Changing Windows process priority via command line

The command line syntax:

wmic process where name="AppName" CALL setpriority ProcessIDLevel

Example:

wmic process where name="calc.exe" CALL setpriority 32768

or

wmic process where name="calc.exe" CALL setpriority "above normal"

Priority:

• idle: 64 (or "idle")
• below normal: 16384 (or "below normal")
• normal: 32 (or "normal")
• above normal: 32768 (or "above normal")
• high priority: 128 (or "high priority")
• real time: 256 (or "realtime")

A small addition.

You can also use string values instead of integers (easier to memorize) like that:

 wmic process where name="calc.exe" CALL setpriority "idle"

Possible values: "idle", "low", "below normal", "normal", "above normal", "high priority", "realtime"

PS. Don't forget the quotes, especially if using multiple words in a string value

From batch command line I would simply use PowerShell. This example starts calc.exe, finds its process and adjusts its priority class to "IDLE", aka LOW:

start /b /wait powershell.exe -command "calc.exe;$prog = Get-Process -Name calc;$prog.PriorityClass = [System.Diagnostics.ProcessPriorityClass]::IDLE"

Specify one of the following enumeration values: "Normal, Idle, High, RealTime, BelowNormal, AboveNormal"

Here is the same thing from PowerShell with split lines:

calc.exe
$prog = Get-Process -Name calc
$prog.PriorityClass = [System.Diagnostics.ProcessPriorityClass]::IDLE