There are many software optimizations that you can make use of on your Windows 10 desktop/laptop to optimize your gaming experience. These range from increasing Frames per Second, using Gaming Mode to hardware changes like replacing HDD with SDD. If you are an avid gamer, follow the methods in this guide to optimize Windows 10 for Gaming and maximize the performance of your machine.
How to Optimize Windows 10 for Gaming and Performance
After optimization, playing games like Fortnite, Red Dead Redemption, Call of Duty, GTA V, Minecraft, Fallout 3, and many more, would be even more engrossing for you and your friends. So, let us begin!
Method 1: Enable Game Mode
The most accessible optimization that you can carry out on Windows 10 is to turn Windows game mode on or off. Once Game Mode is enabled on Windows 10, background processes like Windows updates, notifications, etc., are halted. Disabling Game Mode will boost the Frames Per Second needed to play highly graphical games. Follow these steps to turn on Game Mode.
1. טיפּ שפּיל מאָדע אין די Windows זוכן באַר.
2. ווייַטער, גיט אויף די שפּיל מאָדע סעטטינגס that appear in the search results to launch it.
3. In the new window, turn the טאַגאַל אויף to enable Game Mode, as shown below.
Method 2: Remove Nagle’s Algorithm
When Nagle’s algorithm is enabled, your computer internet connection sends lesser packets over the network. Thus, the algorithm helps increase the efficiency of TCP/IP networks, even though it comes at the cost of a smooth internet connection. Follow these steps to disable Nagle’s algorithm to optimize Windows 10 for gaming:
1. אין די Windows זוכן bar, search for רעדזשיסטער רעדאַקטאָר. Then, click on it to launch it.
2. In the Registry Editor window, navigate the following file path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesTcpipParametersInterfaces
3. You will now see numbered folders within the ינערפייסיז folder. Click on the first folder from the left panel, as illustrated below.
4. ווייַטער, טאָפּל-גיט אויף DhcpIPAddress, ווי געוויזן אויבן.
5. Replace the value written in ווערט דאַטע מיט דיין IP אַדרעס. דערנאך, דריקט אויף OK, ווי געשילדערט.
6. Then, right-click on any empty space in the right pane and select New > DWORD(32-bit) Value.
7. Name the new key טקפּאַקקפרעקווענסי ווי געוויזן אונטן.
8. Double-click on the new key and edit the ווערט דאַטע צו 1.
9. Create another key by repeating סטעפּס 6-8 און נאָמען עס TCPNoDelay מיט ווערט דאַטע צו 1.
You have now successfully disabled the algorithm. Resultantly, gameplay will be better optimized on your computer.
אויך לייענען: What is the Windows Registry & How it Works?
Method 3: Disable SysMain
SysMain, which was once called סופּערפעטטש, is a Windows feature that decreases the start-up times for Windows applications and Windows operating systems. Turning off this feature will reduce CPU usage and optimize Windows 10 for gaming.
1. זוכן פֿאַר באַדינונגס אין די Windows זוכן bar and then, click on עפענען צו קאַטער עס.
2. ווייַטער, מעגילע אַראָפּ צו SysMain. רעכט גיט אויף עס און סעלעקטירן פּראָפּערטיעס, ווי געשילדערט.
3. In the Properties window, change the סטאַרטאַפּ טיפּ צו Disabled פון די קאַפּ-אַראָפּ מעניו.
4. לעסאָף, גיט אויף צולייגן און דאן, OK.
נאטיץ: To further decrease CPU usage, you can implement the same method for Windows Search און הינטערגרונט ינטעליגענט אַריבערפירן processes similarly.
Method 4: Change Active Hours
Your gaming performance will be affected when Windows 10 installs updates or reboots the computer without prior permission. To ensure that Windows does not update or reboot during this time, you can change the Active hours, as instructed below.
1. Launch סעטטינגס און גיט אויף דערהייַנטיקן און זיכערהייַט.
2. דערנאך, גיט אויף טוישן אַקטיוו שעה from the right panel, as shown below.
3. באַשטעטיק די אָנהייב צייַט און סוף צייַט in accordance with when you are likely to be gaming. Choose when you wouldn’t want automatic Windows updates and reboots to take place and optimize Windows 10 for performance.
Method 5: Edit Prefetch Parameters
Prefetch is a technique used by the Windows operating system to speed up the fetching of data. Disabling this will decrease CPU usage and optimize Windows 10 for gaming.
1. Launch רעדזשיסטער רעדאַקטאָר ווי דערקלערט אין אופֿן קסנומקס.
2. This time, navigate the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSessionManagerMemory ManagementPrefetchParameters
3. From the right pane, double click on EnablePrefetcher, ווי געוויזן.
4. Then, change the ווערט דאַטע צו 0, און גיט גוט, ווי כיילייטיד.
Method 6: Turn off Background Services
System applications and Windows 10 services running in the background can increase CPU usage and slow down gaming performance. Follow the given steps to turn off background services which in turn, will optimize Windows 10 for gaming:
1. קאַטער סעטטינגס און גיט אויף אַליינקייַט, ווי געוויזן.
2. דערנאך, גיט אויף הינטערגרונט אַפּפּס.
