Set an app’s GPU preference in Settings > System > Display > Graphics. Choose the app, open Options, select a graphics preference, save, and restart the app. The GPU choices matter when your PC has more than one GPU; use the names Windows shows on your device rather than assuming a particular brand or model.
Set the GPU preference for an app
- Open Settings and go to System > Display > Graphics. Microsoft documents this path in its Windows 11 instructions for graphics settings.
- Under Custom options for apps, find the app or game. If it is not listed, add it: browse to the app’s
.exefor a desktop app, or choose it from the Store-app picker for a Microsoft Store app. Microsoft’s DirectX Developer Blog explanation describes both app types. - Select the app, then select Options.
- Under Graphics preference, choose the setting you want. The available labels are Let Windows decide (Power saving), Power saving, and High performance. When more than one GPU is available, Windows shows the associated GPU names in the dialog.
- Select Save, then close and reopen the app so it starts with the updated preference.
Depending on the Windows interface version, the app’s options may appear in a pop-up or an expanded section. The presentation can differ while the settings remain available.
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Choose between the graphics preferences
| Preference | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Let Windows decide (Power saving) | Leaves the choice to Windows. The label does not promise a particular performance or battery-life result for every PC or app. |
| Power saving | Sets a power-saving preference. Check the GPU name shown in your own dialog to see which device Windows associates with it. |
| High performance | Sets a high-performance preference. It does not universally identify a particular manufacturer or GPU model, nor does the documentation promise a specific performance gain. |
These are preferences, not quantified performance guarantees. The official documentation does not establish that every part of an app’s rendering or display path will use the selected GPU.
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App-specific and system-wide preferences
The Graphics page lets you set a preference for an individual app. Microsoft’s DirectX Developer Blog says an app-specific preference overrides the system-wide preference. If you want to change only one game or program, make the selection on that app’s entry.
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NVIDIA Control Panel
If Windows has a GPU preference for an app, Windows takes precedence over a per-app preference set in NVIDIA Control Panel. NVIDIA says its control panel can specify a preference when Windows has none. For a Windows 11 per-app choice, check Windows Graphics settings first; see NVIDIA’s instructions for setting the preferred graphics processor.
Other Graphics-page options
Optimizations for windowed games and Auto HDR are separate app-specific controls; neither is the GPU preference. Microsoft says windowed-game optimization applies to DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games running in windowed or borderless-windowed mode. Restart the game after changing that optimization as well.
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