Some software relies on a processor technology called AVX, which stands for Advanced Vector Extensions. AVX improves performance during demanding work such as video processing, scientific data operations, machine learning, and certain modern game engines. When AVX is not available or not initialised correctly, a program may fail to launch or may show compatibility errors. By default, Windows does not provide a simple switch to turn AVX on or off since AVX is controlled by the processor and firmware settings. So follow along as we show you how to enable AVX on Windows 11.

Takeaways:

  1. Learn how to enable AVX on Windows 11, a feature that needs to be manually enabled to function.
  2. What is AVX? And what does it do on Windows 11?

What is AVX? And what does it do on?

AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) is a set of CPU instructions designed to speed up data processing, especially when you're doing the same kind of operation many times in a row. Think of it as a “wider highway” inside the processor.

If you're doing something like:

  • image processing
  • audio/video encoding
  • physics simulations
  • machine learning
  • heavy math (like adding two giant arrays)

Then AVX can make things much faster because the CPU can crunch several values at once instead of marching through them one by one.

Check if Your Processor Supports AVX

In case you don't already know, AVX is a hardware capability. If a processor was manufactured without AVX support, there is no way to enable it. Most Intel processors released starting with the Sandy Bridge series, and most AMD processors released starting with the Bulldozer series, include AVX support. To check, you can use a free utility like CPU Z.

  • Download CPU Z from the official website. The portable ZIP version works if you prefer not to install anything.
  • Extract the ZIP file using any standard archive tool.
  • Open the extracted folder and run the CPU Z executable that matches your system. A 64-bit executable is available for 64-bit Windows.
  • When CPU Z opens, look for the field labelled Instructions.
  • If the list includes AVX or AVX2, the processor supports AVX. If neither appears, the feature is not available on your hardware.

Confirm AVX Initialisation in Windows

Windows must be set to save and restore the extended processor state used by AVX. In most systems, this is already configured, but you can ensure it using Command Prompt.

  • Open the Start menu, type cmd, then choose Run as administrator.
  • Enter the following command and press Enter:

bcdedit /set xsavedisable 0

Enable AVX on Windows 11

  • Restart the computer to apply the change.

After reboot, you can use CPU Z or another utility such as Coreinfo to verify that AVX now appears in the instruction list.

Enable AVX in BIOS or UEFI (Maybe Required)

Some firmware menus include explicit options that control AVX behaviour. So check the following.

  • Restart the computer and press the appropriate key to open BIOS or UEFI. This is often F2, Delete, or Esc during the initial boot screen.
  • Look for menus named CPU Settings, Advanced Configuration, or Performance Settings.
  • If you see an entry related to AVX, set it to Enabled.
  • Save changes and restart.

If the BIOS or UEFI does not display any AVX-related settings, then the feature is usually already enabled by default.

After the system restarts, confirm AVX recognition once more using CPU Z or Coreinfo. If AVX is listed, your system is now ready to run software that depends on it.