To set a program to high priority in Windows 10, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and select the Details tab. Right-click the program, select Set priority > High, and then select Change priority. The change lasts until you close the program.
Applies to: Windows 10. Checked against Microsoft Learn on September 27, 2026.
Priority tells Windows which programs to serve first when the processor is busy. It won’t make a program faster when your PC has time to spare.
Change priority in Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. If Task Manager opens small, select More details. See how to open Task Manager in Windows 10.
- Select the Details tab. To find the right file, go to the Processes tab, right-click the program, and select Go to details.
- Right-click the program and select Set priority > High.
- Select Change priority to confirm.
Don’t choose Realtime. It can stop your mouse and keyboard from responding. Also leave Windows’ own processes alone.
Start a program with high priority every time
Task Manager’s change ends when the program closes. To start a program with high priority, use the start command in Command Prompt:
start "" /high "C:\Program Files\Contoso\contoso.exe"
Other choices are /low, /belownormal, /normal and /abovenormal. To run it with a double-click, save the line in a batch (.bat) file.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Task Manager say “Access denied”?
Windows protects some processes, so their priority can’t be changed. Leave those as they are.
Will high priority make my games faster?
Only a little, and only when other programs are competing. Closing other apps usually helps more. See how to close apps running in the background on Windows 10 and how to change performance settings in Windows 10.
How do I set it back?
Select Set priority > Normal, or close the program and open it again.
Microsoft’s reference is start, which lists the priority options. More help is on our Windows Help & Guides page.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
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