How to increase FPS in Minecraft
If Minecraft is lagging, these proven methods will improve your performance, from quick settings changes to Java optimization. They work on any computer.
Diagnostics: check your FPS
Before you change anything, check your current performance. Press F3 in the game and the debug screen appears in the top-left corner with the key information:
- FPS: frames per second. Below 30 the game stutters, while 60+ means smooth gameplay.
- GPU: the name of your graphics card. If you see "Intel HD Graphics" instead of a dedicated card (for example NVIDIA GeForce), Minecraft is running on integrated graphics, a common problem on laptops.
- Allocated / Used memory: how much RAM is allocated to Minecraft and how much it's using right now. If "Used" is close to "Allocated", the game may stutter because of garbage collection.
- Chunk updates: how many chunks are being reloaded at the moment. A high value while you explore is normal, but chunk updates that stay high all the time point to a disk or CPU problem.
Write down your FPS before you make any changes. After each change from the list below, check again: that way you'll find out what makes the biggest difference on your computer.
Graphics settings: an instant boost
Open Options > Video Settings. Here are the settings, sorted from the biggest impact on FPS to the smallest:
Render Distance
The most important setting in the whole game. Render distance decides how many chunks (16x16 blocks) around you get rendered. Lowering it from 16 to 8 chunks can double your FPS, because the game renders only a quarter as much terrain. On a low-end PC, set it to 6-8 chunks; on a mid-range one, 10-12. Only go to 16+ if you have powerful hardware or an optimization mod.
Simulation Distance
Since version 1.18 this is a separate setting. It controls how far from you the world is actively simulated (mobs move, redstone works, plants grow). Set it to 6-8: you can see far (render distance 12) but simulate close. That takes load off the CPU without cutting how far you can see.
Graphics: Fast vs Fancy
Fast mode turns off transparent leaves and simplifies rain and clouds. The visual difference is small, but the FPS gain is 5-15%. On weak hardware, set it to Fast without a second thought.
Particles: Decreased or Minimal
Particles can slow the game down near large farms, during raids and in the Nether. Minimal removes most particle effects: a small gain in normal play, but a big one in situations with lots of entities.
Clouds: Off
Turning off clouds gives you 3-8 FPS. If you use shaders, they have their own clouds, so the vanilla clouds are redundant anyway.
VSync: Off
Vertical sync caps your FPS at your monitor's refresh rate and adds input lag. Turn VSync off. If you have a monitor with G-Sync or FreeSync, use those technologies instead of VSync.
You'll find a detailed description of every setting in our graphics settings guide.
Optimization mods: Sodium and OptiFine
Installing an optimization mod is the single step that gives you the most. Without mods, Minecraft is simply poorly optimized: rendering is inefficient, chunks load slowly, and lighting is calculated in a way that wastes resources.
Sodium: the best choice for FPS
Sodium is a Fabric mod that rewrites Minecraft's rendering engine from the ground up. The result: +100-200% FPS compared with vanilla. Sodium doesn't add any new visual features and focuses purely on performance. It works with most Fabric mods and is regularly updated for the latest versions of the game.
Good additions to Sodium:
- Lithium: optimizes game logic (mob AI, physics, ticks). An extra 5-15% FPS.
- Starlight: rewrites the lighting engine. Faster chunk loading and fewer lag spikes.
- FerriteCore: cuts RAM usage by 15-25%. Less garbage collection = less stuttering.
OptiFine: more features, lower FPS
OptiFine gives +50-100% FPS and adds connected textures, built-in zoom (C), shader support, dynamic lights and fog settings. If you care about how the game looks (shaders, better textures), OptiFine is a good compromise. It doesn't work together with Sodium, though.
You'll find a detailed comparison of the two mods in OptiFine vs Sodium: which one to choose.
Java arguments: get more out of the JVM
Minecraft runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The default JVM settings aren't tuned for games, and changing the startup arguments can eliminate lag spikes and make the game 10-20% smoother.
