What hardware acceleration does and why you might want it

Hardware acceleration tells Chrome to use your computer's graphics processor instead of its main processor for certain tasks. This is most noticeable when you watch video, scroll through image-heavy pages, or use web apps with lots of animation. When it works well, pages feel smoother and videos play without stuttering. Your main processor also has less work to do, which can help your whole computer feel more responsive.

Hardware acceleration is turned on by default in Chrome on most computers, but it sometimes gets disabled automatically if Chrome detects a problem with your graphics driver. If you notice video playback is choppy, web pages with lots of images scroll slowly, or your computer fans kick into high gear when you use Chrome, turning hardware acceleration back on might help.

The catch: hardware acceleration doesn't help everyone. If your graphics driver is outdated or buggy, it can actually make things worse — you might see flickering, black bars, or crashes. If you turn it on and things get worse, you can turn it back off the same way.

Key Takeaways

  • Hardware acceleration is usually already on in Chrome, but you can check and turn it on in Settings under System.
  • Turning it on helps with video playback and scrolling through image-heavy pages by using your graphics processor instead of your main processor.
  • If you see flickering, black bars, or crashes after turning it on, turn it back off — your graphics driver may need an update.
  • Restarting Chrome after you change this setting makes sure the change takes effect.

How to turn on hardware acceleration in Chrome

Open Chrome and click the three-line menu in the top right corner. Select Settings from the dropdown. On the left side, click System. You will see a toggle switch next to "Use hardware acceleration." If the toggle is gray and off, click it once to turn it on. The toggle will turn blue.

After you turn it on, Chrome will ask you to relaunch the browser. Click the Relaunch button that appears. Chrome will close and reopen automatically, and the setting will take effect.

If the toggle is already blue and on, hardware acceleration is already enabled. You do not need to do anything.

What to do if you see problems after turning it on

Some computers have graphics drivers that do not work well with hardware acceleration. If you turn it on and then notice your screen flickering, black bars appearing around videos, or Chrome crashing when you visit certain websites, turn the setting back off right away.

Go back to Settings > System and click the toggle to turn hardware acceleration off. Relaunch Chrome again. If the problems stop, your graphics driver needs an update. Check your computer manufacturer's website or your graphics card manufacturer's website for a driver update. Once you update the driver, you can try turning hardware acceleration back on.

If you are not sure whether your graphics driver is up to date, restart your computer first. Sometimes a restart fixes driver problems without needing to download anything.

How to check if your graphics driver needs an update

On Windows, right-click on your desktop and look for an option like "NVIDIA Control Panel," "AMD Radeon Settings," or "Intel Graphics Settings." If you see one of these, click it. Look for a section called "Driver" or "About" and check the version number. You can then visit the manufacturer's website and compare your version to the latest one available.

On Mac, go to the Apple menu and select About This Mac. Click the System Report button. In the window that opens, click Graphics/Displays on the left. The driver information is listed there, though Mac usually updates graphics drivers automatically through system updates.

If your driver is old, visit the manufacturer's website directly — NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel — and download the latest driver for your specific graphics card model. Follow the installer's instructions, then restart your computer.

When hardware acceleration might not help

If your computer is very old or has integrated graphics (graphics built into your main processor rather than a separate graphics card), hardware acceleration may not make a noticeable difference. Integrated graphics are less powerful than dedicated graphics cards, so the benefit is smaller.

Hardware acceleration also does not help with tasks that do not use graphics — like loading a text-heavy webpage or downloading a file. It only speeds up things that involve drawing images, video, or animation on your screen.

If you have already turned hardware acceleration on and your computer still feels slow, the problem is likely something else. Check whether you have too many tabs open, whether your internet connection is slow, or whether your hard drive is nearly full.

Troubleshooting if hardware acceleration will not stay on

Sometimes Chrome turns hardware acceleration back off automatically if it detects a problem. If you turn it on, relaunch Chrome, and then go back to Settings > System and see it is off again, Chrome has detected an issue with your graphics setup.

The most common fix is to update your graphics driver. Follow the steps in the "How to check if your graphics driver needs an update" section above. After you update and restart your computer, try turning hardware acceleration back on.

If it keeps turning itself off even after a driver update, your graphics hardware may not be compatible with Chrome's hardware acceleration. In that case, leave it off — Chrome will work fine without it, just potentially a bit slower on video and image-heavy pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning on hardware acceleration make Chrome faster overall?

It will make video playback and scrolling through image-heavy pages smoother, but it will not speed up loading text-based websites or downloading files. The improvement depends on what you do in Chrome most often.

Is hardware acceleration safe?

Yes, it is a standard feature built into Chrome. The only risk is if your graphics driver is buggy, in which case you might see flickering or crashes — but you can turn it off immediately if that happens.

Do I need to turn hardware acceleration on manually, or is it automatic?

Chrome turns it on automatically on most computers. You only need to turn it on manually if it has been turned off — either by you, by an update, or because Chrome detected a driver problem.

What is the difference between hardware acceleration and updating my graphics driver?

Hardware acceleration is a Chrome setting that tells the browser to use your graphics processor. A graphics driver update fixes bugs and improves compatibility between your graphics hardware and software. You may need both for the best performance.

Can I turn hardware acceleration on and off without restarting my whole computer?

Yes. You only need to relaunch Chrome (close and reopen it), not restart your computer. Chrome will apply the change the next time it starts up.