If you’re a Windows gamer or power user, you might have noticed something strange — every time you manually set your favorite game or editing software to “High Priority” in Task Manager, it resets to “Normal” after you restart.
You open Task Manager, right-click on the game’s .exe file, set it to High Priority, and everything feels smoother. But once you reboot your PC or reopen the app, it’s back to Normal. Frustrating, isn’t it?
Today, we’ll fix this problem once and for all. In this guide, we’ll walk through a simple, safe Windows Registry tweak that permanently keeps any game or app running in High Priority mode every time you launch it — without needing to repeat the Task Manager steps again.
Let’s go step by step and understand everything carefully before we start editing the registry.
🧠 What Does “High Priority” Mean in Windows?
Before jumping into the tweak, it’s worth understanding what we’re changing and why it matters.
Windows runs hundreds of background processes — system tasks, apps, services, and scheduled jobs — all competing for CPU time. To manage this, Windows assigns a “priority level” to every process.
Here’s what the main levels mean:
| Priority Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Low | Background processes with minimal importance. |
| Below Normal / Normal | Default level for most programs. |
| Above Normal | Slightly higher than regular tasks. |
| High | Prioritized for CPU access over normal tasks. |
| Realtime | Reserved for critical system tasks (use carefully). |
When you set a process to High, Windows allocates more CPU time to it, ensuring smoother performance and reduced stuttering — especially useful for games, video editors, and emulators that need consistent processing power.
However, Windows automatically resets this to Normal whenever the program or system restarts, to prevent accidental resource hogging. That’s what we’re about to override permanently — safely and intentionally.
🚀 Why You Might Want to Keep an App Always at High Priority
There are several cases where keeping a program permanently prioritized can make your system run better:
- 🎮 Gaming: Reduces lag, frame drops, or micro-stutter when your system runs other background tasks.
- 🎬 Video Editing or Rendering: Tools like Filmora, Premiere Pro, or DaVinci Resolve perform smoother with more consistent CPU access.
- 🎧 Streaming and Recording: OBS Studio or other encoders benefit from stable CPU scheduling.
- ⚙️ Server or Virtual Machine Users: Background-heavy systems where one process must always remain responsive.
That said, we’ll also add important warnings later — because if used improperly (like setting High for too many apps), it may cause instability or slower background responsiveness.
Now that we understand the “why,” let’s move to the actual fix.
🪜 Step 1: The Normal (Temporary) Way to Change Priority
Let’s start with how it’s usually done — and why it resets.
Here’s the typical manual method:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on Details tab.
- Find your target program’s
.exefile (for example,Filmora.exeorvalorant.exe). - Right-click on it → Set Priority → choose High or Realtime.
- Click Change Priority when prompted.
This works instantly — your app will now run with higher CPU scheduling.
But as soon as you close the program or reboot the system, Windows will revert it to Normal again.
To make this setting stick, we’ll now move into the Windows Registry, where these rules can be defined permanently.
🧩 Step 2: Open Windows Registry Editor
Editing the registry is powerful — but it must be done carefully.
To open the Registry Editor:
- Press Windows + S or open the Start Menu.
- Type Registry Editor.
- Click on Registry Editor from the results.
- If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.
This opens the Registry Editor, where Windows stores system configurations and policies.
⚠️ Warning: Always create a backup or restore point before making changes in the registry. Mistyped entries can cause system instability.
To create a backup, click File → Export → All, and save it somewhere safe.
🔍 Step 3: Navigate to the Correct Registry Path
Once the Registry Editor is open, we’ll move through a few folders (keys) in the left sidebar.
Follow this exact path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
Here’s what each part means:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – stores settings that apply to all users on the system.
- SOFTWARE → Microsoft → Windows NT → CurrentVersion – holds Windows behavior settings.
- Image File Execution Options – where you can define special launch rules for specific programs (like debuggers, performance priorities, etc.).
This is where we’ll create a new key to tell Windows:
“Whenever you see this program (.exe), always launch it with high CPU priority.”
🧱 Step 4: Create a New Key for the Target Program
Now we’ll make an entry for your game or app inside the Image File Execution Options folder.
Let’s take Wondershare Filmora (a video editor) as an example. You can replace it with your own game or program later.
Here’s what to do:
- Right-click on Image File Execution Options → New → Key.
- Name the key exactly as your program’s executable file name.
- Example:
Filmora.exeorValorant.exe
- Example:
- To make sure it’s correct, open Task Manager → Details tab, find your program → right-click → Properties → copy the exact file name from there.
Now your new key should appear in the sidebar.
⚙️ Step 5: Create the “PerfOptions” Subkey
With your app’s key selected, do this next:
- Right-click on your new key (e.g.,
Filmora.exe). - Select New → Key again.
- Rename this subkey to:
PerfOptions(P and O must be capitalized — “PerfOptions”, not “perfoptions”).
