Do you want to know how powerful your PC is? But can’t figure out how to? Well, Windows have the perfect solution for that.
Windows Experience Index shortly known as WEI is one of the easiest ways to determine actually how powerful your PC is. So, if you want to know the score of your computer’s performance, you can do that easily with this feature.
To fix various Windows 10/11 problems, we recommend Outbyte PC Repair:
This software will repair common computer errors, protect you from file loss, malware damage, hardware failure, and optimise your computer for peak performance. In three simple steps, you can resolve PC issues and remove virus damage:
- Download Outbyte PC Repair Software
- Click Start Scan to detect Windows 10/11 issues that may be causing PC issues.
- Click Repair All to fix issues with your computer’s security and performance.
This month, Outbyte has been downloaded by 23,167 readers.
Though, in Windows 8 you won’t find this feature. But in Windows 10 you can unlock this feature through some secret steps.
Windows Experience Index shows the overall score of all the performances of your machine. But you have to do a little bit of work to unlock the WEI entirely. Once you have run it for the first time, you will be able to see the score.
Update:- Earlier we used to check the Performance Score via the Game folder. However, with the Windows 10 version 1803, Microsoft has removed the Game folder. That’s why the article is now updated and uses PowerShell to access the Windows Experience Index.
How to Know the Performance Score of your PC?
Using PowerShell and Command Prompt
Step-1: Firstly, press Win + X button and then Choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Step-2: Once you have opened it. Type the following command and hit enter button.
Get-CimInstance Win32_WinSat
Step-3: You will see the Windows Experience Index rating on the screen. If you see the values in 0 then its means that you need to refresh it. You can refresh the report to get the updated experience index report.
Refresh Windows Experience Index using Command Prompt
Step-1: For that, you have to go to the Start menu and search for Command Prompt, then right-click on it and choose Run as administrator.
Step-2: Once you’re in the Command Prompt type the following command:
winsat formal
This command may take some time, so wait for a bit. Your PC will run in the background and gather all the information.
Note:- If you are using it on the laptop and it is on the battery then the command won’t run. You need to plug-in your laptop to run this command.
After it’s finished, it will display some results that you won’t understand. So, no need to go through them.
Step-3: Now again visit the PowerShell (Admin) windows and run the command again.
Get-CimInstance Win32_WinSat
The Detailed Windows Experience Index Report
Step-1: Go to your account and then go to the following path:
C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore
Here, C: drive is the drive you have installed Windows 10.
Step-2: Once you’re in the DataStore, sort the files via date then look for the file named similar to Formal.Assessment (Initial/Recent).WinSAT.xml. Once you have found it, right-click on it and then Open with then choose a browser to open it.
Step-3: After opening the file you will see when it generates along with other scores. Such as the score for your hardware, score of system score, memory score (RAM score), CPU score, graphics score, disk score, and gaming score.
Note:- If for any reason you can’t locate the file Formal.Assessment in the DataStore folder, then you have to refresh the report. Follow the steps in Refresh Windows Experience Index Report section and then again check, you will find it.
Using Third-Party Tools
If you don’t want to go to all these troubles, then you can always download third-party tools to see the outputs of your PC. They will give even more detailed info about where can you improve the performance. Though, I would recommend two tools that might come in handy.
1. WinAero WEI Tool
It’s a free tool, so you don’t have to worry about spending any money on it. You will get the experience of Windows Experience Index fully by this software in Windows 10. The tool will allow you to re-run any assessment and even save the scores in an HTML file.
The thing I liked the most was the standalone feature. This command allows you just to unzip and use it. You don’t have to install it. There is no doubt this is the best software for seeing the Windows Experience Index score.
2. Chris PC Win Experience Index
It is another free software to get the experience of a lifetime. It will rate the score from 1.1 to 9.9, and you can also export it into text files.
Though there is nothing wrong with one but it tries to install some crap software when you are installing it. So, be a little careful when installing this one.
Windows Experience Index is one of the best features where you can know your PCs performance. So, if you are looking to enhance the performance for better reasons you should try out this one. And these are all methods to get Windows Experience Index in Windows 10. The methods are all-natural, so you shouldn’t have any problem with them.
Hasib is a born geek and loves tweaking his computer and gadgets for effectiveness and productivity. At WindowsChimp, he specializes in writing Tutorial guides and discovering new hacks to share.
