Find the drive in which you have installed Steam and search for the following directory:

Drive []:….\Steam\userdata\\730\local\cfg

If you are using multiple accounts make sure to identify your account ID first.

Tip: If you are changing settings often, you can create a desktop shortcut to access your config faster.

If you cannot open the .cfg file, you can download the free software Notepad++. You can download the freeware here. [notepad-plus-plus.org]

In order to change the settings of your config on the fly in-game you need to enable the developer console. You can do so in the CS:GO settings under the tab “game”. To open the console make sure to bind it to a key under “Mouse/Keyboard” first.

After pressing the keybind you should see the following window open up:
In the textfield you can input the commands, which will be written on the config file. It should look like the following:
The example above uses the command net_graph 1 to enable an in-game display with relevant data like connection speed, frames per second and connection to the servers. You can find a list of the most important commands further along in this guide.

The third step is the main event. Creating your own optimised config file. To begin with make a copy of your config and rename it to autoexec.
When entering CS:GO servers, settings often get overwritten by the server. That is why we protect our important settings that in a read-only file like the autoexec. It also allows you to quickly transfer your individual configuration to other PCs through a USB stick or uploading it to a cloud. You can still adjust your values through the console but as soon as you close the client and restart it your settings will be reloaded by the autoexec.

In your autoexect you should fill in the commands you want to fixate.
Here are the most common autoexec commands:

cl_autowepswitch “0” – This command prevents you from changing your weapon automatically if you run over it.

net_graph “1” – net_graph shows you important data such as your connection status and your current frames per second.

fps_max “0” – You can set a custom limit on your frames per second through this option. If you have a solid system with up-to-date hardwork you should set this to zero for unlimited frames per second as you can easily reach 300 to 400 FPS, which make for a very fluid experience.

snd_musicvolume “0” – If you are annoyed by the background music, you can turn it off through this command.

rate “128000” – This command fixes the maximum amount of data the host can receive.

cl_cmdrate “128” – The number here fixes the maximum amount of commands being sent to the server per second.

cl_updaterate “128” – Corresponding to the above command this number regulates the maximum update pakets that will be requested from the server.

cl_interp “0” – This value fixes the interpolation amount (the lower limit will be defined by the settings of the servers)

cl_interp_ratio “1” – Fixes the interpolation ratio (sum is defined by cl_interp_ratio / cl_updaterate)

ECHO – autoexec CFG loaded! – Using ECHO with a text behind shows you a simple notification in-game that will tell you if your autoexec was properly loaded.

After you have written down the commands you want, make sure to save the autoexec and close it afterwards. Make sure to rightclick on the file and protect it by setting it to “read-only”.

In order to make sure that Steam can use your autoexec, make sure to adjust your Steam settings!

Open up Steam and go to your library. Rightclick on CS:GO to open “Properties”. In general you can find “set launch options…”. Click on it and make sure to add in the following command: +exec autoexec.cfg

Doublecheck your filename if the config does not load properly.
Now you can start up CS:GO and load your configuration with the following console command: exec autoexec
Make sure to use the command frequently in between matches to make sure your settings are always loaded. Some of them cannot be adjusted once you are in the match.

Commands for your individual config
Now for the easy part of your optimized CS:GO settings.

Many of these options are not necessary in your autoexec and can be kept in the “normal” config file. One of those examples is your crosshair. Nowadays you can even use a crosshair generator that will give you the correct command string to input in the client. You can find the generator here. [tools.dathost.net]

Make sure to delete your old commands before copying in new ones. Otherwise the old ones will still be in your file.

Easiest solution is to just ctrl+f in the file to replace the values you have adjusted.