How To Adjust The Visual Effects In Windows 10

By Marlo Strydom

Windows 10 includes various visual effects like animations, shadows, and transparency to make the interface feel more modern. While they look nice, these extras can slow down your system—especially on older or lower-end PCs.

Before You Start

  • Note your current system performance
  • Consider which visual effects you use most
  • Be ready to experiment with different settings

How to Adjust Visual Effects

1. Access Performance Settings

First, you'll need to open the Performance Options window:

Quick Method

  1. Press Win + X
  2. Select System
  3. Click Advanced system settings
  4. Under Performance , click Settings

Alternative Method

  1. Open Control Panel
  2. Go to System and Security
  3. Click System
  4. Select Advanced system settings

2. Choose Your Performance Level

In the Performance Options window, you'll find three main presets:

Best Performance

  • Disables all visual effects
  • Maximum system speed
  • Best for older PCs

Best Appearance

  • Enables all effects
  • Most polished look
  • For powerful PCs

Custom

  • Mix and match effects
  • Balance performance
  • Personalized setup

3. Customize Individual Effects

For a balanced approach, you can manually select which effects to keep:

Recommended Settings

  • ✓ Smooth edges of screen fonts
  • ✓ Show thumbnails instead of icons
  • ✓ Use drop shadows for icon labels

Optional Effects

  • Animate controls and elements
  • Animate windows when minimizing
  • Show shadows under windows
  • Fade or slide menus into view

4. Apply and Test

After making your selections:

  1. Click Apply to save changes
  2. Click OK to close the window
  3. Test your system's responsiveness
  4. Adjust further if needed

💡 Pro Tip

For the best balance of performance and appearance, start with "Adjust for best performance" and then selectively re-enable only the effects you find most useful. This gives you the maximum performance boost while keeping the visual elements you actually use.

System-Specific Recommendations

Low-End PCs

  • Use "Best Performance"
  • Enable only font smoothing
  • Disable all animations

Mid-Range PCs

  • Use "Custom" settings
  • Keep basic effects
  • Disable heavy animations

High-End PCs

  • Use "Best Appearance"
  • Enable all effects
  • Customize based on preference