3. Finally, turn the באַשטימען אַוועק for the option titled Let apps run in the background, ווי ילאַסטרייטיד אונטן.
אויך לייענען: Windows 10 Tip: Disable SuperFetch
Method 7: Turn on Focus Assist
Not being distracted by notification pop-ups and sounds is an integral part of optimizing your system for gaming. Turning on Focus Assist will prevent notifications from popping up when you are gaming and thus, enhance your chances of winning the game.
1. Launch סעטטינגס און גיט אויף סיסטעם, ווי געוויזן.
קסנומקס. קלייַבן Focus Assist פון די לינקס טאַפליע.
3. From the options displayed in the right pane, choose בלויז בילכערקייַט.
4A. Open the link to Customize your priority list to select apps that will be allowed to send notifications.
4B. Choose בלויז אַלאַרמס if you want to block all notifications except for set alarms.
Method 8: Modify Visual Effects Settings
Graphics that are turned on and run in the background can affect the performance of your computer. Here’s how to optimize Windows 10 for gaming by changing Visual Effects settings using Control Panel:
1. טיפּ אַוואַנסירטע in the Windows search bar. Click on View אַוואַנסירטע סיסטעם סעטטינגס to open it from the search results, as shown.
2. אין די סיסטעם פּראָפּערטיעס דריקט אויף סעטטינגס אונטער די פאָרשטעלונג אָפּטיילונג.
3. אין די Visual Effects tab, choose the third option titled סטרויערן פֿאַר בעסטער פאָרשטעלונג.
4. לעסאָף, גיט אויף צולייגן > גוט, ווי געוויזן אונטן.
Method 9: Change Battery Power Plan
Changing the battery power plan to High Performance will optimize the battery life and in turn, optimize Windows 10 for gaming.
1. Launch סעטטינגס און גיט אויף סיסטעם, ווי פריער.
2. דריקט מאַכט און שלאָפן פון די לינקס טאַפליע.
3. איצט, גיט אויף נאָך מאַכט סעטטינגס from the right-most pane, as shown.
4. אין די מאַכט אָפּציעס window that now appears, click on שאַפֿן אַ מאַכט פּלאַן, ווי געשילדערט.
5. דאָ, קלייַבן הויך פאָרשטעלונג און גיט ווייַטער צו ראַטעווען די ענדערונגען.
אויך לייענען: ווי צו געבן אָדער דיסייבאַל באַטערי סאַווער אין Windows 10
Method 10: Disable Auto-update of Steam Games (If applicable)
If you play games using Steam, you would have noticed that Steam games automatically update in the background. Background updates use up storage space & processing power of your computer. In order to optimize Windows 10 for gaming, block Steam from updating games in the background as follows:
1. Launch פּאַרע. דערנאך, דריקט אויף פּאַרע אין די שפּיץ-לינקס ווינקל און סעלעקטירן סעטטינגס.
2. ווייַטער, גיט אויף די דאַונלאָודז קוויטל.
3. צום סוף, uncheck די קעסטל ווייַטער צו Allow downloads during gameplay, ווי כיילייטיד.
Method 11: Update GPU drivers
It is essential to keep the Graphics Processing Unit updated so that your gaming experience is smooth and uninterrupted. An outdated GPU may lead to glitches and crashes. To avoid this, do as instructed:
1. Search for Device Manager in the Windows זוכן bar. Launch דיווייס מאַנאַגער by clicking on it in the search result.
2. In the new window, click on the אַרונטער פייַל לעבן ווייַז אַדאַפּטערז צו יקספּאַנד עס.
3. ווייַטער, רעכט גיט אויף דיין גראַפיקס שאָפער. סעלעקטירן דערהייַנטיקן דרייווער, ווי געוויזן אונטן.
4. Finally, click on the option titled זוכן אויטאָמאַטיש פֿאַר דריווערס to download and install the latest graphics drivers.
Method 12: Disable Pointer Precision
Pointer precision can help when working with any Windows programs or third-party software. But, it can affect your Windows 10 performance while gaming. Follow the given steps to disable pointer precision and to optimize Windows 10 for gaming and performance:
1. זוכן פֿאַר מויז סעטטינגס אין די Windows זוכן bar. Then, click on it from the search results.
2. איצט, אויסקלייַבן Additional mouse אָפּציעס, as marked below.
3. In the Mouse Properties window, switch to the פּאָינדער אָפּציעס קוויטל.
4. לעסאָף, uncheck די קעסטל אנגעצייכנט Enhance pointer precision. דערנאך, גיט אויף צולייגן > גוט.
Method 13: Disable Keyboard Accessibility Options
It can be pretty annoying when you get a message saying that קלעפּיק שליסלען have been enabled while working on your computer, even more so when you are playing a game. Here’s how to optimize Windows 10 for gaming performance by disabling them:
1. Launch סעטטינגס און אויסקלייַבן יז פון אַקסעס, ווי געוויזן.
2. דערנאך, גיט אויף קלאַוויאַטור in the left pane.
