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Install and first start

Frametide is a Windows app. It installs in under a minute, needs no restart and keeps your data separate from the program, so updates never touch it.

System requirements#

• Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
• Administrator rights. Most settings (power plans, services, system and driver settings) can only be changed with them. See below.
• Internet for AI presets and the subscription check. Testing, results, tweaks and undo work offline; without a connection the app stays unlocked for up to 7 days.
• Any graphics card works. NVIDIA, AMD and Intel driver settings are supported where their official interfaces allow it.

Download and install#

1. Open frametide.de/download. The file is called Frametide-win-Setup.exe and comes from Frametide's official release page on GitHub. Don't use copies from other websites.
2. Run the file. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway. Why this happens and how to check the file: Antivirus and SmartScreen.
3. The installer runs by itself, without questions, and starts Frametide when it's done. A shortcut is added to the Start menu.

Administrator rights (the Windows prompt at every start)#

Frametide changes system settings, which Windows only allows with administrator rights. That's why Windows asks “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” every time Frametide starts. Click Yes.

If you click No, the app still opens, but shows “Not running as administrator: most tweaks and benchmarking won't work.” in the sidebar. Close it and start it again to get the prompt.

First start#

1. Free right away. The app opens in the free version: PC scan, Cleanup and the basic tweaks need no account. For everything else, click Upgrade to Premium at the bottom of the sidebar; already subscribed (e.g. on your second PC)? Enter the license key from your purchase e-mail there and click Activate. Details: Subscription and license.
2. Automatic scan. Frametide reads your hardware and the current value of every setting it knows. This takes a few seconds and happens at every start.
3. Your original settings are saved. The values found on the very first start are stored as Your original settings and never change. Everything can always go back to them.

Nothing is changed on your PC until you choose to apply a preset or a setting. Before the first change, Frametide creates a Windows restore point.

Where everything is stored#

Press Win + R, paste a folder and press Enter to open it. In the app: Settings → Open data folder. Don't delete original-settings.json or setting-backups.json: without them, the app can't put your PC back the way it was.

Updates#

Frametide looks for a new version when it starts and every 6 hours while it's open, and asks before installing (“Frametide 1.x is available… Install it now?”). The update downloads, installs and restarts the app in a few seconds. Your data and settings stay as they are. You can also check by hand: Settings → Check for updates. No update is installed while a test is running.

Uninstall#

1. First undo the changes, if you want your PC exactly as before: Settings → Undo all changes. Uninstalling removes the program, not the settings it changed.
2. Optional: Settings → Deactivate this PC, so your key is free for another PC.
3. Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Frametide → Uninstall.
4. Your data folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\FrametideData stays, so a reinstall picks up where you left off. Delete it if you don't need it any more.

Cancelling the subscription is separate from uninstalling: see Cancel.