How to Check Your DirectX Version in Windows 11

DirectX is a suite of specialized application programming interfaces (APIs) developed by Microsoft. It acts as the critical bridge between your computer’s operating system and its hardware, specifically the graphics card (GPU) and sound card. It is the core technology that allows modern, high-performance PC games and intensive multimedia applications to render complex 3D graphics and complex audio efficiently. If you are trying to install a new video game or run demanding architectural rendering software, the system requirements will often specify a minimum DirectX version. Fortunately, checking which version is currently installed on your Windows 11 machine takes only a few seconds.

The DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag)

Windows 11 includes a hidden, built-in utility specifically designed to report deep technical information about your multimedia hardware and the DirectX software stack. This tool is called the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, or dxdiag.

You cannot find this tool by navigating through the standard Settings app or the Control Panel; you must execute it directly.

How to Find Your DirectX Version

1. Open the Windows Run dialogue box. You can do this by pressing the Windows Key + R on your keyboard simultaneously, or by right-clicking the Start button and selecting “Run.”
2. In the small “Open” text field, type exactly: dxdiag
3. Click OK or press Enter.
4. Note: If this is the very first time you have run the tool, a prompt may appear asking if you want to check if your drivers are digitally signed. Click Yes to proceed.
5. The “DirectX Diagnostic Tool” window will open.
6. Ensure you are looking at the very first tab at the top, labelled System.
7. Look at the “System Information” list in the main panel. At the very bottom of that specific list, you will see a line labelled DirectX Version:.

It will likely say “DirectX 12” if you are running a fully updated modern Windows 11 system. This indicates the highest version of the software your operating system currently supports.

How to Check Your Graphics Card Feature Level

Knowing your software version is important, but PC games actually care more about your hardware feature level. Even if Windows 11 has DirectX 12 installed, an older graphics card physically might not be capable of rendering DirectX 12 graphics.

1. Still inside the dxdiag window, click on the Display 1 tab at the top (if you have multiple monitors, you may see Display 2, Display 3, etc.).
2. Look at the right-hand side of the window under the “Drivers” section.
3. Locate the line labelled Feature Levels:.
4. This line contains a comma-separated list of numbers (e.g., 12_1, 12_0, 11_1, 11_0).
5. The highest number in this list is the maximum hardware capability of your specific graphics card. If a game requires “Hardware Feature Level 12_0” and your list maxes out at “11_1,” the game will not launch, regardless of what the main System tab says.