Technology is growing fast, so it’s essential to check how well your computer is working. This is easy to do, especially on popular versions like Microsoft’s Windows 10 or 11. There is a valuable tool called WEI (Windows Experience Index) that can help. So, WEI started with Vista and is still around today.
WEI helps us find out which parts of our PC are not working well. Clearly, It’s like a scoring system that tells you how smoothly you can use Windows. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do a performance test on Windows 10 or 8!
How to Use Experience Index (WEI) in Windows 10 & 8
Rerunning the test after adding more RAM will probably give you a higher RAM score. So, it means it boosts and shows that your memory is getting better and faster. In short, these tests help you see the benefits of upgrading your hardware.
You can test your computer’s performance using the CMD prompt in Windows. However, using a third-party program is quicker and easier. In short, these programs give you results faster and have more straightforward scoring tests.
First, I suggest you check if this exists on your current PC. To look at this, right-click on My Computer and select Properties in the window that opens.
Then, if you see an option related to speed testing, OK. This means that you are using a system released after Vista. So, you will see the scoring system in the computer properties you open.
However, let me note here: Microsoft removed this feature as of 8.1. Currently, there is no WEI Score feature in 8.1 and 10 operating systems.
Learning the Windows 8 Performance Score
If you are using a Win8 OS, follow the steps below to perform a performance test for your computer.
Step 1
Right-click on My PC / Properties and then click System rating not available.
Step 2
In the Performance Information and Tools window, click Rate this computer.
Step 3
Wait while the WEI tests your computer.
Step 4
After the Windows rating is complete, the scoring system for your computer’s hardware speed is as follows.
Step 5
Click My Computer / Properties again, and you will see a Windows Experience Index score instead of the System rating, which is not an available option.
You can see from the image below that this feature is not available as of Win8.
You can use a 3rd party software because the WEI feature is unavailable on this OS. You can learn your computer’s system score using ExperienceIndexOK.
Download ExperienceIndexOK 1.17 before you start the hardware test.
Download Software
Step 1
Extract the downloaded zip file to the folder and run the program as an administrator.
Step 2
After opening ExperienceIndexOK 1.17, click the Rerun Evaluation button.
Step 3
Wait while WinSAT.exe (System Evaluation Tool) performs your computer’s performance test.
Step 4
After completing the system rating, you will see a score like below.
How to Install ExperienceIndexOK ⇒ Video
Watch the video below to check your performance with ExperienceIndexOK. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to support us.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I recommend you check the performance of your new or old PC with WEI. Because Microsoft constantly updates its systems and releases new ones to the market. For this reason, you can find out which hardware is a little slow by doing a system test.
I want to add something: It was a valuable tool for evaluating hardware performance and giving it a score. However, you can use 3rd-party software like ExperienceIndexOK, although it is no longer available on Windows 8.1 and 10. You can also use terminal commands that require advanced knowledge.
TolgaBagci
Hi, I’m Tolga, a computer expert with 20 years of experience. I help fix computer issues with things like hardware, systems, networks, virtualization, servers, and operating systems. Check out my website for helpful info, and feel free to ask me anything. Keep yourself in the loop about the newest technologies!
How to Explore Windows Experience Index / WEI in Windows 10 – This utility referred was meant to reckon performance scores by dividing the of PC into 5 segments. However, exact score of the whole performance was not calculated by Windows Experience Index, but users got a good idea about the scores of components of the system. Hence, users are searching WEI on System properties (existing in Win 7) in the latest version. But from Windows 8, the tool was dropped. Although using some command line it was dug out by many users at that time. I read an article in Winaero which helped to see the Index even now. So here we are writing the methods to explore Windows Experience Index (WEI) in Windows 10.
Ways to Explore Windows Experience Index /WEI in Windows 10
Method 1 – Winsat formal
Step 1 – Access File Explorer with the help of your welcoming process, although, the straightforward method is either strike collectively on Win plus E buttons or executes a click on its respective symbol positioned on the taskbar.
Step 2 – Copy C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore, go to your File Explorer address bar, paste it and hit Enter.
Note – Ensure that your installation files of Windows 10 exists in the C: drive otherwise Navigate to the drive where it is present and then follow the path to reach the DataStore.
Step 3 – The opened DataStore folder will showcase several files as you can see in the below-embedded image.
Step 4 – Now, select all the files and Delete them and as you are attempting to get the fresh scores, it is safe to remove them, as these files carry old system scores.
