Windows Experience Index or WEI is a tool that evaluates different aspects of your computer, such as its graphics, RAM, and CPU, and informs you about its performance. It assigns a rating to your machine on a scale of 1.0 to 9.9, and a higher score means that you will have a better experience running Windows on your computer.

While users could check the WEI on their machines graphically in Windows Vista and 7, this is not possible with Windows 8.1 and later versions of the OS. However, the feature is still present, and there are several ways you can check it.

Method 1: Use the Command Prompt

  1. Open the Start menu, type cmd, and click on 'Run as administrator'.
  1. Type Winsat formal in the command prompt window and press Enter.
  1. Open the 'Run' dialog box with the Win + R shortcut and type %WINDIR%\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore inside it before pressing Enter.
  1. The DataStore folder will open up and may contain multiple files. Open the latest one with an application like Microsoft Edge to view all the details relating to your machine's RAM, GPU, hard disk, etc.
  1. Use the Ctrl + F shortcut and search for 'WinSPR' to see the scores for memory, CPU, graphics, etc.

Method 2: With Windows PowerShell

  1. Open the Start menu, type poweshell and click on 'Run as administrator'.
  1. When the PowerShell window opens, type the following inside it and press Enter: get-wmiobject -class win32_winsat.
  1. You will various scores on your screen. The MemoryScore rates your onboard Memory, while the GraphicsScore rates the graphical performance of your PC. Similarly, DiskScore is assigned to your primary hard drive while D3DScore rates your computer's Gaming Graphics.

Method 3: With Performance Monitor

  1. Open the Start menu, type performance monitor and press Enter or click on the program to open it.
  1. When the Performance Monitor opens, click on 'Data Collector Sets' on the left and then on 'System' before going to 'System Diagnostics'.
  1. Right-click on 'System Diagnostics' and click on 'Start' to begin the diagnosis.
  1. Now, click on 'Reports' on the left and then on 'System'. Then click on 'System Diagnostics' > 'PC Name'.
  1. Next, search for 'Hardware Configuration' and click on it to expand it before clicking on 'Desktop Rating'.
  1. Finally, click on 'Query' to expand it and then click on 'Returned Objects'.

Method 4: With Windows File Explorer

  1. Open the File Explorer and paste the following address in the address bar at the top before pressing Enter:  %windir%\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore.
  1. Open the 'Formal.Assessment (Recent)' WINSAT.xml file using Microsoft Edge or any similar application.
  1. When it opens, use the Ctrl + F shortcut to find the <WinSPR> header which contains information about the WEI.

Things to know

  • Besides the above methods, you can use third-party tools like Windows Aero to view the WEI graphically as it appeared in Windows 7.
  • You can also use other commands in Command Prompt to get specific WEI scores, such as WINSAT formal for a complete assessment, or Winsat cpuformal for measuring the CPU performance.
  • If your system has a WEI rating of 6.0 or higher, it means it is capable of high-performance tasks, but you require a rating of 7.0 or higher for gaming purposes.