What are Performance modes and what do they do?
You can decide how BlueStacks performs on your desktop/laptop and enhance your overall experience by choosing any of the three Performance modes available on BlueStacks 5.
- Low memory: Conserve memory/RAM usage by BlueStacks
- Balanced mode: Optimize memory/RAM usage and performance
- High performance: Favor higher performance at the expense of increased memory/RAM usage for the best gaming experience
The default performance mode on your BlueStacks will depend on your PC's memory/RAM, as explained below:
- If your PC has RAM of more than 4GB, then your default performance mode will be set to "High Performance".
- If your PC has RAM of 4GB or less, then your default performance mode will be set to "Balanced".
NOTE: If you are updating from an older version of BlueStacks 5, your Performance mode setting will be restored.
When should I change these settings?
To decide whether you would like to change these settings, we'll describe what each mode does and where the effect can be observed.
Low memory mode
When you select this mode, BlueStacks 5 will use the least amount of RAM possible. This mode can be used if you experience exceptionally high RAM usage while playing intensive apps.
To learn more about the low memory mode in BlueStacks 5, refer to this article.
Balanced mode
When this mode is selected, BlueStacks 5 will optimize both overall performance and RAM usage to ensure you get the best possible experience.
High-performance mode
This mode allows you to squeeze every ounce of performance from your desktop/laptop to get the best possible experience in graphical and performance-intensive apps on BlueStacks 5.
This mode can be used if you do not get optimum performance, or if you face any lag-related issues, on the "Balanced mode" while playing intensive apps, such as Rise of Kingdoms. Selecting this mode could help resolve such issues.
How can I apply one mode for multiple instances?
If you have multiple instances installed, you can apply one mode for all by simply:
- Applying the desired performance mode on your primary instance
- Restarting all running instances.
When you apply the desired mode on the primary instance, all installed instances will launch on this mode.
You will also see the pop-up shown below when you change the performance mode on your main instance while multiple instances are installed.
How can I change my performance mode?
You can change the performance mode for an instance in two ways:
Changing performance mode while creating an instance
You can choose the performance mode at the time of creating a fresh instance while customizing its settings, as shown below.
By default, Low memory performance mode is selected for fresh instances as it is more suitable for running multiple instances at the same time for optimum performance. However, if you don't wish to use multiple instances at the same time, you can choose a different mode as per your preference.
NOTE: While cloning an instance, the performance mode selected by default will be the same as that of the existing instance. You can change it as per your preference.
Changing the performance mode through the Settings menu for an existing instance
1. Click on the gear icon on the Side Toolbar to access BlueStacks 5 settings.
2. In the Performance tab, click on the current mode selected just below "Performance mode".
3. From the drop-down menu, select the mode you would like to choose.
4. Once selected, click on "Save changes".
5. To apply these changes, BlueStacks will restart. Click on "Restart now".
These settings will then be applied.
Thank you for choosing BlueStacks 5. We hope you enjoy using it. Happy Gaming!