How to Turn Up Skype FPS
BENJAMIN ARIES
TECH
By default, Skype uses fairly low video quality to save bandwidth. The frame rate of this video is measured in FPS, or "frames per second." A higher FPS often means better video quality. You can edit the Skype configuration file to manually adjust the FPS rate and increase the quality of video.
Close the Skype application completely. Right-click on the Skype icon in the system tray in the bottom right corner of your screen and click "Quit."
Click on the "File Explorer" icon on the Windows taskbar. Browse to the "C" drive and then open the "Users" folder. Double-click on the folder that matches your Windows username and then open the folder marked "AppData."
Open the "Skype" subfolder. Double-click on the folder that contains your Skype username. Double-click on the file called "config.xml." The Skype configuration opens in Notepad.
Locate the line of text that reads "<video>." Directly underneath the "<video>" line, type this text, without quotation marks:
"<CaptureHeight>480</CaptureHeight> <CaptureWidth>640</CaptureWidth> <Fps>30</Fps>"
Change the "<Fps>30</Fps>" line to a different frame rate, if you want. Replace "30" with the desired frame rate. The maximum FPS that Skype will recognize is 30, but you can also use a lower number.
Click on the Notepad "File" menu and choose "Save." Close Notepad and launch Skype. Your video calls are now set to the custom frame rate.
- Do not edit the Skype configuration file unless you are comfortable with this type of technical change. Improperly modifying the config.xml file may make Skype fail to run.
- Information in this article applies to Skype running on Windows 8. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions or products.
- The actual Skype video quality depends on several factors. While a custom FPS setting can help make the video more smooth, the Internet speed between you and the call recipient can impact the overall video quality.
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