5.57 FAQ-906 What should I do if my Origin is slow or sluggish？

Last Update: 8/22/2022

Origin is slow or sluggish, please follow steps below to troubleshoot it.

1 Step1. Check if the slowness happens in a specific project or a general problem
2 Step2. Check if Windows applied Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, 2017
3 Step3. Check if it is caused by balanced power plan of laptop
4 Something we can try to improve the performance
- 4.1 1. Install Origin to local PC and set higher priority for Origin
- 4.2 2. Reset User Files folder to local PC
5 Some known issues that may introduce slowness

Step1. Check if the slowness happens in a specific project or a general problem

Try the same steps which will cause the slowness in a new project file with very simple data. See whether Origin is slow.

Solution

If it only happens in a specific project, refer to this page for solution.

If it also happens when you work with a new project, continue on steps below.

Step2. Check if Windows applied Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, 2017

If you are running Origin on Windows 10 and applied Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, 2017 (Version 1709), Origin may become slow or even unresponsive while performing certain operations (e.g. opening the Plot menu). The problem is not confined to Origin and has been reported even in Windows-only operations (e.g. minimizing or maximizing an Explorer window).

Solution

Microsoft has subsequently released updates to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and applying these may resolve slowness problems.

Go to Windows Settings > Update & Security > Check for updates and apply all available updates.

If this is not your case, continue on the steps below.

Step3. Check if it is caused by balanced power plan of laptop

If you are running Origin on a laptop and the "Battery Saver" mode is turned on, some applications including Origin will get slow when the computer's battery runs low. Try plugging in your laptop to recharge and try Origin again. See if the slowness is gone.

Solution

Keep your laptop plugged in,

OR,

Turn off the "Battery Saver" mode. The control settings varies a bit in different OS. Take Windows 10 for example,

Windows Start menu> Settings> System> Battery.
Uncheck Turn battery saver on automatically if my battery falls below.

If this is not your case, try the next section.

Something we can try to improve the performance

1. Install Origin to local PC and set higher priority for Origin

To set higher priority for Origin:

In the Windows Task Manager dialog, go to the Details tab.
Find "Origin64.exe", right click on it and choose Set priority: High.

2. Reset User Files folder to local PC

Run script below in the Script Window to clear the User Folder path value in registry and then you can reset User Files folder the next time Origin starts.
```
del –path
```
Close Origin.
Restart Origin. Specify a new folder as User Files Folder on your local disk.

Note:

If Origin User Files folder (and possibly other Origin-related folders) is set on a cloud-syncing service such as "DropBox", "Google Drive" (Backup and Sync), or "Microsoft OneDrive", you may encounter slowness problem. Please reset the User Files Folder to local as above.

If all above cannot work, try the next section.

Some known issues that may introduce slowness

1. Plot Details and Axis dialog

The Plot Details and Axis dialog have many tabs which may take time to compile upon opening. But the speed will be improved after opening the dialog once or two times.

2. Non-monotonic dash line plot

If you plot a non-monotonic Y data and set the line style rather than "Solid", Origin may become sluggish or even freezing.

Solution

Select Preferences: Options - Graph tab
Uncheck Use Origin Dashes in Page View check box

OR,

Set @DLM = 0. See detailed steps on this page.

3. Graphics Card with Low OpenGL Version

This slowness only happens in 3D graphs.

Solution

Updating the driver of graphics card. You can open Device Manager. Expand Display Adapters. Right-click the graphics card and select Update drivers.<.li>
Update to use a better graphics card, e.g., from integrated graphics card to dedicated graphics card.
Set higher performance for Origin software to ensure the best OpenGL performance allowed by your graphics card.
- Set higher performance for Origin in Windows setting. Take Windows 10 for example. You can open Settings > Display > Graphics settings. Browse to add Origin exe file and select Options. In the Graphics specifications dialog, Set graphics preference to High performance.
- If your graphics card was installed with its own application, you can also set higher performance in the application. Take NVIDIA for example. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel. Select 3D Settings > Manage 3D settings on the left panel. On the right panel, activate Global Settings tab and choose High-performance NVIDIA processor. Then and go to the Program Settings tab. Select and add Origin program in step 1 and choose High-performance NVIDIA processor in step 2.

4. Online Dictionary

If you are using an online dictionary (such as Youdao Dictionary) to pick words on the screen for translation, it may cumulatively take up your computer resources and thus slow down the performance in Origin.

Solution