Slow or laggy sessions#
This page covers Fluid sessions that are choppy, blurry, or laggy. Connection statistics identify the factor that limits session performance.
Safe checks#
Turn on connection statistics during the session. On Windows and macOS, choose Help > Show Fluid Connection Stats. For the steps on other clients, see Show statistics. For the meaning of each value, see Connection statistics. Only Ping and Packet Loss turn red; interpret the other values in relation to each other.
What the result means#
| Symptom | What the statistics show | What it means | Try |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choppy motion | Frames below Max Frames while the screen changes, and Encode Time near or above one frame's time (1000 ÷ Max Frames ms, such as 16 ms at 60 fps) | The host cannot encode frames fast enough. | Reduce the pixel load, use hardware encoding (or Fluid 2.0 when connecting from Windows or macOS to an Apple silicon Mac host with more than 2 displays), or lower Color. |
| Choppy motion, but Encode Time is low | Frames below Max Frames, and Bandwidth × 8 close to Target Bitrate | The video stream uses all the bandwidth allowed by the network or by a bandwidth limit. | Set Maximum Bandwidth to Auto. On the Enterprise plan, you can try a value above 20 mbps; a higher value puts more stress on the network and can degrade performance. On a team computer, the Maximum Target Bandwidth set by a team administrator can cap it. Otherwise, reduce the pixel load or lower Color. |
| Encode Time is high on a mostly still screen | Encoder shows Hardware | Expected behavior: hardware encoders report higher encode times at low frame rates. | Measure while something is moving on screen, such as a video or testufo.com. |
| Frames shows 0 | Frames is 0 | Usually, no content on the host's screen is changing. Frames can also be skipped when the video stream exceeds the allowed bandwidth. | If the screen is not changing, no action is required. If it is changing, check the bandwidth rows above. |
| Blurry or blocky image | Image Quality shows Medium or Low | The stream uses heavier compression, usually because less bandwidth is available. The image sharpens shortly after motion stops. | Fix packet loss, set Maximum Bandwidth to Auto, or reduce the pixel load. |
| Quality stays low | Target Bitrate well below your Maximum Bandwidth (in kbit/s; 20 mbps shows as about 19,500) | The network cannot currently carry more data, or the Maximum Target Bandwidth set by a team administrator is lower. | Improve the network, or ask your team administrator about the limit. |
| Stutters and freezes | Packet Loss is red | Packets are lost on the network. | Use Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi, avoid SSL or TCP-based VPNs, or lower Maximum Bandwidth. |
| Lag that comes and goes | Ping is red | Network latency is unsteady. | Use Ethernet, and avoid congested Wi-Fi and VPNs. |
| Not connecting directly | Connection shows Relay | Your device and the host could not connect directly, or a team administrator requires relay connections with Relay Connections Only. | If your team does not require relay connections, get a direct connection. For relay-only requirements, see Force connections through a relay. |
| Slower than expected | Protocol shows Relay TCP or Relay TCP-TLS | UDP is blocked, so the connection uses TCP, which is slower. | Allow outbound UDP. For details, see Get a direct connection. |
Still stuck?#
If the session remains slow after these checks, contact Jump Desktop support.