It might seem like your computer has no programs open, but there may still be some running in the background. Your gaming mouse, graphics card, or browser might have software that starts running as soon as you boot up your computer.
These are called background applications (apps) or programs, and they aren’t always visible on your taskbar when they’re running.
Every application that’s running on your computer uses up some of its resources (processing power, memory, etc.). Your computer can slow down if you have a lot of apps running at the same time. This can result in slow framerates or laggy gameplay, and it can lead to more serious issues like limited connectivity or game crashes.
If your games are running slowly or have lag, try closing as many background apps as you can before launching Origin or your game to help improve your gaming.
The steps to add exceptions can vary, depending on the security software you use. Check with the manufacturer of your firewall and anti-virus programs to see how to add Origin as an exception.
If you've had issues booting up your games or using the Origin client itself, make sure to fully close these or similar kinds of programs:
Anti-virus applications
Anti-virus programs, like McAfee or AVG, can sometimes block game access.
Add Origin and your games as exceptions to your anti-virus. If you keep having trouble, disable or temporarily uninstall the anti-virus to help pin down the cause.
Anti-spyware Programs
Just like anti-virus programs, anti-spyware applications, like Ad Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, can mistakenly block Origin or your games while trying to protect your computer.
Add Origin and your games as exceptions to your anti-spyware. If you keep having trouble, disable or temporarily uninstall the anti-spyware to troubleshoot.
Firewall and other security applications
Firewalls and any other security measures you have on your computer, like Windows Defender and Peerblock, try their best to keep only the most important information coming through to your computer. This can cause interference when running the Origin client or your games.
Add Origin and your games as exceptions to your firewalls. If you keep having trouble, disable or temporarily uninstall your firewall to troubleshoot.
Peer to Peer applications
Peer to Peer (P2P) programs, like uTorrent and Limewire, can use up both your net-bandwidth and your computer’s processing power, especially if you’re downloading lots of things simultaneously.
Close out any P2P apps or limit the number of active downloads/uploads while playing your games or using Origin.
If you’re on a shared network, check that no one else is torrenting while you’re playing, too.
FTP and other web server programs
Much like P2P software, FTP or other Web Server programs, like Cyberduck and Filezilla, can eat up a lot of your Internet bandwidth. This affects your online play and can take up a lot of your system's resources, which can cause slowed-down or laggy gameplay.
Exit any FTP or similar program completely before playing, or make sure that no downloads or uploads are active.
Download management applications
Download management programs, like Internet Download Manager or Download Accelerator Plus, may affect your game downloads or updates.
Before opening Origin, close out your Download Management software.
Virtual Private Network applications
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) give users access to private networks, like business intranets. VPNs take up extra Internet connection bandwidth as well as computer processing power. Private networks may also have extra security measures that can limit game playability.
Disconnect from any VPN you're connected to before starting up your game.
Proxy, IP Filtering, and IP Masking Programs
Using a proxy, IP filtering, or IP masking software can affect how your computer and your games are connecting to Origin and EA's game servers.
Disable these before jumping into the Origin client and your games.
The use of proxy servers is not supported by the Origin client.
Programs that have visual overlays
Any program that tries to place a filter, picture, or Graphical User Interface (GUI) on top of a running program can cause problems for Origin and your games. Origin has its own In-Game Overlay feature, so multiple running at one time can cause issues.
VoIP programs, like Ventrilo or Mumble and game progress monitors, like Raptr, have these kinds of overlays. Close these programs or disable their overlay before running Origin or your games.
This is not a full list of everything that could affect your gaming experience. If you’re running a program that you're unsure how to classify, disable, close, uninstall, or troubleshoot, search the web to learn all you can about what is active and running on your PC.
If you keep having problems after closing these programs, find which is the most active or processing intensive programs, then try closing or uninstalling the program, restarting your computer, and seeing if there is any improvement.
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