

You can try to force-restart the service using Command Prompt: Open Command Prompt as . Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each: sc stop WinDivert1.0 sc delete WinDivert1.0 Relaunch the application. Advanced Troubleshooting 6. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ Look for (or similar WinDivert entries). If found, delete the folder. Restart your computer. 4. Remove Dangling Driver Files