How to Boost FPS on PC: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Why your FPS drops, and how to raise it yourself with safe settings in Windows, your graphics driver and your games — plus what to avoid so you don't wreck your PC.
Last updated: September 2026
Why does FPS drop?
FPS is the number of frames your PC draws every second. The higher it is, the smoother the motion and the faster the response.
It usually drops for fixable reasons: an old graphics driver, apps running in the background, power-saving settings, heat that makes parts slow themselves down, and graphics settings higher than your PC can carry.
Before you start: measure your current FPS
Any tweak without a measurement is just a feeling. Turn on an FPS counter and play the same scene for two minutes before and after each change.
- In the game: most competitive games can show FPS from their settings.
- Xbox Game Bar in Windows: press Win + G and open the Performance panel.
- Steam: Settings › In Game › In-game FPS counter.
- NVIDIA App or AMD Adrenalin: both show FPS while you play.
Free steps that raise your FPS
- 01
Update your graphics driver from the official source
New drivers carry optimizations for recent games. Download them only from the vendor itself, not from generic driver sites.
NVIDIA App · AMD Adrenalin · Intel Arc Control
- 02
Set your monitor's real refresh rate
A very common mistake: a 144Hz monitor running at 60Hz. You'll never see more than 60 frames, however high your FPS goes.
Settings › System › Display › Advanced display › Refresh rate
- 03
Turn on Game Mode
It gives the game priority over other apps and keeps Windows Update from working while you play.
Settings › Gaming › Game Mode
- 04
Set the power mode to Best performance
Power-saving modes lower your CPU's speed. On a laptop, keep it plugged in while gaming.
Settings › System › Power › Power mode › Best performance
- 05
Run the game on the powerful GPU (laptops)
Many laptops have two GPUs, integrated and dedicated. Make sure the game runs on the dedicated one.
Settings › System › Display › Graphics › (Game) › High performance
- 06
Stop apps that start with Windows
Chat apps, updaters and cloud storage use CPU and RAM in the background. Turn off what you don't need at startup.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc › Startup apps
- 07
Tune in-game graphics wisely
Lower shadows, reflections, fog and clouds first — they cost the most and change the look the least. Turn on DLSS, FSR or XeSS in Quality mode if available.
- 08
Enable your RAM profile (XMP / EXPO)
On many PCs the RAM runs slower than its rated speed. Enabling XMP or EXPO in the BIOS lifts performance in CPU-bound games. If you're unsure, ask for help.
BIOS › XMP / EXPO › Enabled
- 09
Watch temperatures and clean your PC
When the CPU or GPU gets hot, it slows itself down to stay safe and your FPS drops. Dust and old thermal paste are the usual causes.
What to avoid
- Unknown tweak files (.reg or .bat) from YouTube or Telegram: some disable Windows protection or carry malware, and they're hard to undo.
- Any advice to turn Windows Defender off for good.
- 'Game booster' tools that inject themselves into the game — they can get your account banned.
- Changing everything at once, with no backup and no before/after measurement.
The fastest way: all of it in one click
X TWEAKS PRO applies the right changes for your PC in one go and measures your FPS stability while you play, so you see it in numbers. Every change is recorded and undoes in one click, and it never touches game files.
It's free to start: the score, safe optimization and clean-up need no plan.
Questions gamers ask
The settings in this guide are safe and come from Windows, the driver and the game itself. Harm comes from unknown files or from overclocking without enough cooling — which is what we warn against.
Save the time, get the result in numbers
X TWEAKS PRO applies all of this in one click and measures the difference on your PC — free to start, and every change undoes in one click.