How much RAM to allocate
More RAM isn't always better. Allocate:
- 4 GB: vanilla or with a few mods
- 6-8 GB: large modpacks (50+ mods)
- Never more than 12 GB: too big a heap causes longer garbage collector pauses, which makes the game less smooth
In the launcher, set -Xmx4G (or -Xmx6G with mods) in the "JVM Arguments" field.
Aikar's flags
Aikar's flags are a set of JVM arguments developed by Aikar (the creator of PaperMC) that tune the G1GC garbage collector for Minecraft. They eliminate the micro-stutters caused by GC pauses. It's a free smoothness gain with no side effects.
You'll find the full set of flags and setup instructions in our JVM arguments guide.
Newer Java = more FPS
Since version 1.20.5, Minecraft officially supports Java 21. Newer Java versions have a better garbage collector, faster JIT compilation and general performance improvements. If you're still on Java 17 or 8, updating to 21 can give you 5-15% more FPS.
GPU drivers and your system
Hardware-related performance problems are more common than you might think, especially on laptops.
Update your graphics card drivers
Old drivers are a common cause of low FPS and OpenGL crashes. Update them every 2-3 months:
- NVIDIA: nvidia.com/drivers or GeForce Experience
- AMD: amd.com/support or AMD Software: Adrenalin
- Intel: intel.com/download-center (integrated graphics)
Make sure Minecraft uses your dedicated card
On laptops with two graphics cards (Intel + NVIDIA/AMD), Minecraft may start on the weaker integrated card by default. Check the F3 screen: if you see "Intel HD Graphics" instead of your NVIDIA or AMD card, you need to change the settings:
- NVIDIA: NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings > add javaw.exe > select "High-performance NVIDIA processor"
- AMD: AMD Software > Gaming > add javaw.exe > set a performance profile
Performance mode in your system
In Windows, go to Settings > System > Power > Best performance. On a laptop, make sure the charger is plugged in: on battery power, the system lowers the clock speeds of the CPU and the graphics card.
Close background programs
Chrome with a dozen or so tabs can use 2-4 GB of RAM. Discord with its overlay puts load on the GPU. An antivirus running a scan eats up disk I/O. Close the programs you don't need before you play, or at least turn off the Discord overlay in Discord's settings.
Tips for low-end PCs
If you have an old or budget computer (4 GB of RAM, integrated graphics, a CPU that's 5+ years old), here's a priority list of changes, starting with the most effective:
- Install Sodium + Lithium + FerriteCore: together they can triple your FPS
- Render Distance: 6, Simulation Distance: 4
- Graphics: Fast, Particles: Minimal, Clouds: Off, Smooth Lighting: Off
- Give Minecraft 2-3 GB of RAM (
-Xmx3G): on a computer with 4 GB, don't allocate more - Close everything except Minecraft, and we mean everything
- Use 16x16 textures (the default) and don't install higher-resolution packs
- Play in fullscreen (F11)
On very weak machines, also consider an older version of Minecraft (1.12.2 or 1.8.9), since these are much lighter than the latest ones. Servers like Hypixel still support older versions.
What to avoid: popular myths
- Game boosters (Razer Cortex, Game Fire): they don't improve FPS in Minecraft. They often run their own background processes, which ironically use up resources.
- Allocating 16 GB of RAM: too big a heap causes longer garbage collector pauses. 4-6 GB is the sweet spot without mods.
- Lowering your screen resolution: Minecraft isn't graphically demanding in the traditional sense. Dropping from 1080p to 720p gives you a marginal FPS gain (5-10%) and costs a lot of image quality. Lower the render distance instead.
- Combining Sodium with OptiFine: these mods don't work together. Pick one. Sodium + Lithium: yes. Sodium + OptiFine: no.
- "Optimization" modpacks with 50 mods: more mods = more load. Sodium, Lithium, Starlight and FerriteCore are all you need.