What hardware acceleration does and why you might turn it off

Hardware acceleration tells your browser or app to use your graphics card instead of your main processor for certain tasks — video playback, scrolling, animations, and 3D graphics. This usually makes things faster and smoother. But sometimes it causes problems: your screen flickers, videos stutter, or your computer crashes. Turning it off forces everything back to your main processor, which is slower but more stable.

You will not need to do this often. Most people never do. But if a website freezes when you scroll, or a video app keeps crashing, disabling hardware acceleration is one of the first things to try. The steps differ depending on which browser or app you are using, so find your situation below.

Key Takeaways

  • Hardware acceleration uses your graphics card to speed up video and animations, but sometimes causes crashes or flickering instead.
  • The setting lives in different places depending on whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, or a specific app.
  • Turning it off is reversible — you can turn it back on the same way if it does not solve your problem.
  • After you change the setting, close and reopen your browser completely for the change to take effect.
  • If disabling hardware acceleration does not fix the problem, the issue is likely something else entirely.

Disable hardware acceleration in Google Chrome

Open Chrome and click the three-line menu in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click System in the left sidebar. Look for the toggle labeled Use hardware acceleration and click it to turn it off. Chrome will ask you to relaunch the browser — click Relaunch to close and reopen it immediately.

The setting takes effect right away after the relaunch. If the problem persists, hardware acceleration was not the cause. You can turn it back on the same way by clicking the toggle again.

Disable hardware acceleration in Mozilla Firefox

Open Firefox and type about:preferences in the address bar, then press Enter. Scroll down to the Performance section. You will see a checkbox labeled Use recommended performance settings — uncheck it. Below that, a new checkbox appears: Use hardware acceleration. Uncheck that one too.

Close Firefox completely and reopen it. The change takes effect on the next launch. If you want to turn hardware acceleration back on later, return to the same settings and check both boxes again.

Disable hardware acceleration in Microsoft Edge

Click the three-dot menu in the top right and select Settings. Click System and performance in the left sidebar. Find the toggle for Use hardware acceleration and click it to turn it off. Edge will ask you to restart — click the Restart now button.

Edge closes and reopens automatically. The setting is now active. To re-enable it, go back to the same menu and toggle it on again.

Disable hardware acceleration in Safari

Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Select Settings (or Preferences on older Macs). Click the Advanced tab. At the bottom, uncheck the box labeled Use GPU for rendering. Close the settings window.

Close Safari completely and reopen it. The change takes effect immediately. If you need to turn it back on, return to Advanced settings and check the box again.

Disable hardware acceleration in specific apps

Video players, games, and design software often have their own hardware acceleration settings separate from your browser. Open the app and look for Settings, Preferences, or Options in the menu. Search for words like "hardware," "acceleration," "graphics," or "GPU." The exact location varies widely — some apps hide it under Advanced settings, others put it right on the main preferences page.

If you cannot find the setting, check the app's help documentation or support page. Write down the exact name of the app and search for "[app name] disable hardware acceleration" to find the specific steps. After you change the setting, close the app completely and reopen it for the change to take effect.

What to do if disabling hardware acceleration does not fix the problem

If your browser still crashes or your video still stutters after you turn off hardware acceleration, the problem is something else. Common culprits include outdated graphics drivers, browser extensions that conflict with video playback, or a corrupted browser cache.

Try these steps in order: first, restart your computer. Second, update your graphics drivers — search for your graphics card model (usually Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD) and download the latest driver from the manufacturer's website. Third, disable browser extensions one at a time to see if one of them is causing the crash. If none of that works, the issue may require help from your device manufacturer or the app's support team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling hardware acceleration slow down my computer?

Yes, slightly. Your main processor will work harder, and video playback or scrolling may not be as smooth. But if hardware acceleration was causing crashes, the tradeoff is worth it. You can always turn it back on if the slowdown bothers you.

Do I need to disable hardware acceleration in every browser?

No. Each browser has its own setting, so you only need to change it in the browser where you are having problems. If Chrome crashes but Firefox does not, disable it only in Chrome.

What if I turn it off and forget where the setting is?

The steps above show you exactly where to find it in each browser. You can also search your browser's settings for the word "hardware" and the setting will appear. Turning it back on uses the exact same steps.

Does hardware acceleration affect battery life on a laptop?

Turning it off may actually improve battery life slightly, since your graphics card uses less power when it is not accelerating. But the difference is usually small — a few minutes per charge at most.

Can I disable hardware acceleration for just one website?

No. The setting applies to your entire browser. If one website causes problems, you can disable hardware acceleration for the whole browser, or you can try using a different browser for that website instead.