Nobody likes when they are working or playing games on the computer and suddenly that program crashes. it becomes more frustrating when you lose all the data you have been working on. This issue occurs when the background apps take over all the CPU power and make the system freeze.
If you are looking for a solution to this problem, then you are in the right place. This article will help Set CPU Priority to Prefer Foreground applications over the background apps. Foreground apps are the ones that you are currently using and the background apps are the ones that are apparently closed but secretly sucking all the CPU power.
What is Processor Scheduling?
Processor Scheduling is another name for setting CPU priority to prefer foreground applications in the allotted time. It is very important to manage priorities between foreground and background programs.
The number of background applications has to be reduced if you do not want your favorite program to crash suddenly. You must allot CPU resources to foreground software to improve the performance of Windows 10 applications.
As described by Microsoft, with CPU priority, you assign processing power to the programs from highest to lowest priority. Background apps usually get the lowest priority. Windows has 32 levels of priority, ranging from 0 to 31. The following are the divisions of these values:
- Sixteen real-time levels (16 – 31)
- Fifteen variable levels (1 – 15)
- One system-level (0), reserved for the zero page thread
It’s vital to keep in mind that changing priority levels will not make the program run faster. Your programmes and software will not consume more CPU time or resources than they require. You modify the CPU priority to give your preferred apps more importance over the rest of the apps.
Why do I need to set CPU priority?
It is a very essential and useful feature that Windows has provided to its users, as it can help you avoid any sudden program crashing incident. Many users think that it might disturb the process of the background program. They need to understand with the help of this feature, Aside from the one you’re working on, your PC will have several foreground and background services apps active.
There is a general perception that an app only starts working in the background when someone opens it to work. Well, it is wrong, when you turn on the computer several apps start running in the background, and when you open one particular app windows opens more processes in addition to the ones that are already working in the background.
Open task manager, If you want to see how many applications start running when you boot up your computer. You might be shocked by realizing the number of apps running in the background and the amount of power they are using from the processor. You can improve the processing power for the prior apps by allotting levels to the applications.
How to Set Priority to Prefer Foreground Applications
CPU priority can be set in two ways on the Windows operating system. One is using a control panel and the second way is using a registry editor. Both are easy ways and in this article, you will find solutions that will make these methods easier to execute.
1. Change CPU Priority from Control Panel
In the control panel, you can change the performance of your favorite software and apps. It comes set as default but there is a possibility that you may have changed it unknowingly. You may now improve the performance of your computer by following these simple steps:
- Go to the Control Panel from the Start menu.
- Click on System and Security in the Control Panel.
- Inside the System and Security, select System.
- Navigate to Advanced System Options on the side menu of the System setting window.
- Select Settings (under Performance) from the Advanced tab of System Properties.
- On the Advanced tab of the Performance Options window, check the box for Programs to Adjust the best performance of it.
- Then, click on Apply and Ok.
After doing this, you have set the CPU priority to prefer foreground apps but if you want the computer to set CPU priority to foreground apps you can simply check the Background services option
By selecting the foreground, you will not cause any issue in the process of any background. You are free to run some programs, including Avast, without difficulty. If you want to give priority to certain background applications only, the registry editor can help you with that.
2. Adjust CPU priority in Registry
Set the CPU power in the registry is another approach for you to allow the foreground programs to have priority. Different DWORD values for this key can substantially alter the performance of both the preferred applications and the background services on Windows 10.
- Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run window.
- type Regedit in the Run search and hit enter.
- Follow the steps in the Registry Editor to locate the PriorityControl HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl.
- Right-click the Windows32PrioritySeparation to Modify under PriorityControl in the right pane.
- In the Edit DWORD Value window, adjust the Value data to 28 (40 for decimal), then OK to save the change.
If you set the level for Win32PrioritySeparation to 28, you’ll be able to give foreground programmes priority. However, if you want to make the background software a priority, simply set the number to 20. (32 for Decimal). For the time being, your favorite foreground programmes can take precedence.
In other words, whether you want to adjust CPU priority to favor foreground or background services, these two options are always available.
Bonus solution
This solution is for those who find it difficult to navigate on different settings and then solve the issue. This fix will use Advanced SystemCare which will solve this issue for you automatically.
Advanced SystemCare is an all-in-one tool and application optimizer that automatically sets program priorities to high, low, and normal.
Advanced SystemCare allows you to see which applications have the highest priority. Follow the steps to get started with the tool:
- Get Advanced SystemCare, install it, and run it.
- Then, under Toolbox, look for Process Manager and click it.
- You will notice that Advanced SystemCare is automatically installing Process Manager for you.
- In IObit Process Manager, right-click the application and select Set Priority High from the Processes menu.
On Windows 10, you can see how much CPU these foreground and background apps use, as well as their priority. Simply allow Advanced SystemCare to change the priority on its own. (Read complete Review of Advanced SystemCare PRO)
Conclusion
The sudden crash of a program that you are currently working on is a very big issue, as it infuriates some people if it happens at a crucial time. Taking precautions to avoid data loss is necessary, and for that, this article has covered the best ways to set CPU priority to prefer foreground applications. You can use any one of these fixes and enjoy a smooth user experience.