If you have a laptop with both an Intel or AMD integrated GPU and an NVIDIA or AMD dedicated GPU, Windows decides which one each app uses — and it guesses wrong often enough to matter. A background app running on the dGPU burns extra watts and fan noise for nothing; a renderer Windows misjudges as "light" gets stuck on the iGPU and runs slow. Here's the actual setting, where it lives in the registry, and how to set it for the apps you're running right from a single screen.
Quick answer: Settings → System → Display → Graphics → add the app → Options → choose "Power saving" to force the integrated GPU, or "High performance" to force the dedicated GPU. This writes to the registry key HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectX\UserGpuPreferences — the same key PowerDoze's process manager writes to when you set it from there instead.
This only shows up if Windows detects more than one GPU — a laptop with an iGPU + dGPU, or a desktop with both onboard graphics and a discrete card:
.exe that isn't listed (useful for portable tools or games installed outside the Microsoft Store).There's no separate confirmation step and no visible list of everything you've already set beyond scrolling the same page — which is fine for two or three apps, tedious for a longer list.
The Graphics settings page is a front end for one registry value per app. It lives at:
Each entry is named after the app's full .exe path, and its data is a short string: GpuPreference=N;
| Value of N | Settings label | What it does |
|---|---|---|
0 | Let Windows decide | Auto — no forced preference, default behavior |
1 | Power saving | Forces the integrated GPU (Intel/AMD iGPU) |
2 | High performance | Forces the dedicated GPU (NVIDIA/AMD dGPU) |
Why this matters: Since it's a plain registry value, anything that can write to HKCU can set it — which is exactly the mechanism PowerDoze uses instead of reimplementing GPU switching itself.
This setting is worth touching in two specific situations — outside of them, "Let Windows decide" is usually fine:
| Situation | Set to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Background/utility app (browser, chat, notes) idling on the dGPU | Power saving | Frees the dGPU to idle down; saves battery and reduces fan noise |
| Game or renderer Windows misclassifies as "light" and defaults to the iGPU | High performance | Forces it onto the faster dedicated GPU |
| Full-screen AAA game already auto-detected on the dGPU | Let Windows decide | It's already running on the right GPU — nothing to fix |
A common tell for "wrong GPU by default": a laptop's fan spins up and the battery drains faster than expected while only a browser or a lightweight app is open. Checking Task Manager's Performance tab (per-GPU engine usage, added in recent Windows builds) or a hardware monitor will show which GPU is actually doing the work.
Windows' Graphics settings page makes you find each app and dig for its .exe, with no view of what's already set. PowerDoze's process manager puts a GPU preference control (and an EcoQoS toggle) directly on each running app's row — next to CPU priority in the same list — so you can set it for the apps you're actually running, one at a time, without hunting for each .exe path. Setting GPU preference and EcoQoS this way is a Pro feature: on the free version you can see the controls, and a Pro upgrade unlocks them. It writes the exact same UserGpuPreferences registry key Windows itself uses, so nothing about the underlying mechanism changes.
Honest note: Windows' own Settings → System → Display → Graphics page can already set the GPU preference per app for free — PowerDoze doesn't add a new capability here, it just puts the control on the same screen where you manage running processes, so you don't have to leave that view or look up each .exe by hand.
Settings → System → Display → Graphics, add the app's .exe, open Options, and choose "Power saving." That forces it onto the integrated GPU (Intel or AMD iGPU). Choose "High performance" instead to force the dedicated GPU.
In the registry, at HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectX\UserGpuPreferences. Each app gets a value named after its full .exe path, formatted as GpuPreference=N; where N is 0 (auto), 1 (power saving / integrated GPU), or 2 (high performance / dedicated GPU).
0 is Auto — Windows and the app decide, usually defaulting to whichever GPU the app requests. 1 is Power saving, which forces the integrated GPU. 2 is High performance, which forces the dedicated GPU. These are the exact same three options shown in Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Options.
Some background or lightweight apps — browsers, chat clients, note-taking tools — get launched on the dedicated GPU by default, which keeps it powered up and burning watts and fan noise for no benefit. Forcing them to the integrated GPU frees the dedicated GPU to idle down, which matters most on battery.
Only if it wasn't already using the dedicated GPU. Most full-screen games are auto-detected and already run on the dGPU. This setting matters more for games or renderers Windows misclassifies as a utility app and quietly launches on the integrated GPU instead.
No, they're different settings. GPU power limit caps how many watts one GPU is allowed to draw (via nvidia-smi -pl, NVIDIA only). GPU preference decides which GPU — integrated or dedicated — a given app runs on in the first place. You can use both together.
Want to set GPU preference for a running app from the same screen where you manage EcoQoS and CPU priority? That's in PowerDoze's process manager. PowerDoze is free to download; setting GPU preference and EcoQoS from the process list is a Pro feature (free users can see it, Pro unlocks it).
Download free for Windows 10/11See also: How to cap GPU power draw on Windows · Limit CPU power on Windows · All features