How to find out if hardware acceleration is available

A browser can support hardware acceleration without using it for every task. One feature may use the graphics processor while another runs on the main processor, so a single yes-or-no result can be misleading.

Use the Browser Info tool to check which browser and features you have. Then inspect the browser's own graphics status page, where available, to see whether it reports hardware acceleration or software rendering.

Check hardware acceleration

1. Open Browser Info in the browser you want to check. Note the browser name and version, and look through the supported features. This gives you context about what the browser can handle, but feature support by itself does not prove that the graphics processor is doing the work.
2. Open the browser's built-in graphics information page in a new tab. In Chrome, enter chrome://gpu in the address bar. In Microsoft Edge, enter edge://gpu. In Firefox, enter about:support and find the Graphics section.
3. Look for the status of individual features, such as compositing or WebGL. The browser may say that a feature is hardware accelerated, software only, or unavailable. In Firefox, check the graphics and compositing details. The exact labels vary by browser version.
4. Check whether hardware acceleration is enabled in the browser's settings. If you change the setting, fully quit and reopen the browser, then check the graphics page again.
5. If the browser does not provide a clear status, compare how the same graphics-heavy page or browser feature behaves in another current browser. A difference can point to a browser setting, driver, or compatibility issue, but it does not prove that one component is faulty.

On Safari, there is no simple user-facing graphics status page equivalent to Chrome's or Firefox's. Use Browser Info to check the browser and its supported features, and treat that as a capability check rather than proof that a particular task is using the GPU.

What the result means

A feature is marked hardware accelerated

The browser reports that it can use the graphics processor for that feature. This is a good sign, but it does not mean every browser task is accelerated. Video decoding, page compositing, and WebGL graphics can have separate statuses.

A feature is marked software only

The browser is handling that feature without the graphics processor. It may do this because acceleration is turned off, the graphics driver is incompatible, or the browser has blocked a feature to avoid a known problem. Basic browsing can still work normally, but animations or graphics-heavy pages may be slower.

The browser reports that a feature is unavailable

The browser cannot use that feature in the current setup. The cause could be the browser version, the operating system, a driver, or a device limitation. Check for browser and system updates before assuming the graphics hardware is broken.

Browser Info lists a supported feature, but the graphics page is unclear

Support means the browser recognizes a capability. It does not confirm that acceleration is enabled or active for a particular task. If you are investigating a slow page or an error, check the browser setting and test the same task after restarting the browser.

Different features show different results

This can be normal. A browser may accelerate compositing but use software for another feature, or it may choose a different graphics processor for different work. Focus on the feature connected to the problem you are trying to solve.

How to fix it

1. Turn on the browser's acceleration setting. In Chrome on Windows 11 or macOS, open Settings › System and enable Use graphics acceleration when available. In Edge on either system, open Settings › System and performance and enable Use graphics acceleration when available. The browser must restart before a change takes effect.
2. Check Firefox's performance options. On Windows 11 or macOS, open Settings › General › Performance. If Use recommended performance settings is selected, Firefox manages these options for you. To check the individual setting, clear that checkbox and look for Use hardware acceleration when available. Restart Firefox after changing it.
3. Update the browser. Install the latest browser update, close all its windows, and reopen it. A newer version may include a fix for a graphics feature that was disabled in an older release.
4. Update the system and graphics driver. In Windows 11, check Settings › Windows Update for updates, including available driver updates. On macOS, check System Settings › General › Software Update. Restart the computer after installing updates.
5. Check which graphics processor Windows assigns. Open Settings › System › Display › Graphics, select the browser if it appears, and choose Options. A high-performance preference can select a more capable GPU on a computer with more than one. This setting chooses a GPU, but it does not turn on the browser's own acceleration setting.
6. Test without extensions or extra browser changes. Temporarily disable extensions that affect graphics, privacy, or page content, then restart and check again. If acceleration returns, re-enable extensions one at a time to find the cause.

Safari does not offer a comparable general acceleration switch in its settings. Keep macOS and Safari updated, and check the feature in question in another browser if you need to compare behavior.

When the graphics hardware may be the problem

If several current browsers report software rendering, graphics features fail across different apps, or the screen shows visual glitches outside the browser too, the issue may involve the driver or graphics hardware. Test after installing system updates and restarting. If the problem continues, contact the computer maker or a repair professional, especially if you also see crashes or artifacts in other programs.

Acceleration is not one switch for everything

Hardware acceleration means that the browser uses a graphics processor for certain work instead of relying only on the main processor. The browser may choose software rendering when a feature is unsupported, a driver has a known problem, or using the GPU would be less reliable. That is why a browser can be acceleration-capable and still report one feature as software only.

Browser Info runs in your browser and reports the information the browser makes available. It cannot force a feature to use the GPU or confirm how every page is rendered.