Hardware acceleration refers to the use of a computer’s hardware to perform some tasks more efficiently than is possible in software running on the general-purpose CPU. In the context of Google Chrome, it functions similarly. Let us gain a basic understanding of what hardware acceleration in Google Chrome is, and how to turn Chrome hardware acceleration on or off.
What is Google Chrome Hardware Acceleration? Why and How to Disable it?
In Google Chrome, by enabling the hardware acceleration feature you can boost your browser to perform tasks by utilizing the GPU instead of CPU.
- It increases the browser’s ability to render web pages more quickly.
- This can improve the performance of certain types of applications, such as video games and graphic design software.
How to Turn Off Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
Hardware acceleration is enabled by default in Chrome.
Note: If you are working on anything important make sure to save it before turning off the hardware acceleration, because once you relaunch Chrome, your data may not be saved.
1. Open Chrome browser and click on the three dots icon in the top right corner to open the menu.
2. Click on Settings to open the settings page
3. Expand Advanced, and click on System.
4. Turn off the toggle for Use hardware acceleration when available.
5. Now, click on Relaunch to restart Chrome for the changes to take effect.
Also Read: Fix Google Chrome High CPU and Memory
How to Turn On Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
If you have turned off hardware acceleration and you would like to turn it back on,
1. Follow the same steps as listed above.
2. Toggle the option back to the on position.
How to Check if Hardware Acceleration is fully disabled
1. Open Chrome and type chrome://gpu in the address bar and press Enter key. This will open the GPU information page in Chrome.
2. Look for the hardware acceleration is enabled message on this page.
Note: If you see this message, it means that hardware acceleration is working in Chrome.
If you do not see this message, it may be because hardware acceleration is disabled or not supported on your computer.
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Why Should You Disable Hardware Acceleration?
There are some cases in which you may want to disable hardware acceleration:
- If you are experiencing problems with the performance of certain applications, such as graphical glitches or slowdowns, disabling hardware acceleration may help resolve these issues.
- If you are experiencing problems with your graphics card, such as crashes or errors, disabling it may help to reduce the strain on the graphics card and prevent these issues from occurring.
- If you are using an older computer or graphics card that is not capable of supporting hardware acceleration, disabling this feature may improve the performance of your system.
How to Force Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
This will only work if your computer has a graphics card that supports hardware acceleration. If you do not have a graphics card that supports hardware acceleration, or if the graphics card is not functioning properly, this flag will not have any effect.
To force hardware acceleration in Google Chrome, follow these steps:
1. Open Google Chrome and type chrome://flags/ into the address bar. This will open the Chrome flags page.
2. Find the flag labeled Override software rendering list and click the Enable button next to it.
3. Restart Google Chrome for the changes to take effect.
Also Read: Top 10 Ways to Fix Google Chrome Keeps Crashing on Android
How to See If Hardware Acceleration Helps
In the context of web browsers, hardware acceleration can be used to improve the performance of certain types of media, such as 2D and 3D animations, draggable videos, SVG-embedded media, and HD movies. Keep in mind that hardware acceleration may not always improve performance, and in some cases, it may actually decreases it.
- To see if hardware acceleration helps improve the performance of your web browser, you can try enabling or disabling it and observing the difference in performance with the help of the steps mentioned above.
- You can enable the same on other web browsers that use media types and see if you notice a difference in performance. It is also worth noting that hardware acceleration is not supported by all web browsers or on all devices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How Do I Clear my Chrome Cache?
Ans. You can clear the cache by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Del keys on a Windows computer. This will open the Clear browsing data window with the cache selected by default. Simply click the Clear data button to clear the cache.
Note: Clearing the cache will remove temporary files from your browser, but it will not delete your browsing history or any saved passwords or autofill information.
Q2. Does Hardware Acceleration Use More Memory?
Ans. Using hardware acceleration can sometimes result in increased memory usage, as it involves using the device’s hardware to perform tasks that would normally be handled by the CPU. This can be especially noticeable when running resource-intensive applications, such as video editing or graphics-intensive games.
Q3. What is Threatening Hardware Acceleration?
Ans. Hardware acceleration refers to the use of a computer’s hardware to perform tasks more efficiently than is possible in software running on the general-purpose CPU. It is not inherently threatening and is often used to improve the performance of certain types of applications, such as video playback or graphics-intensive programs.
Q4. Why Does Hardware Acceleration Cause Problems?
Ans. Hardware acceleration can cause problems in some cases because it involves using the device’s hardware to perform tasks that would normally be handled by the CPU. This can put additional strain on the hardware and may cause issues such as video playback being choppy or graphics being displayed incorrectly.
Q5. Is It Better to have Hardware Acceleration On or Off?
Ans. Whether it is better to have hardware acceleration on or off will depend on the specific device and application being used, as well as the tasks being performed. In general, hardware acceleration is used to improve the performance of certain types of applications, such as video playback or graphics-intensive programs. It can help to offload certain tasks to the device’s hardware, which can free up the CPU and improve overall performance.
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Most likely, you are now aware of what is Chrome hardware acceleration. Please read the article to determine whether you should enable or disable hardware acceleration based on how you plan to use it. Please don’t hesitate to leave a remark if you have any other suggestions.
