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Asked: 2026-05-31T23:32:21+00:00

I am modifying the registry value found at: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects. For my purposes it can

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I am modifying the registry value found at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects.

For my purposes it can store a DWORD value of 0, 1, 2. These values correspond to the Visual Effects radio buttons under Performance Options in Windows 7; “Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer”, “Adjust for best appearance”, and “Adjust for best performance” respectively.

If you use the actual “Performance Options” screen and make a change and click apply, the visual settings in Windows will reload as expected. If you programatically change the value, it doesn’t do anything.

Is there a way to accomplish this in code?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    To expand on Raymond’s comment:

    The Visual Effects tab has fifteen individual performance options. The radio button “Adjust for best appearance” turns them all on. “Adjust for best performance” turns them all off. “Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer” presumably sets them based on the Windows Experience index, or some similar method.

    You aren’t going to be able to implement “Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer” from an application, or at least not easily. But you should be able to implement the other two options, by using SystemParametersInfo and setting each of the fifteen individual options.

    You’ll need to identify the fifteen settings corresponding to the options in the Visual Effects tab: some will be reasonably obvious, others may be a matter of trial and error. Hopefully if you set the radio button to “Custom”, when you open the Visual Effects tab you’ll see the changes your application has made, so you’ll be able to tell whether you’ve go the right setting or not.

    You might want to set the registry value for the radio button as well so that the user sees the right thing if they open the control panel.

    Addendum: for the scenario you describe, you’ll probably want to read each of the current settings first and restore them afterwards. Either read and restore the registry setting too, or just don’t touch it.

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