The master value
HKCU\…\Explorer\VisualEffects → VisualFXSetting:
0
Let Windows choose what's best
1
Adjust for best appearance
2
Adjust for best performance (all effects off)
3
Custom — individual effect values apply
The Performance Options dialog always lands you on 3 when you tick any individual checkbox — the dialog has no memory of a partial state name.
What subvalues sit beneath
Individual effects live in associated per-user keys per effect: ListviewAlphaSelect, ListviewShadow, TaskbarAnimations, MinAnimate (the sibling in Control Panel\Desktop), and friend values under VisualEffects\… each with documented defaults. Flip the master to 3, set the few you care about cleanly, leave the rest.
Practical notes
- RDP enforces caps server-side for the session; a “won't stick” report over Remote Desktop is policy, not the tool.
- Apply reload: animation toggles apply at the next shell invalidation; sign out/in is the deterministic test path.
- Restore: write back the documented defaults and set VisualFXSetting to what user originally had. A journaled undo stores the prior master value, not just the changed children.
ProofTune ProjectEngineering notes — every claim here names the bytes a real tool touches. Verify first, install second.