What is Processor Affinity? How to set Affinity Processor on Windows 10

When a program runs in Windows 10, it will use the CPU. Most computers have multi-core processors. Any program you run uses CPU cores. Put simply, the Windows operating system decides how to use the core for any program.

However, it is possible to set up programs that use only 1 or 2 cores instead of all cores. In this post, TipsMake.com will explain what Processor Affinity is and how to set Affinity Processor on Windows 10.

What is Processor Affinity?

Processor Affinity, also known as CPU pinning, allows users to specify a process using only a few cores. Technically, you can pair and unpair a process or thread with the CPU or CPUs (hereinafter called the CPU core). But the real question is why such an option is available and what is the advantage of ordering Processor Affinity.

What is Processor Affinity? How to set Affinity Processor on Windows 10 Picture 1

Processor Affinity is useful if you have a heavy program like video rendering. When you reserve a core for a video editing program, it makes sure that the processor core is always dedicated to the task. This improves performance because it reduces cache problems, since there is no lag with dedicated cores.

However, this also means that the program cannot use any other cores that affect load balancing.

Typically, Windows 10 balances the pressure on the CPU by distributing multiple threads to multiple processor cores. So unless you're sure what you're doing, you should leave everything running on the default settings.

How to set Affinity Processor on Windows 10

In Windows 10, admin users can specify which core the process can use each time it is launched. Here is how to set it up.

1. Right-click on the taskbar.

2. Click the Task Manager option.

3. In Task Manager , switch to the Details tab. It will display a list of running programs.

4. Right-click the program for which you want to set up Affinity.

5. Select Set affinity from the menu.

6. Processor affinity window will open.

7. Select the cores that processes can use.

8. Click OK to complete the task.