How to Change Priority in Task Manager- Windows 10

One of the proven ways to boost the performance of any process on your system is to change it to high priority, which will increase the number of resources assigned to it. The task manager on your device helps you to do just that. Changing priority is easy, but you can avoid serious system issues with a bit of caution. This guide will help you with all possible methods on How to change Priority in Task Manager– Windows 10.

 There are different criteria for changing the priority. For example, if you’re playing a game and having ping or latency issues, you can change its network priority to high. You can do this for almost everything on your device but make sure you don’t change Realtime priority as that is harmful to your PC.

So, without any further delay, let’s look into the various methods on how to set priority windows 10.

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How to Change Priority in Task Manager- Windows 10

Before learning the process, it is essential to know priority levels and their effects?

There are many processes running simultaneously on your device for it to perform optimally. These processes are allocated resources based on their requirements. If these are to be changed, different levels are set in Windows. These are-

1. Low– at this level, the resources are minimum and are available to the program post the completion of the current task.
2. Below normal– processes with no time constraint are running on this level in general. The unimportant tasks can be set to this level, giving them resources just below the normal level.
3. Normal– the default level set by Windows. All the processes function on this level on the basis of their needs.
4. Above Normal– this level can work for processes that require a slight upgrade of resources.
5. High– system processes should run on this level only, make sure you dont use it for user apps.
6. Realtime– This is the topmost level that gives processes resources to run and function in Realtime. Only hardware interfacing programs should run on this level.

Note- For everyday processes, make sure you allot only normal and above normal levels.

Now that we have understood the different levels let’s see the different ways on how to change the priority of a process windows 10. You can change the priority by

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Task Manager

The easiest way to increase or decrease the priority of any process is to do so via the task manager. To do this,

1. Start the task manager by right-clicking on the taskbar or if the taskbar is frozen then with the shortcut of ctrl+alt+delete.

   

2. If a smaller window opens with just the running apps, click on more details on the bottom.

   

3. Now, in the complete window that opens, you can see all the various processes running. To change the basis of what they are sorted on, you can choose the criteria given on top.
4. Now, look for the process name you want to change priority for and go to its details tab.

   

5. When the window opens, you can see all the various processes working for the program

   

6. Right-click on the process and go to set priority.

   

7. Change the priority according to your needs, confirm it in the dialog box and exit.

You have changed the process’s priority for now, but every time you restart or log in, the program’s priority will go back to its default.

Windows Command Prompt

Wondering how to increase the priority of a process in windows 10? If for any reason you can’t access the task manager, then alternatively, you can run the command prompt by pressing windows key or if the key doesnt work then by opening the start menu. Run it as administrator and type start “”/priority level “C:\Program location\name of program\file type.”

This will run the program at the mentioned priority level.

Using PowerShell

Alternatively, you can also use the PowerShell tool. From the start menu option or if the start menu doesnt respond then use windows key+ X, open Windows PowerShell (Admin).

Simply type Get-WmiObject Win32_process -filter ‘name = “file name”‘ | foreach-object { $_.SetPriority(code for priority) } in the window to change the priority. The codes for different priorities are 

1. Realtime 256
2. High 128
3. Above normal 32768
4. Normal 32
5. Below normal 16384
6. Low 64

FAQs

Conclusion

So, the next time you want to give any process a little boost, follow our detailed guide on How to change Priority in Task Manager- Windows 10. Keep in mind all the essential points mentioned above to avoid low memory on your system or system errors. Enjoy a smoother flow of processes and never worry about how to set a program to high priority windows 10.

Garvit Sinha

Gravit Sinha is the founder of ValidEdge. Ever since he was a kid, he has been a problem fixer and that passion is what inspired him to start and grow this website! 🙂