{"id":"performance-battery.what-is-extreme-performance-mode","url":"/faq/performance-battery/what-is-extreme-performance-mode","category":{"id":"performance-battery","title":"Performance & battery"},"subcategory":{"id":"performance-modes","title":"Performance modes"},"question":"What is Extreme performance mode, and when should I use it?","alt_questions":["What does Extreme — fastest, uses more do?","How do I make Storage Studio finish faster?","Can Storage Studio use more CPU to finish sooner?","storage studio extreme mode","Is Extreme mode bad for my battery?"],"short_answer":"Extreme lets background work use more of your Mac's spare capacity so long jobs finish sooner. You choose it yourself; it still yields to your work. Best used when plugged in and away from the Mac.","answer_markdown":"**Extreme — fastest, uses more** lets Storage Studio's background work use a much bigger share of your Mac's *spare* capacity, so long jobs like building your storage profile or measuring a large drive finish sooner.\n\nIt still yields as your Mac fills up — it uses a share of what's free, not of the whole machine — and Storage Studio still eases off while you're actively typing. It's never chosen automatically; you pick it, and it stays until you choose another mode.\n\nGood moments for it: your Mac is plugged in and you're stepping away for a while. On battery it will use more power than the other modes, so switch back to **Automatic** afterwards.\n\nSee [how to change the mode](/faq/performance-battery/how-do-i-change-the-performance-mode).","answer_html":"

Extreme — fastest, uses more lets Storage Studio's background work use a much bigger share of your Mac's spare capacity, so long jobs like building your storage profile or measuring a large drive finish sooner.

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It still yields as your Mac fills up — it uses a share of what's free, not of the whole machine — and Storage Studio still eases off while you're actively typing. It's never chosen automatically; you pick it, and it stays until you choose another mode.

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Good moments for it: your Mac is plugged in and you're stepping away for a while. On battery it will use more power than the other modes, so switch back to Automatic afterwards.

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See how to change the mode.

","answer_text":"Extreme — fastest, uses more lets Storage Studio's background work use a much bigger share of your Mac's spare capacity, so long jobs like building your storage profile or measuring a large drive finish sooner.\n\nIt still yields as your Mac fills up — it uses a share of what's free, not of the whole machine — and Storage Studio still eases off while you're actively typing. It's never chosen automatically; you pick it, and it stays until you choose another mode.\n\nGood moments for it: your Mac is plugged in and you're stepping away for a while. On battery it will use more power than the other modes, so switch back to Automatic afterwards.\n\nSee how to change the mode.","tags":["extreme mode","speed","performance mode"],"related":[{"id":"performance-battery.how-do-i-change-the-performance-mode","question":"How do I switch Storage Studio to a different performance mode?","url":"/faq/performance-battery/how-do-i-change-the-performance-mode"},{"id":"performance-battery.how-much-of-my-mac-can-storage-studio-use","question":"How much of my Mac's processor and memory is Storage Studio allowed to use?","url":"/faq/performance-battery/how-much-of-my-mac-can-storage-studio-use"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What is Extreme performance mode, and when should I use it? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Extreme lets background work use more of your Mac's spare capacity so long jobs finish sooner. You choose it yourself; it still yields to your work. Best used when plugged in and away from the Mac.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Performance & battery","path":"/faq/performance-battery/"},{"name":"What is Extreme performance mode, and when should I use it?","path":"/faq/performance-battery/what-is-extreme-performance-mode"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/performance-battery/what-is-extreme-performance-mode","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is Extreme performance mode, and when should I use it?","alternateName":["What does Extreme — fastest, uses more do?","How do I make Storage Studio finish faster?","Can Storage Studio use more CPU to finish sooner?","storage studio extreme mode","Is Extreme mode bad for my battery?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Extreme — fastest, uses more lets Storage Studio's background work use a much bigger share of your Mac's spare capacity, so long jobs like building your storage profile or measuring a large drive finish sooner.\n\nIt still yields as your Mac fills up — it uses a share of what's free, not of the whole machine — and Storage Studio still eases off while you're actively typing. It's never chosen automatically; you pick it, and it stays until you choose another mode.\n\nGood moments for it: your Mac is plugged in and you're stepping away for a while. On battery it will use more power than the other modes, so switch back to Automatic afterwards.\n\nSee how to change the mode.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/performance-battery/what-is-extreme-performance-mode"}}]},"fragment":"
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Performance & battery · Performance modes

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What is Extreme performance mode, and when should I use it?

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Short answer: Extreme lets background work use more of your Mac's spare capacity so long jobs finish sooner. You choose it yourself; it still yields to your work. Best used when plugged in and away from the Mac.

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Extreme — fastest, uses more lets Storage Studio's background work use a much bigger share of your Mac's spare capacity, so long jobs like building your storage profile or measuring a large drive finish sooner.

\n

It still yields as your Mac fills up — it uses a share of what's free, not of the whole machine — and Storage Studio still eases off while you're actively typing. It's never chosen automatically; you pick it, and it stays until you choose another mode.

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Good moments for it: your Mac is plugged in and you're stepping away for a while. On battery it will use more power than the other modes, so switch back to Automatic afterwards.

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See how to change the mode.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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