Free & open source
Windows is throttling your apps. We stop that.
Disable Efficiency Mode runs silently in your system tray and prevents Windows from deprioritising any process — automatically, on every boot. No drivers, no configuration, no telemetry.
How it works
Simple, automatic, permanent
Windows quietly applies Efficiency Mode to processes it considers non-essential. This tool overrides that decision every 5 seconds using a native Windows API call — no drivers, no hacks.
Run the exe
A one-time UAC prompt installs it to C:\Program Files\ and registers startup automatically.
Tray icon appears
A green icon in your system tray confirms it’s active. Right-click to exit anytime.
Every process protected
All running processes are scanned every 5 seconds and CPU throttling is stripped from each one.
Boots with Windows
Registered via HKCU\…\Run so it’s always active after every login — nothing to remember.
state = PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_STATE()
state.Version = PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_CURRENT_VERSION
state.ControlMask = PROCESS_POWER_THROTTLING_EXECUTION_SPEED
state.StateMask = 0 # 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled
kernel32.SetProcessInformation(
handle,
ProcessPowerThrottling,
ctypes.byref(state),
ctypes.sizeof(state)
)
Setting StateMask to 0 tells the Windows kernel scheduler to give the process normal CPU priority — identical to disabling Efficiency Mode manually in Task Manager, except it applies to every process automatically and survives restarts.
Features
Everything you need, nothing you don’t
Built to be lightweight, transparent, and completely out of your way.
Full CPU priority
Prevents the kernel from applying EcoQoS throttling to any process — games, creative tools, or anything in between.
Completely silent
No windows, no notifications, no configuration required. Just a tray icon with a right-click exit.
Auto-installs & boots with Windows
First run installs itself to Program Files and registers startup. You never have to think about it again.
Single file
One exe. No installer, no runtime, no DLLs to manage. Just download and run.
Zero network activity
The app makes no internet connections of any kind. No telemetry, no updates, no callbacks.
Clean uninstall
Delete C:\Program Files\DisableEfficiencyMode\ and remove one registry key. Done.
Security
Fully auditable. Nothing to hide.
The source code is open — read every line on GitHub. Here’s a summary of exactly what the app does and doesn’t touch on your system.
| Concern | Answer | How to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Network activity | ✓ None. Zero connections, ever. | Wireshark or Windows Firewall logs |
| APIs used | ✓ SetProcessInformation, OpenProcess, RegSetValueEx |
Sysinternals Process Monitor |
| Files written to disk | ✓ Copies itself to C:\Program Files\DisableEfficiencyMode\ once |
Process Monitor file filter |
| Registry changes | ✓ One key: HKCU\…\Run\DisableEfficiencyMode |
regedit or Process Monitor |
| Admin / UAC | ✓ One-time prompt to write to Program Files. Not required after. | UAC prompt shows the exact exe path |
| Kernel drivers | ✓ None. Entirely user-space. | System Informer → drivers tab |
Observe all system calls live using System Informer or Process Hacker while the app is running. Or just read the source.
Open source
Every line is on GitHub
No black boxes. The full source is MIT-licensed — read it, fork it, build it yourself.
What’s in the repo
Five small Python files. That’s the entire app.
To build the exe yourself: pip install pyinstaller psutil pystray Pillow then pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --name DisableEfficiencyMode main.py
Get full performance back
Free, open source, and running in under 10 seconds.