Priority

Meaning

HIGH PRIORITY

Process that performs time-critical tasks that must be executed immediately. The threads of the process preempt the threads of normal or idle priority class processes. An example is the Task List, which must respond quickly when called by the user, regardless of the load on the operating system. Use extreme care when using the high-priority class, because a high-priority class application can use nearly all available CPU time.

ABOVE NORMAL PRIORITY

Process that has priority above NORMAL PRIORITY but below HIGH PRIORITY.

NORMAL PRIORITY

Process with no special scheduling needs.

BELOW NORMAL PRIORITY

Process that has priority above IDLE PRIORITY but below NORMAL PRIORITY CLASS.

LOW PRIORITY

Process whose threads run only when the system is idle. The threads of the process are preempted by the threads of any process running in a higher priority class. An example is a screen saver. The idle-priority class is inherited by child processes.