How to Configure Interrupt Moderation on Windows 11 Network Adapters Using PowerShell

Modern Gigabit and 10/25/40GbE network adapters process hundreds of thousands of network packets per second. If an adapter generated an interrupt request (IRQ) to the CPU for every individual incoming frame, CPU utilization would spike drastically, causing interrupt starvation and severe processing bottlenecks. To manage this workload, network interface cards (NICs) incorporate Interrupt Moderation (also referred to as Interrupt Throttling or Coalescing). In Windows 11, you can query, customize, or disable Interrupt Moderation and its associated throttling rate directly using PowerShell.

Understanding Interrupt Moderation and Rate Profiles

Interrupt Moderation controls the buffering and batching of packets before triggering a hardware interrupt:

• Enabled (Default/Adaptive): The adapter driver monitors packet density and dynamically batches packets, generating fewer interrupts during sustained downloads or file transfers. This conserves CPU cycles and improves bulk throughput.
• Disabled: The adapter fires an interrupt immediately upon receiving a packet. This achieves the lowest possible latency and packet delivery jitter, highly desirable for competitive online gaming, financial high-frequency trading, and real-time streaming, but at the expense of higher CPU overhead.
• Interrupt Moderation Rate: When moderation is enabled, drivers offer presets (such as Low, Medium, High, or Extreme) defining the maximum number of interrupts allowed per second (e.g., capping interrupts at 2,000 to 10,000 per second).

Inspecting Current Interrupt Moderation Settings via PowerShell

To view your active network adapters and their current interrupt configuration, open PowerShell as an Administrator:

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Interrupt*" } | Format-Table -AutoSize

The command lists the configuration attributes for each installed NIC:

Name       DisplayName               DisplayValue RegistryKeyword RegistryValue
----       -----------               ------------ --------------- -------------
Ethernet 1 Interrupt Moderation      Enabled      *InterruptModeration {1}
Ethernet 1 Interrupt Moderation Rate Adaptive     *InterruptModerationRate {adaptive}

To inspect properties specifically for a dedicated interface (e.g., “Ethernet 1”):

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation*"

Disabling Interrupt Moderation for Ultra-Low Latency

If your primary goal is minimizing packet transit delay and eliminating micro-stutters during latency-sensitive networking, disable Interrupt Moderation:

Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation" -DisplayValue "Disabled"

The network connection will restart briefly (taking approximately 1 to 2 seconds) while the driver applies the new hardware register parameters.

To confirm that the setting is applied:

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation"

The DisplayValue column should now report Disabled.

Configuring Specific Interrupt Moderation Rates

For scenarios where you want to maintain reasonable CPU efficiency while controlling maximum interrupt frequency, adjust the Interrupt Moderation Rate property:

To view the available valid rate values supported by your adapter hardware:

(Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation Rate").ValidDisplayValues

Typical valid values provided by Intel, Realtek, and Marvell controllers include:

• Adaptive: Dynamically adjusts interrupt frequency based on network load.
• Low: Limits interrupts moderately (e.g., up to 10,000 interrupts/sec), favouring lower latency while maintaining basic CPU stability.
• Medium: Balanced setting suitable for general enterprise workstations.
• High: Prioritises system responsiveness during massive network transfers by reducing interrupt frequency.
• Extreme: Heavy throttling intended for server virtualization hosts managing saturated multi-gigabit links.

To set the moderation rate to Low for a gaming or streaming rig:

Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation Rate" -DisplayValue "Low"

Restoring Default Interrupt Moderation Properties

If you experience elevated CPU temperatures or performance instability after modifying network adapter advanced settings, restore default driver values:

Reset-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation"
Reset-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation Rate"

Or alternatively, explicitly re-enable standard adaptive moderation:

Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation" -DisplayValue "Enabled"
Set-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Ethernet 1" -DisplayName "Interrupt Moderation Rate" -DisplayValue "Adaptive"

Your network adapter resets to standard vendor-tuned factory parameters, ensuring maximum throughput stability across high-bandwidth workloads.