Step 5 – The subsequent job will require the Elevated Command prompt, hence, strike Win plus X jointly and after the emergence of Power menu hit the choice entitled as Command Prompt (Admin) lying in the middle.
Step 6 – Write this line of code – Winsat formal in the resultant elevated Command Prompt and hit Enter.
Step 7 – This command will execute or run the Windows Experience Test and it will take a little time than usual to complete the test; so, till it gets over you can take a look at other work.
Note – If your machine is running on battery, you will notice an error note – Error: a formal assessment cannot be run while running on batteries and thus, to perform Windows Experience test, you need to switch your machine to the electric power source.
Step 8 – After the test gets over, it’s time to go through the scores and hence, again navigate to – C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore in your File Explorer.
Step 9 – Now, look for a file that has this format –
date.time.Formal.Assessment.XML
Step 10 – Once you find that file, double-click on it and Internet Explorer will open up exhibiting you the details of the test. Look at the scores that are in bold and thus, you can get to know the score and performance capabilities of your machine.
Method 2 – Winaero WEI Tool
This is absolutely an adfree tool which does not have any additional setup and exhibits the original scores and information that Windows Experience Index provides you.
Step 1 – Head over to Winaero WEI Tool page and download the tool from there.
Step 2 – Navigate to the folder where your downloaded items are stored and extract the contents of the ZIP file into a folder and to do so, appoint a right-click on it and click or hit the choice Extract all and choose your location and save the contents.
Step 3 – Now, open the folder where you have stored the extracted contents and double click WEI.exe and run the tool.
Step 4 – The tool will look like the below-embedded image which will exhibit you the score of your system.
It can be difficult to accurately measure and compare and the performance of one computer with another. Fortunately, though, the Windows Experience Index Score offers a way to reliably test the performance of different Windows PCs.
Let’s take a look at what the Windows Experience Index Score is, how it works, and how to see your PC’s score in Windows 10.
What is the Windows Experience Index?
The Windows Experience Index (WEI) is not the be-all and end-all of Windows PC benchmark programs; there are more comprehensive benchmarks for Windows PC performance that provide a deeper and more thorough dive into the performance data.
However, the WEI does give Windows users the ability to reliably benchmark their computers at no charge and get comparable numbers that are accurate across machines and vendors.
As a result, the WEI remains one of the best and easiest ways for the average Windows user to measure the performance of their computer.
How it Works
The WEI logically divides every Windows 10 PC into five major subsystems: the processor, the physical memory, the desktop graphics hardware, the gaming graphics hardware, and the primary hard disk drive.
It then runs a series of diagnostic tests against each of these systems to assess their performance. Rather than summing and averaging the subscores to get the main score, the WEI assigns the lowest component subscore as the main score, echoing the throughput philosophy that a computing device is limited and should thus be measured by its constraints and its bottlenecks.
Each subsystem test looks for different information from your Windows PC. The numeric subscores can range from 1.0 to 5.9, with higher-powered computers taking the top honors in each category.
The processor subsystem test is in many ways the simplest of the tests. It measures the clock speed of the processor and assesses how many instructions per second the computer can manage if it “concentrates” on processing tasks for a few seconds.
The physical memory subsystem test simply copies large segments of your Windows PC’s memory from one place to another and back again, to gauge the memory operations per second.
The graphics subsystem is the circuitry from graphics controllers to data buses to external video cards. The graphics subsystem tests measure somewhat abstractly the graphics hardware’s ability to produce a standard Windows desktop.
The gaming graphics system is related but different. Most modern PCs have separated the “business” and “pleasure” side of their gaming hardware, and the gaming graphics test abstractly measures how well the computer will be able to render visual information.
Finally, the primary hard disk system of the computer is tested. This is usually the hardware that will be easiest to repair if something should go wrong with the PC. This test measures the speed of data transfer to and from the 2018 Shell rates.
When you trigger an execution of the WEI, all these tests are performed, which can take a few moments. Then the WEI displays your results in a very clean and easy-to-read table, subsystem by subsystem.
Did Microsoft Remove the Windows Experience Index?
Starting with the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft took the unusual step of removing the user interface for the Windows Experience Index.
The core tool that produces the results, the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT), remains to this day in Windows 10.
