How To Set CPU Priority For Applications In Windows 10

In Windows, the apps running on the system are prioritized according to their functions. The CPU assigns every process certain time based on the priority level.  There are a number of CPU priorities set including high or normal for all processes. The higher the priority, the more time is assigned to a process or an app.

It decides which foreground app or background app should be considered as important and therefore is prioritize accordingly. For CPU, the prime concern is always the Windows apps as the system apps must run correctly. And you can change the default settings for the processes to give it more running time on CPU.

By using the following methods you will be able to set priorities for desired apps on Windows 10.

Also Read: how to boost your pc with an optimization tool

NOTE: All the settings are temporary, and as the computer restarts it will go back to default settings. Remember, if you run the applications at high priority, it may cause the slow performance of a computer. We recommend using Advanced System Optimizer to clean all of the junk from your drives speeding up the system. It will speed up the performance as it keeps the system updated and protected from threats.

Method 1: Using Task Manager

Nobody must have thought of, but it is the easiest method available to assign priority to different apps. Note, that the task manager will only be helpful to change the priorities for the running apps.

Step 1: Open Task Manager, press CTRL + ALT + DLT.

Step 2: Go to Details, from the list, choose the app which you want to change the priority for.

Right click on it, and go to Set Priority. It will show you options like Real-time, High, Above Normal, Normal, Below Normal and Low.

Step 3: Confirm the popup message to change the priority.

Repeat the process for different apps. Once you are done with setting the priority, close the taskbar after the process.

Method 2: Using Command Prompt

This method comprises of two kinds – one for the running apps and the other for the start of the apps.

Set Priority for the Running Process-

Step 1: To open a command prompt, type cmd in the search bar on Start Menu and press enter.

Step 2: In the Window type the command as given below, in the process name you write the run command process name.

Wmic process where name=”ProcessName” CALL setpriority “PriorityLevelName”

For example, if you want to change the priority for Word, you write its process name winword.exe. Next, you decide the priority level for it, let’s say we set it on high. So the command will be as such

Wmic process where name=”winword.exe” CALL setpriority “High”

Press enter.

If you want to set the priority as Above normal, then you write the following command-

Wmic process where name=”winword.exe” CALL setpriority “Above normal”

Press Enter.

Set Priority to Start Apps-

Step 1: To open a command prompt, type cmd in the search bar on Start Menu and press enter.

Step 2: In the Window type the command as given below, in the process name you write the run command process name and press enter.

start “” /PriorityLevelName “Full path of application file”

For example, if you want to change the priority for Word, you write its process name winword.exe. Next, you decide the priority level for it, let’s say we set it on high. So the command will be as such

start “” /Above normal “C:\Windows\System32\winword.exe”

Method 3: Using Registry Editor

Changing the registry entry can change the CPU priority of the application. To do so, you need to change the DWORD value for the app.

Note: Before making any changes to the Registry, make sure to create a backup of your Registry. To do so, Open Registry editor, go to File and click on Export, save the file. And to get back to the changes click on Import and select the same file.

Steps to follow to make changes to set CPU priority :

Step 1: To open Registry Editor, type registry editor in the search bar on Start Menu.

Step2: Go to

Computer>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl

Step 3: On the right panel, you can see under the Priority Control,

Right click on Win32PrioritySeparation. It will pop up a dialog box.

Step 4: The dialog box of Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value, has an option to type in the value data.

Change it to 26 to set the priority for the foreground apps. Or change it to 18 for background apps to be set as CPU priority.

Click OK. and you have successfully changed CPU priority for the apps.

Conclusion:

With any of the above methods, you can manage the CPU priority for your computer. Let us know in the comments section, which method works best for you. Also, subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on more troubleshooting articles.