How to Disable Hardware Acceleration in Windows & Chrome

Download Article

Troubleshoot many types of issues in Windows by turning off hardware acceleration

Download Article

• Graphics Hardware Acceleration on Windows 11
|
• Graphics Hardware Acceleration on Windows 10
|
• Audio Hardware Acceleration on Windows 11
|
• Audio Hardware Acceleration on Windows 10
|
• Accelerated GPU Scheduling on Windows 10
|
• Hardware Acceleration in Google Chrome
|
• Video
|
• Expert Q&A
|
• Tips

|Show more|Show less

Hardware acceleration is a process that occurs when software hands off certain tasks to your computer's hardware—usually your graphics and/or sound card. It may improve performance on computers with powerful components but can have the opposite effect on less powerful computers. Disabling hardware acceleration may improve performance if you're experiencing freezing and crashing. You can also disable hardware acceleration in web browsers like Google Chrome. This How.com.vn guide teaches you how to turn off hardware acceleration on your Windows PC.

Things You Should Know

• Graphics: Right-click the desktop, go to "Display Settings" > "Graphics" > "Change default settings", then turn off "hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling".
• Audio: Go to "Settings" > "System" > "Sound" > "More sound settings" > your audio device > "Properties" > "Advanced", and uncheck "Allow hardware acceleration."
• Chrome: Click the menu, go to "Settings" > "System", and toggle hardware acceleration on or off.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Disabling Graphics Hardware Acceleration in Windows 11

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Right-click the Windows desktop and select Display settings. This opens your display controls.

   • Not all hardware supports system-wide hardware acceleration. You'll typically only find the option to enable or disable hardware acceleration on PCs with high-end GPUs. If you can't adjust your hardware acceleration settings for the entire system, you can often disable the feature in certain apps, including Chrome, AutoCAD, Discord, and various games.
   • If you have a dedicated GPU, you may see the option to open your GPU's settings on the right-click menu. Depending on your GPU, you may be able to find the setting to disable hardware acceleration if you click that menu item.
2. 
   2
   Click Graphics. It's below "Related Settings" in the Display Settings menu.
   Advertisement
3. 
   3
   Click Change default graphics settings. It's the blue text at the top of the menu below "Default settings."
4. 
   4
   Click the toggle switch below "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling." It's the first option at the top of the menu. This disables hardware acceleration.
5. 
   5
   Reboot your computer. Once you disable hardware acceleration, you'll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Disabling Graphics Hardware Acceleration in Windows 10

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Right-click the Windows desktop and select Display settings. This opens your display controls.

   • Not all hardware supports system-wide hardware acceleration. You'll typically only find the option to enable or disable hardware acceleration on PCs with high-end GPUs. If you can't adjust your hardware acceleration settings for the entire system, you can often disable the feature in certain apps, including Chrome, AutoCAD, Discord, and various games.
   • If you have a dedicated GPU, you may see the option to open your GPU's settings on the right-click menu. Depending on your GPU, you can find the setting to disable hardware acceleration if you click that menu item.
2. 
   2
   Click Advanced display settings. It's toward the bottom of the right panel. This opens properties for your monitor and GPU.
3. 
   3
   Click Display adapter properties for Display 1. It'll be under the "Display information" header. A new window will expand.
4. 
   4
   Click the Troubleshoot tab. If your video card supports hardware acceleration, you'll usually see this tab at the top of the window.

   • If you don't have a Troubleshoot tab, click the Properties button at the top of the window, and then click the Resources tab.
5. 
   5
   Click the Change settings button. If the Change settings button is grayed out/deactivated, your graphics card doesn't support changing hardware acceleration settings. If you're sure your card can handle this change, you probably need to update your drivers.
6. 
   6
   Click the toggle switch next to "Hardware acceleration" and click OK. This disables hardware acceleration on your PC.
Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Disabling Audio Hardware Acceleration in Windows 11

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings

   

   . It's the gear icon in your Start menu. You can also open your Settings by pressing Windows key + i on the keyboard.

   • If hardware acceleration is turned on for your PC's sound card, sound tasks may be shifted from the CPU to the audio card to avoid overtaxing the CPU. You can try disabling hardware acceleration if you're experiencing high amounts of noise, choppy sound, and slow performance during audio playback.
2. 
   2
   Click System. It's the first option in the menu bar to the left.
3. 
   3
   Click Sound. It's the second option in the main menu panel. It's next to an icon that resembles a speaker.
4. 
   4
   Scroll down and click More sound settings. It's the last option below the "Advanced" header.
5. 
   5
   Select your audio devices. It will likely be speakers. It may be labeled as "Realtek Audio" or whatever sound card model you are using. Click it to highlight it.
6. 
   6
   Click Properties. It's in the lower-right corner of the Sound menu.
7. 7
   Click the Advanced tab. It's at the top of the window.[[[Image:Turn Off Hardware Acceleration Step 18 Version 6.jpg|center]]
8. 
   8
   Remove the check mark from "Allow hardware acceleration of audio with this device." It's under the "Hardware Acceleration" header.
9. 
   9
   Click OK. This disables hardware acceleration for audio immediately.
Advertisement

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Disabling Audio Hardware Acceleration in Windows 10

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings

   

   . It's the gear icon in your Start menu. You can also open your Settings by pressing Windows key + i on the keyboard.