This tool can still generate a Windows Experience Index score for a user’s processor, memory, graphics, and disk performance, and these scores can be read by certain applications to ensure compatibility with a user’s PC.
So, while it may not be as straightforward as before, checking your WEI on Windows 10 is still relatively easy to do. You just have to know where to look.
The original Windows Experience Score in Windows Vista
For Windows 10 users who still want to easily see their PC’s Windows Experience Index score, this data can be accessed in several different ways.
While Microsoft may have removed the interface for the Windows Experience Index Score, it’s still possible to check your score with a few additional steps.
By learning a few commands or via a third-party testing suite, you can quickly and easily test your PC’s performance.
Check WEI Score Using WinSAT
The first way to see your Windows Experience Index score in Windows 10 is to manually run the WinSAT command. Launch the Command Prompt (or PowerShell) and enter the following command:
winsat formal
This will execute the Windows System Assessment Tool and benchmark your system’s CPU, memory, 2D and 3D graphics, and storage speed. Just sit back and let the test finish; the time it takes to complete will depend on the speed of your PC’s components.
When it’s done, you can find the results in C:WindowsPerformanceWinSATDataStore. Find the XML file containing the name “Formal.Assessment.”
If you’ve never run the WinSAT command, the file will be designated “Initial.” If it has been run before, however, the results of the current test will be in the file labeled “Recent.”
You can open the Formal.Assessment XML file in a web browser or your favorite XML viewer. The results aren’t formatted nicely like the old Windows Experience Index score, but you can still get the relevant scores. Just scroll down a little bit at the beginning of the XML file and find the section labeled WinSPR.
There, you’ll see the total score for each category, with “SystemScore” representing your overall Windows Experience Index score.
This is an easy and effective way to test your computer’s performance in Windows 10, but it doesn’t have the most readable or user-friendly interface.
If you’d like your results to be presented in a more user-friendly manner, keep reading to see how you can use third-party testing suites to check your PC’s performance.
Use a Third-Party Windows Experience Index Replacement
Instead of manually generating WinSAT’s XML files and having to comb through them, you can turn to a number of third party replacements that replicate the original functionality of the Windows Experience Index. These tools still run the WinSAT command, but they then format the results in a simple and easy to use interface.
As mentioned, there are a number of tools that offer this functionality, some of questionable quality. One of our favorites is the WEI Tool from Winaero. It’s free, portable (i.e. doesn’t require installation), and it’s from the same group that makes lots of other safe and useful Windows utilities.
Just download the tool from the Winaero website, extract the ZIP file, and run WEI.exe. Run (or re-run, if you’ve already performed the WinSAT method) the system assessment, which again will take some time depending on the speed of your PC.
When it’s done, you’ll see your results listed by category, along with your overall system score, just as the original Windows Experience Index score appeared in earlier versions of Windows.
Final Thoughts
Being able to test your computer’s performance is very important. Not only is it interesting to see how powerful your machine is, but it also helps make sure you are able to make more informed purchases.
By following the steps outlined above, you can easily and quickly check your Windows Experience Index Score in Windows 10.
Do you have more Windows 10 issues to work on?
For tips on boosting your Windows performance overall, read our guide to Windows 10 performance tweaks.
If memory problems have you down, check out our guide on how to troubleshoot and maintain your Windows 10 memory.
Windows Experience Index has been removed from Windows 10. Then, how to check the Windows Experience Index on your Windows 10 computer? Are there available Windows Experience Index alternatives? MiniTool Software will show you this information in this post.
What Is Windows Experience Index?
The Windows operating system has a module of Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT). It is used to measure the performance and capabilities of the computer hardware and then report them a Windows Experience Index (WEI) score.
Score Ranges of Windows Experience Index
The subscores of WEI include processor, memory, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, and disk. You can get a score for each element. You can consider them as Windows 10 performance tests
The base score is equal to the lowest of the subscores and it is not an average of the subscores. The WEI scores have different ranges: they range from 1.0 to 5.9 for Windows Vista, 7.9 for Windows 7, and 9.9 for Windows 8/10.
Effects of Windows Experience Index
Through WET scores, you can check whether your computer hardware performance can meet the performance of the software requirements. For example, the Aero graphical user interface will be automatically enabled only when the system has a WEI score of 3 or higher.
Besides, WEI can tell you which part of your system can be expected to offer the greatest increase in performance after an upgrade. For example, if the memory has the lowest subscore, you can benefit more from a RAM upgrade than replacing/upgrading other elements.
