Solved: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Error in Windows 11

What is IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Error?

BSOD errors are common on Windows, and you may also encounter them on Windows 11. One of them is the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL blue screen error. The indows stop code IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is a memory-related problem that occurs when a system process or device driver needs to access a memory address but it does not have permission. IRQL represents the interrupt request level and NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL defines the boundary level beyond the value.

Main Cause of Windows 11 IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Error

For your better understanding, mentioned below is a list of the most likely causes of this error. You can also use this list as a guide and look for any recent changes along the same lines.

• System file corruption.
• Incompatible device drivers.
• Hardware failure or incompatibility.
• Incomplete or corrupted software installation.

Now that you understand the basics of the Windows 11ror, let's try a few of the methods provided below to restore your PC to a normal state.

How to Fix RQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Error in Windows 11

Below are the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL fixes for Windows 11, you can try them all to get rid of this blue screen problem.

Solution 1. Running Memory Diagnostics

Since errors usually occur when there is a problem with system memory, you can try running Windows Memory Diagnostic to scan your PC for any problems related to memory and hardware.

1. Type memory in the Start menu and click Windows Memory Diagnostic in the search results.

2. Next, click the Restart now and check for problems option to restart your PC and run the diagnostics.

3. Your PC will then reboot and perform the necessary checks on your memory. If you encounter IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error in Windows 11 due to a memory problem, this tool will return the error you are facing and you can fix it.

Solution 2. Fix Errors with DISM and SFC Command

If you encounter this IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error in Windows 11 due to a corrupt system file, you can run DISM and SFC commands on your PC to fix any problems in the installed Windows files. System File Checker (SFC) to repair system files and Deployment Image Service and Management tool (DISM) to repair system images.

1. Type cmd in the Windows search box, then right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
2. In Command Prompt window, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

3. Enter the following commands in turn, and press Enter to execute the commands respectively.

• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Solution 3. Run CHKDSK Tool to Check the Disk

You may encounter IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error in Windows 11 due to disk errors. You can try to check your disks for any errors using the CHKDSK tool.

1. Press Windows + S to open the search box, type cmd and select Run as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk C: /f and press Enter to execute the command. To check all other drive partitions, replace the drive number with C.

Solution 4. Update or Roll Back Drivers

If you have recently updated your drivers or have not updated them for a while, it may also cause driver IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error in Windows 11. You can refer to the following steps to update or roll back your drivers manually.

1. Press Windows + S to open the search box, type Device Manager and open it from the search results.

2. Find the component category where you recently updated the driver and double-click it to expand the section. Then double-click the component to open its properties.
3. In the Properties window, click the Driver tab. Then click the Roll Back Driver button to roll back the most recent update. If this button is grayed out, the driver has not been updated recently and cannot be rolled back.

📝Note: You can also select Update Driver here to update outdated drivers to the latest version.

Solution 5. Reset your PC

If any of the above solutions do not solve the Windows 11 IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL problem for you, you can choose to reset your computer. To reset your PC, follow these steps.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings. Select System on the left sidebar and click Recovery on the right panel.

2. On the Recovery page, scroll until you find the Recovery options section. Click the Reset PC button to the right of Reset this PC.

3. Windows 11 then launches the Reset this PC wizard, and the first thing it asks you to do is choose whether you want to keep files or delete everything. Choose to Keep my files here.
4. Next, Windows 11 wants to know how you want to reinstall it during the reset process. You can choose one of two ways.

5. Then follow the prompts to download and reinstall Windows 11.

Best Solution to Protect Your System - to Deal with All Blue Screen Problems

When you encounter a Windows stop code IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error on your computer, you don't have to panic, you can use the five methods provided in this article to bring your computer back to normal.

After your computer is back to normal, we recommend that you create a system backup of your computer to prevent any other blue screen problems from occurring. AOMEI Backupper Standard is a free system backup software that helps you backup your entire system in just a few steps. This system backup includes all system files, boot files and program files. Making a backup of the system and boot partition ensures that the operating system will work properly after system recovery.

Next, I will show you how to use this freeware to create a system backup on Windows 11. First, download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard on your computer.

1. Launch this software, click System Backup under Backup tab.

2. The program will select the system and boot partitions by default as the source. And then choose a destination path to save the system backup. It is recommended that you back up system to an external disk.

✨Tip: You can also backup computer to USB, SD Card, network location, NAS, etc.

3. Then click Start Backup to begin system backup in Windows 11.

✨ Tips: Before clicking Start Backup, you can customize your backup by using the three options in the lower left corner of the program.

📌 Options: You can add comments to system backups to distinguish them from other backups. You can also compress system backup image files, split large system image files into smaller ones. You can also enable email notifications to be alerted when a system backup is complete, and so on.

📌 Schedule backup: You can specify the interval here to automatically back up your system at regular intervals, such as Daily, Weekly or Monthly. (Event triggers and USB plug in are available in Pro edition).

📌 Backup Scheme: It enables you to choose the backup method from full/incremental/differential backups. You can also set rules to automatically delete old backups so that there is enough space in your backup location. Please note that "Differential Backup" and "Automatic Backup Cleanup" are only supported by advanced versions such as AOMEI Backupper Professional.

Final Words

After you read this article, I believe you can already solve the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error in Windows 11. But this blue screen error is just one of the many blue screen errors. If you encounter other blue screen errors in the future, such as Inaccessible Boot Device after Clone, it can be very troublesome to find the appropriate solution.

I suggest you to use the free backup software mentioned in this article to create a system backup when your computer is in good condition. Just in case, you can also create a bootable media in advance to help you successfully boot your computer in case of a crash.

With the help of this tool and System Backup, you can easily use AOMEI Backupper to achieve System Restore when you encounter any system problems and get your computer back to working condition quickly.