   • If hardware acceleration is turned on for your PC's sound card, sound tasks may be shifted from the CPU to the audio card to avoid overtaxing the CPU. You can try disabling hardware acceleration if you're experiencing high amounts of noise, choppy sound, and slow performance during audio playback.
2. 
   2
   Click the System icon. It's the first icon in the Settings panel.
3. 
   3
   Click Sound. It's on the left panel.
4. 
   4
   Click Device properties in the right panel. It's under the name of your sound device at the top of the panel.
5. 
   5
   Click Additional device properties. You'll see this toward the bottom below "Related settings."
6. 
   6
   Click the Advanced tab. It's at the top of the window.
7. 
   7
   Remove the check mark from "Allow hardware acceleration of audio with this device." It's under the "Hardware Acceleration" header.
8. 
   8
   Click OK. This disables hardware acceleration for audio immediately.
Advertisement

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Disabling Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling in Windows 10

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings

   

   . It's the gear icon in your Start menu. You can also open your Settings by pressing Windows key + i on the keyboard.

   • Since the 2020 release of Windows 10 version 2004, Microsoft has included a new feature called Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling, which reduces latency and performance while running apps and games that use the GPU. This feature is only available if you have a separate GPU with updated drivers, so not everyone can access the setting.
   • Most GPU drivers are updated automatically, but you can always check the manufacturer's website to see if new updates are available.
2. 
   2
   Click the System icon. It's the first icon in the Settings panel.
3. 
   3
   Click Display. You'll see it at the top of the left panel.
4. 
   4
   Click Graphics settings. It's toward the bottom of the right panel.
5. 
   5
   Click the "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling" switch to Off

   

   . You'll only see this switch if you have a modern GPU with updated drivers and an up-to-date version of Windows 10. If you don't see this option and have a GPU separate from your motherboard, it may not support this feature.

   • After disabling the feature, you'll be prompted to restart your computer. Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling will be turned off once your computer comes back up.
Advertisement

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Disabling Hardware Acceleration on Google Chrome

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Open Google Chrome

   

   . Google Chrome uses hardware acceleration to take advantage of your computer's GPU to lighten the load on your CPU. However, sometimes software incompatibilities can cause problems. Disabling hardware acceleration may fix these problems.
2. 
   2
   Click ⋮. It's the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner.
3. 
   3
   Click Settings. It's in the menu that appears when you click the icon with three dots.
4. 
   4
   Click System. It's in the menu bar to the left.
5. 
   5
   Click the toggle switch next to "Use hardware acceleration when available." This toggles hardware acceleration on or off in Google Chrome.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

• Question

  Should I turn off hardware acceleration?

  

  Spike Baron
  Network Engineer & Desktop Support

  Spike Baron is the Owner of Spike's Computer Repair based in Los Angeles, California. With over 25 years of working experience in the tech industry, Spike specializes in PC and Mac computer repair, used computer sales, virus removal, data recovery, and hardware and software upgrades. He has his CompTIA A+ certification for computer service technicians and is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert.

  

  Spike Baron

  Network Engineer & Desktop Support

  Expert Answer

  It depends on the tasks you need to perform. Keep in mind that some programs actually need hardware acceleration. Things like playing a DVD movie might need hardware acceleration to function correctly. The more in-demand the hardware is, the more you want to increase the acceleration.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

  YesNo

  Not Helpful 0Helpful 1
• Question

  What about Windows 10?

  

  Xavier Camden

  Community Answer

  What do you mean? I personally prefer Windows 10 over any operating system ever, if that's what you mean. But this article likely wouldn't help for Windows 10 since it is new. This is mostly for older computers.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

  YesNo

  Not Helpful 36Helpful 11
• Question

  What else can I do if I do not have the troubleshoot option?

  

  Community Answer

  Look up your problem online, and be as specific as you can. Check official websites for whatever isn't working (i.e. the Microsoft website for Windows problems, the Adobe website for Adobe problems). Also check forums where the community discusses questions. If you still can't find an answer, contact support, or post your problem on one of these forums. Customer Support may be more prompt, but probably also more stressful.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

  YesNo

  Not Helpful 31Helpful 0

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

• Disabling hardware acceleration can be helpful if your computer is running slowly. This typically happens in older computers or when a computer with a weak video card attempts to run software or games that demand many computer resources and require a higher-tier video card. If a computer runs slowly when you start a video or play a game, turning off the hardware acceleration can alleviate the problem without investing in a new computer.
  Thanks

  Helpful0Not Helpful0

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement