Settings and the overlay
Changing language and theme, turning live readings on or off, and setting up the on-screen overlay you can see while playing.
On this page
Where: Click the settings gear at the top right of TinyBoost. This is different from the gear beside STOP, which manages paused apps.
Use General for language and appearance, Live Metrics for readings, OSD for the overlay, and Version for version information.
General#
Language#
TinyBoost speaks six languages:
- English
- Español (Spanish)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- עברית (Hebrew)
Click the language button and pick from the list. The change happens immediately (no restart needed) and is remembered next time.
Good to know
A few technical messages stay in English in every language. That's normal.
Theme#
Five looks to choose from: Dark (the default), Light, Charcoal, Cherry Blossom and FPSHEAVEN.
Pick one from the dropdown; it changes instantly.
Closing the window and startup#
Close to tray keeps TinyBoost available in the Windows notification area near the clock when you close its window. Reopen it from that icon. Finish an active session with STOP before exiting the app.
Run on startup controls whether TinyBoost starts with Windows. It is separate from pressing START for a gaming session.
Live Metrics#
Show live statistics#
The master switch for all the live temperature, speed and voltage readings in the app. It's on by default.
Turn it off and every reading shows N/A. Useful if you find the numbers distracting.
Animation style#
- TinyBoost: numbers roll smoothly like an odometer (the default)
- Stock: numbers change instantly
Cosmetic only.
OSD: the on-screen overlay#
The OSD ("on-screen display") is a small box that floats on top of everything, including your game, showing live readings while you play.
Show overlay#
Switches it on or off. It's on by default.
Polling speed#
How often the numbers refresh: 1000 ms (once a second, the default), 500 ms (twice a second) or 100 ms (ten times a second).
Faster looks smoother but makes your PC do slightly more work. Leave it at 1000 ms unless you have a reason to change it.
Toggle hotkey#
Set a keyboard shortcut to show and hide the overlay without alt-tabbing.
Do this
- Click the key button (it says Key until you set one).
- It changes to Press a key…: press the key you want. Press Escape to cancel.
- Pick a modifier from the dropdown: Ctrl, Alt or Shift.
A Clear link appears once a hotkey is set, if you want to remove it.
Choosing what the overlay shows#
Click the settings gear on the overlay itself to open TinyBoost's Overlay Settings. It's a window with three columns:
| Column | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Available | Readings you're not using yet |
| Properties | Settings for whatever you've selected: its name, colours and text sizes |
| Active | The readings currently on the overlay, in the order they appear |
Things you can put on the overlay:
- Graphics card speed, memory speed and voltage
- Processor voltages
- The speed and temperature of each individual processor core
- D3D FPS: your live frame rate
- A free-text line, for anything you want to write
How to use it:
- Click a reading in Available to select it, then tick Show in overlay to move it across
- Use the arrows in Active to reorder them
- Right-click an active reading to remove it
- Drag the overlay itself anywhere on screen
- Save your layout to one of the three numbered slots (1, 2, 3): left-click a slot to load it, right-click to delete it
- Clear All empties the overlay
If it says "Initializing HWiNFO SDK" and stays that way, see Troubleshooting.
Updating TinyBoost#
TinyBoost checks for a new version each time it starts. If there is one, a box appears:
Update Available: TinyBoost v1.2.3 is available. You have v1.2.0.
- Update Now: downloads the verified replacement executable. TinyBoost closes itself when finished; open it again to use the new version.
- Later: skips it for now. It'll ask again next time you open the app.
Nothing downloads until you click Update Now.
If the update fails
Read the update message first. If it says an administrator-protected Program Files directory is required, move the executable there. Click Later and download the newest version manually, or move the signed TinyBoost.exe into Program Files so future updates can replace it automatically. See Download and first launch.