Performance presets¶

A preset is a plain list of vanilla video settings merged into the instance's options.txt. It never changes what is installed, never touches JVM flags, and never changes operating system display settings.

The four presets¶

Preset	Summary	Trade-offs, as the launcher states them
Maximum FPS	Highest and steadiest frame rate.	Shorter view distance (6), fast graphics, no clouds, no smooth lighting, fewer particles, no mipmaps.
Balanced default	Vanilla look with sensible limits.	View distance 10, fast clouds, reduced particles.
Quality	Best visuals the game supports.	View distance 16, fancy graphics, maximum smooth lighting and mipmaps; lower frame rate.
Battery Saver	Caps work to keep laptops cool and quiet.	60 FPS cap with VSync, view distance 6, fast graphics, minimal particles.

No frame-rate figure is attached to any preset. Xol has not been benchmarked on real hardware yet, and nothing here should be read as a performance claim.

Exact values¶

These are the options.txt keys each preset writes. All of them are valid on both 1.7.10 and 1.8.9.

Key	Meaning	Maximum FPS	Balanced	Quality	Battery Saver
`renderDistance`	View distance in chunks	`6`	`10`	`16`	`6`
`fancyGraphics`	Fancy or fast graphics	`false`	`true`	`true`	`false`
`ao`	Smooth lighting: 0 off, 1 minimum, 2 maximum	`0`	`1`	`2`	`1`
`renderClouds`	Clouds	`false`	`true`	`true`	`false`
`clouds`	Clouds (the key the older version reads)	`false`	`true`	`true`	`false`
`particles`	0 all, 1 decreased, 2 minimal	`2`	`1`	`0`	`2`
`maxFps`	Frame-rate limit. 260 is the game's "Unlimited".	`260`	`260`	`260`	`60`
`enableVsync`	VSync	`false`	`false`	`false`	`true`
`mipmapLevels`	Mipmap levels	`0`	`2`	`4`	`1`
`entityShadows`	Entity shadows	`false`	`true`	`true`	`false`
`bobView`	View bobbing	`true`	not written	not written	not written

"Not written" means the preset leaves that line of options.txt as it is.

The hardware-based limit¶

When a preset is applied, its view distance is capped for weak hardware. The cap only ever lowers the value.

This computer has	View distance is capped at
2 CPU cores or fewer, or 4 GB of memory or less	8
3 or 4 CPU cores	12
More than that	32 (no effect on any current preset)

When the cap changes a preset's value, the launcher says so under the preset: "On this computer (4 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM) view distance is limited to 12."

With these numbers the cap affects Balanced and Quality on 2-core or 4 GB machines (10 and 16 become 8), and Quality on 3 or 4-core machines (16 becomes 12).

When a preset is applied¶

The first time an instance is prepared, and whenever you choose a different preset. Not on every launch.
Only the keys in the table are replaced or added. Every other line of options.txt (key binds, language, sound, everything else) is left alone.
Because the preset is not re-applied on every launch, a value you change later in Minecraft's own video settings stays. If you raise the view distance in game, it stays raised until you pick another preset.
The file is written to a temporary name and renamed, so it cannot be left half-written.

The preset you last applied is recorded per instance, so two instances of the same profile can use different presets if you switch the preset before playing each.

What presets do not do¶

They do not install or remove mods, do not change memory or JVM arguments, and do not alter anything outside options.txt. For memory and Java, see Launch options.