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How to Increase the Frame Rate in a Remote Desktop Session (RDP)

How to increase the frame rate limit in RDP sessions.

Updated over 2 weeks ago

By default, Windows Remote Desktop sessions may cap the frame rate to conserve bandwidth and system resources. However, for users running visually demanding applications — such as trading platforms with live charts, media playback, or remote visualization tools — this cap can create a sluggish experience.

Fortunately, advanced users can manually adjust this setting by modifying the Windows Registry to raise the RDP session’s maximum frame rate.


What This Setting Does

The setting we’re adjusting, called DWMFRAMEINTERVAL, controls the maximum frame delivery rate from the VPS to your RDP client. While it doesn’t force a specific FPS (frame-per-second), it allows Windows to render more frames if system resources permit.

This change can improve:

  • Visual smoothness when interacting with charts or videos

  • Responsiveness of animations or transitions

  • Overall experience in high-refresh applications like NinjaTrader, Quantower, etc.

⚠️ Important Notice

This is an advanced modification. Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can cause system instability. Proceed only if you’re familiar with the Windows environment.

Before you begin, we recommend creating a system restore point or backing up your registry.

How to Modify the Frame Rate Limit

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter

  2. If prompted by UAC, click Yes to allow

Step 2: Navigate to the RDP Graphics Settings

Go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations

Step 3: Create the Frame Rate Key

  1. In the WinStations folder, right-click the blank space

  2. Select:

    New → DWORD (32-bit) Value

  3. Name the new entry:

DWMFRAMEINTERVAL

Step 4: Set Your Desired Frame Limit

  1. Right-click DWMFRAMEINTERVAL → Modify

  2. Select Decimal

  3. Enter one of the following values:

Value

Max Frame Rate

15

60 FPS

10

40 FPS

5

20 FPS

1

4 FPS

Click OK to save

Step 5: Restart Your VPS

To apply the changes, reboot your VPS from the QuantVPS dashboard or use:

shutdown /r /t 0

Once restarted, your remote desktop session will support the higher frame rate (if supported by hardware and bandwidth).

Frame Rate Formula

The value you enter corresponds to the interval in milliseconds per frame. Windows calculates frame rate as:

Frame Rate = 1000 / (DWMFRAMEINTERVAL × 4)

So:

  • A value of 15 → approx 60 FPS

  • A value of 10 → approx 40 FPS

This doesn’t guarantee that FPS, but it raises the cap so Windows can deliver it when conditions allow.


🤝 Need Assistance?

If any part of the setup feels unclear, the QuantVPS team is happy to help. If you’d like us to verify your environment from our side, feel free to open a support ticket and get connected with the team: https://www.quantvps.com/

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