Since the graphical user interface for WinSAT has been removed since Windows 8.1, you will not see the Windows 10 experience index in WEI. However, the command line WinSAT tool is still available. Also, there are some other available methods for you to perform a computer performance test Windows 10.
In the following parts, we will show you how to check the Windows experience index in different ways.
How to Check the Windows Experience Index?
- Use WinSAT
- Use Windows PowerShell
- Use System Diagnostics
- Use Winaero WEI tool
Method 1: Use WinSAT
WinSAT is still available in Windows 10. You can use WinSAT to generate the Windows Experience Index.
1. Run Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Type winsat formal and press Enter.
3. You should wait until the process ends. Then, you can go to this C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore to find an xml file that is named as [Date] Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.
4. Open the file with a web browser and then you can see the Windows 10 experience index for your computer.
Method 2: Use Windows PowerShell
The WinSAT command is available in Windows PowerShell. You can follow these steps to do the job:
- Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- Click Yes on the User Account Control interface to allow the tool to run on your computer.
- After entering the PowerShell interface, you need to type Get-CimInstance Win32_WinSat and press Enter. Then, you can see the Windows experience index.
Method 3: Use System Diagnostics
You can also check the Windows experience index using the Windows Performance Monitor. Here is a guide:
- Click Search and type performance in the search box.
- Select Performance Monitor from the search result to open
- Go to Data Collector Sets > System > System Diagnostics.
- Right-click System Diagnostics and select Start to run System Diagnostic.
- The System Diagnostic tool will begin to collect information regarding your system. When the process ends, you can go to Report > System > System Diagnostics > [your computer name] to see the System Diagnostic Report.
- Scroll down to find Hardware Configuration.
- Go to the Desktop Rating option and open the two additional dropdowns. Then, you can see the Windows experience index.
Winaero WEI tool is third-party software that can generate a visual Windows Experience Index. This tool is totally free and it can quickly show you the Windows 10 performance tests result.
You can download it on your computer. After that, you can open the downloaded zip file and open the WEI.exe file to directly open the tool (yes! You don’t need to install this utility on your computer). This tool will soon show you the Windows experience index.
Windows Experience Index Alternatives
You can discover that the Windows experience index only shows you limited information. You may want to get more data from Windows 10 performance tests.
Besides, there is a severe limit in Windows experience index. Windows Experience Index score comes from the lowest hardware performance. It doesn’t show you the true results.
So, you will ask are there available Windows Experience Index alternatives?
Of course, you can use third-party software to perform a computer performance test Windows 10. Here, we will give you two choices: SiSoftware Sandra and UserBenchmark.
SiSoftware Sandra
SiSoftware Sandra is a system benchmarking tool (download it on your computer). You can use it to test your computer hardware and then compare it with others.
It has an online reference database and you can use it to make a comparison of the system like the processor, internet connection, etc. Through these comparisons, you will know whether it is worthwhile to perform a hardware upgrade.
UserBenchmark
UserBenchmark can run a suite of benchmarking tools on your system (download it on your computer) and then show the results in the default web browser. Then, you can make a comparison with others.
Bottom Line
Windows Experience Index is not available in Windows 10. But, you can still check it using other ways. You can try the methods mentioned in this article to easily get the scores. Should you have any questions when dealing with your computer issue, you can let us know in the comment.
Windows Experience Index FAQ
What is a good Windows experience index?
A range from 4 to 5 is good enough for you to deal with multiple tasks and high-end work. If the score is 6 or much higher, it means that your computer has an upper-level performance.
How do I find my Windows Experience Index?
Windows Experience Index has been removed from Windows 10/8. But, you can use other methods to check the Windows Experience Index score. For example, you can use WinSat or Windows PowerShell to generate the Windows Experience Index score. Besides, you can also use System Diagnostics to get a report of the Windows Experience Index. Some third-party tools like Winaero WEI tool can also help you do the job.
Does Windows 10 have an experience index?
Windows Experience Index is not available now in Windows 10. But, you can still use WinSat, Windows PowerShell, or System Diagnostics to generate Windows Experience Index.
What happened to the Windows Experience Index?
The graphical user interface for WinSAT has been removed since Windows 8.1. But, you can use some other methods, like using WinSat, Windows PowerShell, or System Diagnostics, to check the Windows Experience Index on your Windows 10 computer.