Function of the dazzler of PC gaming is enjoying the best graphics and operation the industry has to offer. But when you're suffering from a low frame rate, it's hard to enjoy a game at all.

Whether your latest purchase isn't running smoothly on your PC, or yous suddenly find games struggling to perform in general, we're hither to help. Hither's how to fix depression FPS bug in Windows and get back to loftier-quality gaming.

Outset: Know the Difference Between Depression FPS and Network Lag

Before you spend time fixing the low frames per 2d on your PC, information technology'southward important to understand the difference betwixt depression FPS and online lag. People sometimes confuse these.

When you experience low FPS, something with your estimator is at fault. You'll know yous have an FPS trouble if games stutter like you're watching a slideshow, fifty-fifty when playing an offline game. Make certain y'all also understand monitor refresh rates and frame rates then you know what to await from your display and games.

Lag, on the other hand, lies with an issue in the network. Yous can have a high FPS count even so nevertheless feel terrible lag. This occurs when players in an online game freeze up, warp effectually of a sudden, and otherwise don't behave unremarkably.

If you're experiencing online lag, brand sure your reckoner is wired into your router with an Ethernet cable if possible. Yous should likewise close bandwidth-hungry apps running on your network, and cheque for mutual bug that slow down your connection.

How to Fix Low Frame Charge per unit: The Nuts

Allow'south begin by looking at a few primal fixes you lot should perform to heave frame rates. In many cases, when you wonder why your game FPS is and so low, these tweaks will make a big comeback.

1. Update Your Drivers

AMD Graphics Check for Updates

Drivers are special pieces of software that handle the interface between your computer and connected hardware. Average PC users don't ordinarily need to worry about updating them, simply information technology's a dissimilar story for gamers. Running out-of-date drivers, especially your video drivers, can hamper gaming performance.

Follow our guide to finding and replacing outdated drivers to make certain everything on your system is current. The chipset commuter is an of import one, simply your graphics driver is the about vital for reliable FPS in games.

To update your graphics driver, visit Nvidia's driver page or AMD'south driver page, depending on what graphics card yous have. If you play on integrated graphics, run Intel's commuter update tool (though call up that using integrated graphics will severely limit gaming performance).

Instead of downloading drivers manually, Nvidia and AMD both offer software utilities that make downloading the latest drivers easy. You can download these on the driver pages higher up, which we recommend doing. In addition to letting you know when a new update is bachelor, they give you access to more tweaks and features.

2. Close Unnecessary Groundwork Programs

Windows Task Manager Network Usage

When you lot're playing a game, specially enervating mod titles, it's a practiced idea to shut other processes that you don't demand. This frees up resource that your computer tin can further dedicate to the game.

You lot can do this quickly by closing anything that's open up on your taskbar. It'south worth checking the system tray on the right side of the taskbar for any background apps, too.

To dive a little deeper and come across what's using up resources, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Job Manager. Click More than details if needed to expand it, then y'all tin come across what's using resources on the Processes tab. Anything using a pregnant amount of the CPU, memory, or GPU will likely impairment game operation. Close those before you start your game.

Having your browser open with l tabs, letting cloud storage apps sync, or running file transfers while trying to play games tin result in lower FPS—even on a adept computer. If your frame charge per unit is depression all of a sudden, check for programs that just started using a lot of resources.

3. Defragment Your HDD

Windows Disk Defragmenter

Most gamers have hopefully upgraded to a solid-state drive (SSD) by now. Simply in case you're still using an HDD, you should brand sure the disk is defragmented. If you utilize an SSD, you lot should not defragment, every bit doing so can shorten the life of your drive.

To do this, type defrag into the Outset menu and click the Defragment and Optimize Drives entry. If it's been a while since the drive was last defragged, you should exercise and then.

Modern versions of Windows do this automatically, so yous shouldn't need to defrag manually. You can adjust the schedule if you lot like, though. And if you are using an HDD, prioritize replacing information technology with an SSD as before long as possible for a boost in gaming performance.

How to Fix Low Game FPS With Windows Tweaks

Now that you lot've performed the basic steps to fix depression FPS on your motorcar, let's take a wait at some Windows settings you lot can adjust to enhance gaming functioning.

4. Suit Power Options

The ability options in Windows let you change settings related to energy consumption with your machine. On the default plan, Windows tries to balance power consumption with performance. Sometimes, especially on laptops, this can lead to decreased performance in games.

It's a good idea to switch to the High performance program. To do this, visit Settings > Arrangement > Power & sleep and click Additional ability settings on the right side. If you don't come across that link text, drag the Settings window horizontally until it shows. This will lead you to the Power Options section of the Command Panel.

Here, choose Show boosted plans if necessary, and so select the High performance option.

Windows Power Plan Settings

Note that this will increase the ability consumption of your computer. On a desktop, this isn't actually a problem, bated from a slightly higher free energy nib. But laptops volition meet worse battery life, and then make sure your system is plugged in.

v. Plough Off Visual Effects in Windows

By default, Windows uses a lot of fancy visual effects effectually the OS. These make menus and other common elements await smother, but also use upwards some resources.

Since every chip of functioning helps when gaming, you might wish to disable these effects. You lot likely won't come across much benefit from this unless yous're on a low-finish PC, but it'due south still worth a effort.

