How to boost Android Studio performance on Windows

Android Studio is the most popular software for Android app development. It allows developers to write code, test and debug their apps, build and deploy them.

Android Studio is feature rich and requires a lot of system resources to run. As a result, for those who don’t have a powerful computer, Android Studio can be difficult to use and take a lot of time to build (creating the final APK file).

If you’re one of them, read on for some helpful tips to optimize your Android Studio experience on a low-end computer.

1. Increase memory allocation for Android Studio

Memory allocation means allocating a certain amount of memory or RAM to Android Studio to improve its efficiency. By default, Android Studio is allowed to use up to 1.28GB of RAM, but if your computer has more RAM, you can increase this amount.

Follow these steps to increase memory allocation for Android Studio:

1. Open Android Studio and go to File > Settings.
2. Select from the menu on the left Look & Behavior > System Settings > Storage Settings.

3. Increase the IDE maximum heap size until at least 2048MB or 4096MBdepending on whether your computer has 4GB or 6GB of RAM.

   

4. click Use and then OK to save the changes.
5. Restart Android Studio for the changes to take effect.

The amount of RAM to allocate is a personal choice based on your computer’s specifications. If you’re not sure how much RAM your computer has, see How to Find Hardware Specifications for help.

2. Update Android Studio

If you are using an older version of Android Studio, you should consider upgrading to take advantage of the latest features and bug fixes.

Follow the steps given below to update Android Studio to the latest version:

1. Launch Android Studio and navigate to Help tab, and then select Check for updates.

   

2. A dialog box will appear prompting you to do so To update or ignore the available updates.
3. Choose Update > Update and Reboot.

You can also update Gradle and the SDK tools along with Android Studio to get the best performance.

Gradle is a powerful build system for Android Studio that automates tasks like building, testing, and deploying your Android app. Your build processes will be faster, smoother, and more reliable when using the latest version of Gradle.

3. Install Android Studio on an SSD

SSDs are ideal for use with Android Studio as they offer faster read and write speeds and allow faster access to stored data. We have already explained the advantages of using an SSD in detail.

Installing Android Studio on an SSD instead of a hard drive means faster load and build times, faster Gradle syncing, and improved overall performance.

To install Android Studio on an SSD, all you have to do is change the installation location while setting up Android Studio on Windows for the first time. When prompted to select a location, select your SSD with search option in the configuration settings. If you already have Android Studio installed, you can browse the installation folder (usually under C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio) to your SSD.

Installing Android Studio on an SSD provides a noticeable performance boost and makes developing your apps easier and faster.

4. Disable unnecessary plugins in Android Studio

Unnecessary plugins in Android Studio are applications and features that you don’t actively use, but still take up resources on your system. By disabling such unnecessary plugins, you can greatly improve Android Studio’s performance.

How to disable unnecessary plugins in Android Studio:

1. Open Android Studio and go to File > Settings or press Ctrl + Alt + S.
2. Choose plugins from the left navigation panel.

   

3. Uncheck the boxes next to the plugins you want to disable and click on them Deactivate and then OK.

   

4. click File > Restart IDE for the changes to take effect.

After following these steps, the plugins you disabled will no longer work and will no longer appear in menus or be accessible in Android Studio.

5. Configure Lint in Android Studio

Lint is a static code analysis tool in Android Studio that helps identify potential bugs and performance issues in your code.

To ensure a smooth coding experience in Android Studio, you can configure Lint to detect performance issues caused by inefficient code or poor coding practices.

Follow these steps to configure Lint in Android Studio:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + S to open Android Studio settings.
2. click Editor > Inspectionsand then check the box for Android Lint or lint. If you can’t find it, use the search box and type it Android Lint inside.

   

3. press the Use button, and then OK to save the changes.

In addition to configuring lint for all your projects, you can also enable or disable specific lint checks and configure the severity for each check. To view suggestions for your current project, go to Project window and click Code > Check Code.

You can also configure the scope of the lint checks, e.g. B. whether only the current file or the entire project should be checked. This can help reduce build time and generate your APK file much faster in Android Studio.

6. Update the GPU driver

In layman’s terms, a GPU driver is a software package that helps an operating system use a graphics card to render graphics.

If you run Android Studio with an upgraded GPU, you can enjoy a better and smoother development experience. This is because Android Studio shifts the heavy work of UI rendering to the GPU while the CPU handles processes like compiling, project creation, etc.

Now that you understand the importance of the GPU, check out how to update GPU drivers in Windows for help.

If you want to go even further, check out Ways to Boost Windows Performance for more tricks.

7. Add Android Studio to graphics performance setting

Graphics Performance Preferences is a Windows feature that allows you to choose which software you want to give permission to use a high-performance GPU or GPU to save power and improve performance.

Follow these steps to add Android Studio to graphics performance settings:

1. open that settings App by pressing victory + meand then click system.
2. Choose advertisement option, and then select the graphics settings option in the right pane.
3. Click on that search Use the button to navigate to the folder that contains Android Studio, ie C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio\binand double click the studio-64.exe File.

   

4. Choose Android Studio > Options > High Performanceand then click Save on computer to add it to the list of graphics performance settings.

   

In addition, you can also activate Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling to improve Android Studio performance.

Want to take your Android Studio optimization a step further? For more tips on how to improve Android Studio performance, see the official Android Developer Optimization Guide.

Experience lag-free programming in Android Studio

While the tips above will help you get the most out of Android Studio, you may need to consider upgrading your computer’s hardware if it doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements.

Now that Android Studio is lag and stutter free, it’s time to check out some useful resources to help you in your Android development journey.