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Enable All CPU Cores: Reasons, Preparations, Steps
For some reason, you need to enable all CPU cores on the computer. In this post, MiniTool Partition Wizard tells you the reasons and detailed steps for doing that.
Why Do You Need to Enable All CPU Cores
CPU cores on the computer are only used when required to accelerate tasks. Based on your demands, you can manually enable some or all of them. For instance, if you want to speed up your PC, enable all cores Windows 10/11 by yourself.
Enabling all CPU cores allows your computer to use more resources, so you can run programs faster and more efficiently.
In addition to enabling all CPU cores, you can also use PC optimizers like MiniTool Partition Wizard to obtain optimal PC performance. To be specific, use it to free up space, extend partitions, check hard drive for errors, clone hard drives for the sake of safety, recover lost/missing data, wipe disks, etc.
MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to DownloadClean & Safe
What to Do Before You Enable All CPU Cores
HyperThreading, an Intel proprietary function, splits a physical core on a CPU into virtual cores (or logical processors), where each acts as an independent processor. It means that multiple tasks can be executed simultaneously, further improving the processor’s performance.
Step 1: Restart your PC and keep pressing the BIOS key (like F2, Del, Esc, etc.) while the PC loads up. By doing so, you can enter the BIOS setup screen.
Step 2: Navigate to Multi Core Support and choose the All option.
Step 3: Find HyperThreading settings in BIOS and then choose the Enabled option.
Step 4: Press F10 > Enter keys to save the changes and exit BIOS.
You should also check the maximum CPU cores and processors on your PC. The maximum number of physical CPUs and cores (logical processors) is limited strictly depending on the version and edition.
You can manually check the number of CPU cores and logical processors through Task Manager > Performance.
- Windows 10 x86 (Enterprise Pro, Home): up to 2 CPUs and 32 logical processors (both physical and Hyper-Threading virtual cores are considered)
- Windows 10/11 x64: up to 2 CPUs and 256 logical processors
- Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012R2: up to 64 physical processors with 640 logical cores
- Windows Server 2008 R2: 256 logical cores
Now, it’s time to enable all CPU cores in Windows 11/10 computers by using the methods below.
#1: Enable All CPU Cores from Task Manager
Here’s the tutorial on how to enable all cores Windows 10 via Task Manager.
Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon to open the Start menu and then click Task Manager.
Step 2: In the Task Manager window, navigate to the Performance tab and then click CPU in the left panel. Then you can see the number of cores and logical processors on the right side of the window.

Step 3: Open the Run window by holding the Windows and R keys. Then type msconfig and click OK.

Step 4: Navigate to the Boot tab and click Advanced options.

Step 5: In the BOOT Advanced Options window, tick the Number of processors option and select the processors available on your PC from the drop-down menu. After that, click OK to save changes.
You should also click OK in the System Configuration window.

Step 6: In the prompted window, click Restart to take the changes into effect.

#2: Enable All CPU Cores from System Properties
It is also available to enable all CPU cores in Windows 11/10 via System Properties. Here are the steps for you.
Step 1: Open the System Properties panel.
- Type system properties in the search box.
- In the pop-up window, find and click Advanced system settings.

Step 2: In the System Properties window, go to the Advanced tab and then click the Settings button under Performance.

Step 3: In the Performance Options window, tap the Advanced tab and tick the Background Services option. This enables the operating system to use all available cores for performing various tasks. Then click OK to save changes.

Step 4: Restart your computer to make changes to take effect.
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It’s possible to adjust the number of processors in MSConfig, but changing this value will most likely cause stability issues on your PC.
In today’s guide, we’ll answer if this feature improves performance and whether you should enable it on your PC, so without further ado, let’s get started.
What is the difference between logical and physical cores?
- A CPU core is an actual physical core available inside of your processor and it’s used to process instructions.
- A logical core is a physical core divided using hyperthreading. By doing so, a single core can process multiple threads.
Should I enable all processors in Windows 11’s MSConfig?
What does the number of processors mean?
- This feature is used for debugging processor cores.
- Windows by default already has access to all of your cores and uses them when necessary.
- Changing the number of cores may negatively impact your performance or stability.
- Unless you’re debugging processor cores, you should keep this feature disabled.
Does increasing the number of processors affect performance?
Increasing the number of cores in MSConfig won’t positively affect performance. In fact, it might limit the number of processors you use, or cause problems.

The feature is disabled by default, so even if the number of processors MSConfig says only 1, it doesn’t mean that your PC is only using a single processor core.
Maximum Memory feature in MSConfig
Where to find Maximum memory settings in MSConfig
- Press Windows key + R and type msconfig.
- Navigate to the Boot tab to see the boot options. Next, click the Advanced options button.
- You should find the Maximum memory value on the right side.

What is the Maximum memory setting used for?
- This feature allows you to set the maximum memory that your OS can use.
- It’s used to simulate low-memory conditions on your PC.
- You shouldn’t enable this setting since your PC is already using all your memory.
Should I change the number of processors in msconfig? The short answer is no, because the number of processors value in MSConfig is used only for debugging, and it should remain disabled. Changing it will not improve your performance, and it may cause stability issues.
If you’re looking to boost your performance, the best option is to learn about Windows 11 and processor support and then pick the best CPU for Windows 11.
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.