To disable visual effects in Windows, type performance into the Start carte du jour and select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. On the resulting carte'south Visual Effects tab, you'll see a list of graphical features you can enable or disable.

System performance

Click the Adjust for best performance push button to disable all these effects, followed by OK. It will take a moment equally Windows disables them. When information technology's done, the interface won't expect as slick, merely y'all won't discover that when you're playing a game anyway.

six. Disable the Game Bar and Background Recording

Windows 10 and 11 include a Game Bar feature that allows you to record game clips, take screenshots, and fifty-fifty stream your gameplay. While it's handy in certain situations, information technology tin can likewise negatively impact game operation.

Unless you specifically desire to use this characteristic for something, yous should disable information technology to avoid potential interference. Caput to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and turn off the Enable Xbox Game Bar... slider at the height to forestall information technology from running.

Next, yous should switch to the Captures tab and ensure the Record in the background while I'm playing a game toggle is turned off. This is another Windows gaming feature that makes it easy to capture large moments, merely uses up arrangement resources that are better put towards graphical performance.

Windows 10 Captures Settings Panel

7. Enable Game Mode in Windows

Also in the Gaming section of Settings, switch to the Game Mode tab. Here, confirm that you take the slider turned on.

Microsoft's vague explanation nearly this feature says that while in Game Mode, Windows "prioritizes your gaming feel" equally information technology "helps accomplish a more than stable frame charge per unit depending on the specific game and arrangement." It also prevents Windows Update from bothering you while you play.

Gear up Depression FPS With In-Game Options

Next, we turn to settings yous can change in nigh games that tin solve your low frame rate problem.

8. Change the Game'south Graphical Settings

Near PC games allow you to change a diverseness of graphical options; the exact choices volition depend on the game. As a general rule, the more than graphical furnishings y'all enable for improved visuals, the lower your frame charge per unit will be.

For an overall tweak, try lowering the Graphics Quality slider, as less-intense graphics will help the game run better. Dropping from Epic or Ultra graphics quality to High, for example, should help a lot.

You can also turn off individual visual furnishings, such every bit reflections and fog. While these can brand the game look pretty, they put a strain on your GPU. To farther improve the frame rate, disable extraneous options similar these.

Overwatch PC Graphics Settings

Also, proceed an eye out for options that let you limit FPS. These can be useful if your GPU sends more frames than your monitor can proceed up with, but apparently limiting your FPS may upshot in a sub-par frame charge per unit. If yous have a 144Hz monitor, you don't want to limit the game to 60FPS.

If you're really struggling to run a game smoothly, consider lowering the resolution. Dropping information technology from 1920x1080 (1080p) to 1080x720 (720p), for instance, will take a positive effect on FPS. And for games where operation matters more looks (like competitive online games), this is a worthy tradeoff.

9. Apply Fullscreen Way

Well-nigh games allow yous to play in fullscreen, windowed, or borderless windowed modes. For maximum performance, you lot should choose fullscreen.

This is because apps and games running in this mode have full command over the screen output. While borderless windowed might be more user-friendly, the game doesn't enjoy that brandish exclusivity in this way, and may thus dip to a lower frame charge per unit.

10. Repair or Reinstall the Game

If yous just experience FPS issues with ane game, it might have some corrupted files causing the problem.

Certain games may have a Repair option (on Steam, you lot'll discover this by correct-clicking, choosing Properties > Local Files, and selecting Verify Integrity of Game Files) that can prepare this.

Steam Verify Local Files Button

Else, endeavor uninstalling and reinstalling the game to run into if that improves operation.

Hardware Fixes for Depression Game FPS

If you tried all the above and your games are still running at low FPS, your hardware is likely a bottleneck. In this instance, you can look at making changes to your graphics menu and other hardware for amend frame rates.

eleven. Consider Overclocking Your Components

If y'all don't have the money to upgrade your PC's components correct now, you might consider overclocking your existing hardware. This allows you to squeeze a little more power out of what you already have, at essentially no cost.

Overclocking might sound dangerous, but it's safe if you practice information technology properly. Run into our guide to overclocking your GPU if you'd like to requite information technology a try.

12. Upgrade Your Hardware

PC Modification
Paradigm Credit: Denis Rozhnovsky via Shutterstock

While the above tweaks are quite helpful, they have their limits—even overclocking. If y'all have outdated hardware in your PC, you might suffer from low game FPS, no matter what software changes y'all brand.

In that example, it'southward time to upgrade your hardware. You lot may need a more than powerful video card that can handle higher-quality games, more than RAM to keep the game running smoothly, or a stronger CPU.

Don't forget that heat can affect your hardware too. If you experience FPS issues after your game has been running for some time, your organization might be getting too hot. Open up your system and remove any grit buildup within. You should as well make sure your computer has sufficient airflow.

Observe out which computer upgrades better performance the most to see what y'all should supplant first.

How to Fix Depression FPS Issues Easily

We've looked at a number of tips to gear up depression FPS on your PC. Hopefully, some combination of these helps boost your frame charge per unit back to an acceptable level.

In the finish, FPS issues come down to system resources. This is the case whether your computer is wasting resources on other processes or unnecessary features, or doesn't have plenty ability in the start place.

5 Common PC Gaming Bug (And How to Fix Them)

Here are the most common PC gaming issues you'll run into, what causes them, and how to prepare them.

Read Next

Well-nigh The Author