One of the most common questions I get is how I can optimize FPS in fortnite, eliminate any stutters, and fix the low FPS issues in endgames. This is why I’ve decided to make this tutorial on how exactly you can optimize your Windows along with Fortnite in order to get the most stability and FPS out of the hardware you currently have.
None of my methods include any sensitive changes like registry edits, so there’s no chance that any of the below listed optimizations will break something in Windows / Fortnite. Enough talk, let’s get to it!
Step 1: Disable Fullscreen Optimization
Windows has a feature called fullscreen optimization, when it comes to gaming, it will actually force V-Sync on the application. If you’ve been messing with settings for some time now, you know that V-Sync is terrible because it adds tons of input lag. By disabling fullscreen optimization, you also disable the V-Sync that Windows 10 for some reason loves to force on any application.
To disable fullscreen optimization for fortnite, navigate to the Fortnite folder, and find the Windows Shipping Client. For me it was in FortniteGame -> Binaries -> Win64
Right click on the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping icon and click compatibility. There you will have an option to disable fullscreen optimization. I also recommend selecting the checkbox to run the program as administrator, and override the high DPI settings.
Step 2: Turn off unnecessary background applications
By default, Windows has tons of bloatware that runs in the background. Most of these applications you will never use, so why let them collect data and use up your CPU resources when they aren’t even needed?
To manage and turn off background applications, type in settings in the search bar, scroll down to Background Apps, and go through the list of applications turning off whichever ones you don’t need.
NOTE: Make sure to leave your graphics drivers and audio drivers enabled, along with Windows security. You don’t want to turn off these apps as they are essential to keep your system running smoothly.
Step 3: Ultimate Performance Plan
By default, a clean windows installation will default to the Balanced power plan. Meaning your system is not running to it’s full potential. Via the command line, you can enable an ultimate performance plan which will ensure that Windows isn’t bottlenecking any processes.
To enable Ultimate Performance plan, start CMD as administrator by typing in CMD in the search bar. Then, go ahead and copy paste the following command:
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
Once you’ve done that, type in Power in the search bar, click Power and Sleep settings, click additional settings and you should now have an option to ernable the ultimate performance plan.
Step 4: Graphics Settings
To make sure Fortnite is running with the highest performance in mind, make sure to set your AMD / NVIDIA graphics settings to the highest performance options. If you are an NVIDIA user, simply add the Fortnite Shipping client as a program, and when you hover over each option, you will be provided with a prompt telling you which option is best if you want the highest performance available.
Step 5: Optimizing Epic Game Launcher
Many people overlook the Epic launcher when optimizing their Fortnite game. The launcher can eat up quite a bit of CPU / GPU power if left running in the background. As such, it’s important to make sure the “Minimize to System Tray” setting is checked off. This means when you hit X on the launcher, it will actually shut down rather than minimizing to the system tray and still run in the background.
While many don’t know, you don’t need the launcher to be running after you’ve launched Fortnite. It’s a good idea to exit it completely once Fortnite has been launched.
Step 6: Fortnite Settings
When it comes to the graphics settings in Fortnite itself, there’s nothing much to say other than setting it all to low if you want the highest performance.
One thing many people overlook is the setting regarding saving Replays. If you have Replays enabled, that will add a 5-10% FPS overhead to your game, as the game has to record your replays in real time. If you disable replays you will notice an improvement in overall FPS.
Step 7: Close CPU Heavy Applications
It’s always a good idea to take a look at your task manager and sort the applications by CPU usage. Close any applications you don’t need, especially any game launchers. Some applications like Discord, Skype, Steam, Razer Synapse, and others will eat up CPU resources which could easily be used to increase your FPS in Fortnite.
Step 8: Discord Settings
Many people have Discord running in the background, while that is fine in and of itself, many have hardware acceleration turned on. What this means is Discord will use up GPU resources when they’re not even needed. It’s a good idea to turn off hardware acceleration for Discord and Chrome if you often have them running in the background.
Hardware acceleration is only good for Discord if you actually stream on there to your friends / server.
Step 9: Windows Graphics Settings
Did you know you can actually set a preference in Windows 10 for any application. If you navigate to Graphics Settings, you will have an option to set specific options for Fortnite. Go ahead and select the Fortnite Shipping client and make sure the preference is set to high performance. You won’t believe how often Windows will be using the onboard graphics rather than your powerful expensive graphics card.
Step 10: If all else fails use DDU
If you are still getting stutters and low FPS, then consider using DDU to completely remove any graphics drivers and install updated ones on a fresh slate. DDU is faster than reinstalling Windows which can take hours.
Moreover, if you’ve had your system for a few years, chances are there are some old leftover drivers that are causing you issues. I run DDU once every few months to ensure my graphics drivers are stable and up to date.
BONUS: Disable High Precision Event Timer
I didn’t know about this setting until recently, but Windows has an event timer that essentially decides which application has priority. From my experience, it’s a good idea to turn it off because it can add input lag during those intense build fights. What ends up happening is Windows assigns top priority to your render queues, but assigns low priority to your input queue. This ends up causing input lag stutters that are extremely hard to replicate but ones you can definitely feel. Once I’ve disable the high precision event timer my game felt much snappier and stable.
To disable Windows High precision event timer, go to device manager and find the device under System devices, simply right click and disable it. If for some reason you start getting issues with your system, feel free to re-enable it to see if that’s really the issue.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you guys in optimizing your Windows and Fortnite application to achieve the highest FPS your hardware can handle. Again, none of these settings should break your windows as we aren’t modifying registry keys.
If you want to check out more content about windows settings, benchmarks, and more, make sure to visit my youtube channel.