3. Turn the toggle off for ניצן קלעפּיק קיז, Use Toggle Keys, און Use Filter keys to disable them all.
אויך לייענען: ווי צו קער אַוועק Narrator Voice אין Windows 10
Method 14: Use Discrete GPU for Gaming (If applicable)
In case you own a multi-GPU computer, the integrated GPU offers better power efficiency, while the discrete GPU enhances the performance of graphics-heavy, intensive games. You can choose to play graphics-heavy games by setting discrete GPU as the default GPU to run them, as follows:
1. Launch סיסטעם סעטטינגס, ווי פריער.
2. דערנאך, גיט אויף אַרויסווייַזן > גראַפיקס סעטטינגס, ווי געוויזן.
3. From the drop-down menu given for Choose an app to set preference, סעלעקטירן דעסקטאָפּ אַפּ ווי געוויזן.
4. ווייַטער, גיט אויף די אָפּפליקן option. Navigate to your שפּיל טעקע.
5. Select the .עקסע טעקע of the game and click on צוגעבן.
6. איצט, גיט אויף די added game in the Settings window, then click on אָפּציעס.
נאטיץ: We have explained the step for Google Chrome as an example.
7. אויסקלייַבן הויך פאָרשטעלונג from the listed options. Then, click on היט, ווי כיילייטיד.
8. ריסטאַרט אייער קאָמפּיוטער for the changes that you made to take effect. This is how to optimize Windows 10 for performance.
Method 15: Tweak Settings in Graphics Card Control Panel (If applicable)
NVIDIA or AMD graphic cards installed on your system have their respective control panels to change settings. You can alter these settings to optimize Windows 10 for gaming.
1. רעכט גיט אויף דיין דעסקטאַפּ and then click on your graphic driver control panel. For example, NVIDIA Control Panel.
2. In the settings menu, change the following settings (if applicable):
- רעדוצירן די Maximum Pre-rendered frames צו קסנומקס.
- קוק אויף Threaded Optimization.
- לעש אויס ווערטיקאַל סינק.
- שטעלן מאַכט מאַנאַגעמענט מאָדע to Maximum, as depicted.
This will not only help optimize Windows 10 for gaming but also solve how to optimize Windows 10 for performance issues.
Method 16: Install DirectX 12
DirectX is an application that can significantly enhance your gaming experience. It does so by offering efficient power consumption, enhanced graphics, multi-CPU, and multi-GPU cores, along with smoother frame rates. Direct X 10 & Direct X 12 versions are greatly favored by gamers worldwide. Follow the steps given below to upgrade the DirectX version installed on your computer to to optimize Windows 10 for performance:
1. דרוק Windows + R שליסלען צו קאַטער די לויפן דיאַלאָג קעסטל.
2. ווייַטער, טיפּ dxdiag in the dialogue box and then, click on OK. The DirectX diagnostic tool will open now.
3. טשעק the version of DirectX as shown below.
4. If you do not have DirectX 12 installed on your computer, download and install it from here.
5. Next, go to סעטטינגס> דערהייַנטיקן & זיכערהייט, ווי געוויזן.
קסנומקס. דריקט אויף זוך נייע ווערסיעס and update Windows OS to optimize Windows 10 for gaming.
אויך לייענען: Fix Graphics Card Not Detected on Windows 10
Method 17: Defragmentation of HDD
This is an inbuilt utility in Windows 10 that allows you to defragment your hard disk drive to work more efficiently. Defragmentation moves and reorganizes the data spread across your hard drive in a neat and organized manner. Follow the steps given below to use this utility to optimize Windows 10 for gaming:
1. טיפּ דעפראַג אין די Windows זוכן bar. Then, click on דעפראַגמענט און אָפּטימיזע דרייווז.
קסנומקס. אויסקלייַבן די הדד (Hard disk drive) to be defragmented.
נאטיץ: Do not defragment Solid State Drive (SDD) because it can reduce its lifespan.
3. דערנאך, גיט אויף אַפּטאַמייז, ווי געוויזן אונטן.
The selected HDD will be automatically defragmented for enhanced performance of your Windows desktop/laptop.
Method 18: Upgrade to SSD
- Hard Disk Drives or HDDs have a read/write arm that has to scour different parts of a spinning disk to access data, similar to a vinyl record player. This mechanical nature makes them slow and very fragile. If a laptop with an HDD is dropped, there are higher chances of data loss because the impact could disrupt the moving disks.
- Solid State Drives or SSDs, אויף די אנדערע האַנט, זענען קלאַפּ-קעגנשטעליק. Solid State Drives are much more suited for computers being used for heavy and intensive gaming. They are also פאַסטער because the data is stored on flash memory chips, which are much more accessible. They are non-mechanical and consume lesser power, thus, saving the battery life of your laptop.
Therefore, if you are looking for a sure-fire way to improve the performance of your Windows 10 laptop, consider buying and upgrading your laptop from HDD to SSD.
נאטיץ: Check out our guide to learn the difference between Mac Fusion Drive Vs SSD Vs Hard Drive.
רעקאַמענדיד:
מיר האָפן אַז דער פירער איז געווען נוציק און איר קען optimize Windows 10 for gaming and performance. Let us know which method worked for you the best. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this article, feel free to drop them in the comments section.