Windows settings that help gaming performance

Windows is ready for games right after you install it, but a few settings can get you a smoother result. This guide covers the changes that are safe, explains why they help and tells you which popular tweaks are not worth your time.

Choose a good power mode

On a desktop, select a balanced or high performance power mode in the power settings. On a laptop, plug in the charger while you play, because many laptops reduce performance on battery. Windows also has a power mode slider on newer versions, where a better performance option can raise speed at the cost of heat and noise.

Check Game Mode

Game Mode tells Windows to prioritize your game and to limit some background activity. It is on by default in recent versions of Windows. Check it in the gaming section of the Settings app. If you ever see a problem that appeared after an update, try turning it off and on to compare.

Set the graphics preference per game

In the graphics settings, you can tell Windows which graphics card each program should use. This is important on laptops with two graphics chips. If a game runs badly, check that it is set to the high performance option and not to the weak integrated chip.

Also look for the option called hardware accelerated GPU scheduling. On many systems it is helpful, and on some it causes trouble. Try both states and keep what works with your game.

Set the refresh rate

Open the advanced display settings and make sure your monitor uses its highest refresh rate. Many screens run at 60 Hz until you change it. See monitor refresh rate explained.

Turn off mouse acceleration

In the mouse settings, disable Enhance pointer precision so your aim stays consistent. Read more in our mouse sensitivity guide.

Control background programs

Programs that start with Windows use memory and processor time. Open the Task Manager and check the startup tab. Disable launchers, updaters and tools you do not need at start. Then look at the processes tab while a game is running, and close anything heavy that you are not using, such as extra browsers and cloud sync tools.

Keep storage healthy

• Install the games you play most on an SSD.
• Leave at least 10 to 15 percent of the drive free, since a very full drive can slow down.
• Do not defragment an SSD. Windows handles this correctly on its own.

Updates and drivers

Keep Windows and your graphics driver up to date, but do not install updates minutes before an important match. Our guide on updating graphics drivers safely shows a careful way to do it.

Notifications and overlays

Turn on Focus Assist or Do Not Disturb while you play so that pop ups do not interrupt. Overlays from chat apps, recording tools and launchers can lower FPS or cause crashes in some games. Disable the ones you do not use.

Settings you can leave alone

Many guides online suggest long lists of registry edits, disabling services or running cleaner programs. These rarely give measurable gains and can break things. Be careful with anything that asks you to change system files or turn off security features. If you want a change, make a restore point first.

How to know if a change worked

Do not trust feelings alone. Measure the same scene before and after, with the same settings, and look at average FPS and 1 percent lows. See FPS, frame time and 1 percent lows for how to read the results.

A short checklist

1. Power mode set to performance, charger plugged in on laptops.
2. Game Mode on.
3. Each game set to the correct graphics card.
4. Highest refresh rate selected.
5. Mouse acceleration off.
6. Startup programs trimmed.
7. Games on an SSD with free space.
8. Drivers and Windows updated with care.

These steps take less than half an hour and are safe. For deeper gains, look at in-game settings next with our guide to the graphics settings that cost the most.