Starting with Windows 10 build 17093, Microsoft is introducing a new Graphics settings page for Multi-GPU systems that allows you to manage the graphics performance preference of your apps. You may be familiar with similar graphics control panels from AMD and Nvidia, and you can continue to use those control panels. When you set an application preference in the Windows Graphics settings, that will take precedence over the other control panel settings.
This new setting allows you to specify which GPU you prefer to use by default for specific Store (universal) and Desktop (classic) apps. Preferences may provide better app performance or save battery life. Choices may not take effect until the next time the app launches.
Generally, the power saving GPU is the integrated GPU on a system, and the high performance GPU is the discrete GPU or external GPU. If you have both a discrete GPU and an external GPU on a system, the external GPU is considered the high performance GPU.
Applications are always allowed to have the ultimate choice of which GPU to use, so you may see additional applications that do not follow the preferences you set. In that case, look for a setting within the application itself to choose a preference.
Starting with Windows 10 build 19564, Microsoft updated the Graphics settings page (Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings), allowing for better control over designating which GPU your apps run on. With this update, the app list and GPU preference are pre-populated on a best effort basis to improve the default preference management experience. If your desired app isn’t pre-populated, you can still add it by using the app selection drop-down. You’ll notice alongside this, Microsoft also added a search box and a filter for the list of apps.
Starting with Windows 10 build 20190, Microsoft has made the following improvements:
This tutorial will show you how to backup and restore the GPU graphics performance preference for apps settings for your account in Windows 10.