How to Enable or Disable Graphics Hardware Acceleration in Microsoft Edge

This tutorial shows you how to turn graphics hardware acceleration on or off in Microsoft Edge. You can do this for just your account or for everyone on your Windows 11 computer.

What Is Hardware Acceleration?

Microsoft Edge uses a feature called hardware acceleration. When you turn it on, Edge moves graphics and text rendering work from your computer’s main processor (CPU) to your graphics card (GPU). This frees up your CPU to run other programs faster.

Why Disable Hardware Acceleration?

Hardware acceleration is on by default. But sometimes it causes problems. If web pages load slowly, videos stutter, or fonts look blurry, turning off hardware acceleration might help. Your graphics driver may have compatibility issues. Or your display adapter might not support the right acceleration settings.

Option One: Change Settings in Microsoft Edge

This method lets each user on your computer choose their own hardware acceleration setting.

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the three-dot menu button (top right), then click Settings. You can also press Alt+F.
3. In the left panel, click System and performance. Then click System in the right panel. If you don’t see a left panel, click the three-line menu button at the top left.
4. Find the option that says “Use graphics acceleration when available”. Turn it On (default) or Off depending on what you need.
5. Close the Settings tab when done.

Option Two: Change Settings for All Users Using Registry

⚠️ Admin privileges required

This method applies to everyone on your computer. It overrides the individual user settings and locks them in place.

You can use Windows Terminal or Registry Editor. Choose one method below.

Always Turn On Hardware Acceleration for Everyone

Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and run this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v HardwareAccelerationModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Or in Registry Editor, navigate to this path and add this value:

Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

Always Turn Off Hardware Acceleration for Everyone

Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and run this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v HardwareAccelerationModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Or in Registry Editor, navigate to this path and add this value:

Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

Allow User Choice (Default)

If you want to let users choose their own settings again, use this command:

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v HardwareAccelerationModeEnabled /f

Summary

Hardware acceleration helps Microsoft Edge run faster by using your graphics card instead of your main processor. Most users should leave it turned on. But if you see slow pages, choppy videos, or font problems, try turning it off. Use Option One to change settings just for yourself. Use Option Two if you’re an administrator and want to control settings for everyone on the computer.