This article will be updated regularly as new tricks to improve X-Plane 12 performance are discovered, so stay tuned. Recent new tricks were added on Monday, October 27, 2025, and are marked with the ⚠️ icon.
Tweaking graphics and power settings in Windows 11 (and 10) plays a major role. Setting your power plan to “High Performance” ensures your CPU and GPU run at their maximum potential, avoiding frequency throttling that can hurt performance. Turning off indexing for drives that hold X-Plane 12’s installation can speed up file access times, while limiting Windows Defender’s real-time scanning for the X-Plane folder avoids unnecessary CPU usage. For systems with limited RAM, setting a custom virtual memory size can help avoid micro-stutters. Together, these tweaks turn X-Plane 12 run closer to its full potential.
The following are the most effective performance optimization tips discovered so far for X-Plane 12 and on a Windows 11 (and 10) environment. These tricks can help improve frame rates, reduce stuttering, and enhance overall smoothness. Since every system is different, apply these changes carefully and test after each adjustment. If you notice worse performance, simply revert the setting to its default. Click the arrow for step-by-step guidance on each trick.