> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.soundcloud-desktop.fun/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lags, high GPU use, FPS drops in games

> Light mode helps in most cases. In games, minimize the window

<Steps>
  <Step title="Turn on Light mode">
    Open **Settings -> Appearance -> Performance** and choose **Light**: no blur, particles or idle animations.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Minimize the window or close it to the tray while you play">
    Animations stop, the music keeps playing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update the app">
    [How to update](/en/install/update)
  </Step>
</Steps>

| Mode | What it turns off |
| - | - |
| **Light** | blur, particles, idle animations |
| **Balanced** | part of the blur and particles |
| **Beauty** | nothing, everything is on (default) |

<Info>The notification **Effects were slowing the app down** means the app turned on **Light** by itself. **Undo** brings **Beauty** back.</Info>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Black window, flicker, graphics driver problems" icon="display">
    This is a fallback, not a speed-up.

    Turn on **Settings -> Appearance -> Performance -> Software rendering** and click **Restart now**.

    Then choose **Light** in the same section: without the GPU, the CPU has to draw the effects. Windows and Linux only.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Task Manager shows many msedgewebview2.exe and a lot of memory" icon="memory">
    This is the app window, and it is made of several processes: count them together. Laggy: turn on **Light**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Linux: lag on Wayland or NVIDIA" icon="linux" iconType="brands" id="linux">
    1. Turn on **Light**.
    2. Still laggy: in the same section turn on **Software rendering** and keep **Light**.
    3. Try another package: Flatpak or AUR, which is better depends on the machine.
    4. Last resort, it helped one user:

    ```bash theme={null}
    env GDK_BACKEND=x11 WEBKIT_DMABUF_RENDERER_FORCE_SHM=1 soundcloud-desktop
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A track takes long to start" icon="hourglass-half">
    This is the network, not graphics. [What to do](/en/fix/tracks-not-loading)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Card title="Still broken? Write to us" icon="life-ring" href="/en/help/contact" horizontal>
  Attach desktop.log and the Network check report.
</Card>


## Related topics

- [SoundCloud Desktop](/en/index.md)
- [Hotkeys and media keys](/en/use/hotkeys.md)
- [Audio quality: SQ, HQ and CDN](/en/use/quality.md)
- [Linux: white or blank window](/en/fix/linux-window.md)
- [Lyrics missing or out of sync](/en/use/lyrics.md)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.