Google Chrome is a powerful web browser, but it can be notoriously demanding on your computer’s resources. To help speed up the rendering of complex websites, high-definition videos, and browser-based games, Chrome uses a feature called Hardware Acceleration.
When this feature is enabled (which it is by default), Chrome offloads demanding graphical tasks from your central processor (CPU) to your graphics card (GPU). While this generally improves performance, it can occasionally cause major problems. If you have an older graphics card, outdated drivers, or are running specific operating systems, hardware acceleration can cause Chrome to freeze, display black screens, or crash entirely.
If you are experiencing strange visual glitches or sluggish performance in Chrome, disabling hardware acceleration is one of the most effective troubleshooting steps you can take.
How to Disable Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
Turning off hardware acceleration only takes a few seconds and requires you to navigate into Chrome’s advanced settings menu. The process is identical whether you are using Windows, macOS, or Linux.
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click the three vertical dots (Menu) in the top-right corner of the browser window.
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings page, look for the System tab. (If you do not see it, you may need to click “Advanced” first to reveal it).
- Click on System.
- Locate the toggle switch labelled Use graphics acceleration when available (in older versions of Chrome, this was labelled “Use hardware acceleration when available”).
- Click the toggle switch to turn it Off (it will turn from blue to grey).
- A Relaunch button will immediately appear next to the switch. Click this button to restart Chrome and apply the changes.
When Chrome reopens, all your previous tabs will be restored, but the browser will now rely entirely on your CPU for rendering web pages. Test the browser by visiting the websites or playing the videos that previously caused you issues.
Should You Leave Hardware Acceleration Off?
If turning off hardware acceleration fixed your freezing or visual glitches, you should leave it disabled for now. However, running Chrome entirely on your CPU is not ideal for long-term performance, especially if you watch a lot of 4K YouTube videos or play browser games.
The root cause of hardware acceleration issues is almost always related to your graphics drivers. To permanently solve the issue:
- On Windows: Open the “Device Manager,” expand the “Display adapters” section, right-click your graphics card, and select “Update driver.” Alternatively, download the latest drivers directly from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
- On Mac: Click the Apple menu () > System Settings > General > Software Update, and ensure your macOS is completely up to date, as Apple bundles graphics drivers with system updates.
Once you have updated your graphics drivers, you can try turning the Use graphics acceleration when available setting back on in Chrome. If the browser runs smoothly without crashing, your hardware issue is permanently resolved.