This subkey is where Windows looks for performance configuration entries like CPU priority, affinity, and I/O boost.
🧮 Step 6: Add the CPU Priority Value
Now we’ll add the actual instruction to tell Windows which priority level to use.
- Click on your
PerfOptionssubkey. - In the right-hand panel, right-click on an empty space → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Rename it to:
CpuPriorityClass(The C, P, and C in the name must be capitalized.) - Double-click it and set its Value data to 3.
- Click OK and close Registry Editor.
That’s it! You’ve just told Windows:
“Whenever this program runs, always give it High CPU Priority (value 3).”
Here’s what these values represent:
| Value | Priority Level |
|---|---|
| 1 | Low |
| 2 | Normal |
| 3 | High |
| 4 | Real-time (not recommended for daily use) |
🔄 Step 7: Test the Change
Now comes the best part — testing.
- Close your program completely.
- Reopen it again.
- Open Task Manager → Details tab.
- Find your program’s
.exeagain → Right-click → Set Priority.
You should now see it automatically set to High.
Restart your computer if you want to double-check persistence — even after reboot, it should stay the same.
🧱 Optional: Set to Real-Time (Advanced Users Only)
If you really want to push performance to the edge, you can use Real-Time priority instead of High.
Simply repeat the same steps above but change the value data to 4 instead of 3.
However, use this with caution — Real-Time can cause system instability or lag in background apps because it reserves CPU access aggressively.
⚖️ Important Safety Notes
Before you start assigning High or Real-Time to every program, keep these points in mind:
- Only set High Priority for apps that benefit from consistent CPU access (e.g., games, editors, renderers).
- Don’t use Real-Time unless absolutely necessary — it can make your mouse or sound lag if background processes get delayed.
- Avoid setting High priority for system processes or antivirus — it may cause overheating or reduced multitasking efficiency.
- Always backup your registry before editing.
If something goes wrong, you can easily delete the key you created to revert the changes.
🧩 Example: Permanent High Priority for a Game
Let’s say you want to do this for Valorant.exe.
Here’s a quick walkthrough:
- Open Registry Editor.
- Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options - Right-click → New → Key → name it
Valorant.exe. - Inside it, right-click → New → Key → name it
PerfOptions. - Inside PerfOptions, right-click → New → DWORD (32-bit) → name it
CpuPriorityClass. - Set value to 3 (for High).
- Close Registry Editor and reboot.
Next time you launch Valorant, Task Manager will automatically show its priority as High without you doing anything.
🧠 How This Works Internally
When Windows launches any executable file, it checks the Image File Execution Options section in the registry to see if special parameters exist for that program.
If it finds a matching key (like Filmora.exe or Valorant.exe), it applies the corresponding sub-settings under PerfOptions — including CPU priority, affinity masks, and debug flags.
This ensures the rule applies every time the program launches, regardless of how it’s opened (via shortcut, Steam, Epic Games, etc.).
That’s why this method works even after rebooting — because it’s part of the operating system’s own configuration system.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Is this method safe?
Yes, if done correctly. You’re not installing any software — just creating a registry rule. Still, make sure you don’t edit other registry entries accidentally.
Q2. Can I revert it later?
Absolutely. Just go back to the same path and delete the key you created (e.g., Valorant.exe). The app will revert to normal priority next time.
Q3. Can I use this trick for multiple programs?
Yes! Simply repeat the steps for each .exe file you want to prioritize.
Q4. Does this increase FPS or performance?
It doesn’t boost performance beyond your CPU’s capability, but it stabilizes frame times and ensures smoother gameplay by preventing Windows from deprioritizing your game during background load.
Q5. Will it affect battery life on laptops?
A little. Higher CPU priority means slightly higher usage. It’s best used while gaming on AC power.
⚙️ Bonus Tip: Automate Priority Management
If you often experiment with CPU control, you can explore tools like Process Lasso or Core Setter (available on GitHub) to manage CPU affinity and core parking more visually.
But for most users, this registry method is clean, lightweight, and doesn’t require any extra software — perfect for a one-time setup.
✅ Wrapping Up
So far, we’ve done a great job. You’ve learned:
- How Windows process priority works,
- Why your priority resets after reboot,
- How to permanently fix it using Registry Editor,
- And how to safely customize it per application.
Now your games, editing tools, or resource-hungry applications will always start with High Priority, ensuring smoother performance without needing to open Task Manager every single time.
Take your time to experiment and find the right balance between stability and speed — because, in Windows performance tuning, control and consistency are the real power.
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This is NOT sponsored. The registry tweak is safe when done correctly, but always use with your own discretion. Modifying system settings may affect performance or stability if used improperly.
Windows performance, registry tweak, CPU priority, Task Manager, high priority apps, gaming optimization, Windows 11 tips, Filmora, Valorant, Windows registry editor
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