Unleash Your Graphics Potential: Learn the Top 4 Ways to Reset Your Graphics Card on Windows 11 Today!
Are you experiencing slow or sluggish graphics performance on your Windows 11 computer? Does your screen flicker or show unusual colors while using graphics-intensive applications? If yes, then you may need to reset your graphics card to improve its performance and fix any underlying issues.
A graphics card, also known as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), is a specialized hardware component responsible for handling and rendering graphics on your computer. It works in conjunction with your CPU (Central Processing Unit) to help display images and videos on your screen. However, like any other hardware component, your graphics card can encounter problems over time, such as driver issues, overheating, or software conflicts.
Thankfully, resetting your graphics card is an easy and effective solution to most graphics-related problems. In this article, we’ll explore the top 4 ways to reset your graphics card on Windows 11 today!
- Restart Your Computer
The first and easiest way to reset your graphics card is to restart your computer. Sometimes, your graphics card can encounter minor issues that a simple reboot can fix. When you restart your computer, all running applications and services are stopped, and your operating system loads fresh drivers and settings for your graphics card. This can help fix any performance or display issues you may be experiencing.
To restart your computer, click on the Start menu, select the power icon, and choose Restart. Wait for your computer to shut down and start up again, and check if your graphics card is working correctly.
- Update Your Graphics Drivers
Another common cause of graphics-related issues is outdated or corrupt graphics drivers. Your graphics card requires specific software called drivers to communicate with your operating system and applications. Without the correct drivers, your graphics card may not function correctly or display errors.
To update your graphics drivers, go to your graphics card manufacturer’s website and download the latest software for your model. Alternatively, you can use a driver update tool like Driver Booster to automatically scan and update your drivers.
- Disable and Re-enable Your Graphics Card
If restarting or updating your drivers doesn’t fix your graphics issues, you can try disabling and re-enabling your graphics card. This can help reset its settings and reinitialize any problematic drivers or applications.
To disable and re-enable your graphics card, open the Device Manager by pressing Windows+X and selecting Device Manager. Expand the Display adapters section, right-click on your graphics card, and choose Disable. Wait a few seconds, then right-click on your graphics card again and choose Enable. This should reset your graphics card and clear any issues.
- Reset Your Windows 11 PC
If all else fails, you can try resetting your Windows 11 PC to its default settings. This option will erase all your files and applications, so make sure to back up your data before proceeding. However, resetting your PC can fix any stubborn or deep-seated graphics issues and give your computer a fresh start.
To reset your Windows 11 PC, go to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC. Choose the option to keep your files or remove everything, then follow the prompts to reset your computer.
By following these top 4 ways to reset your graphics card on Windows 11, you can improve its performance and fix any graphics-related issues you may be experiencing. Make sure to keep your graphics drivers updated and your computer clean from dust and other debris to prevent future problems. With a little troubleshooting and maintenance, you can unleash your graphics potential and enjoy a seamless computing experience.
While playing games on your Gaming PC, you may experience issues like frame drops, games taking a long to start, and a computer showing BSOD while starting games. Some users have also reported monitor gets into power-saving mode while playing games. If you are facing issues while playing games on your Windows 11 computer, you can do quite a few things to get your problems fixed. The best way to fix gaming-related issues on Windows 11 is by resetting the graphics card.
Reset Graphics Card on Windows 11
Since it was the graphics card that was responsible for playing games, you may try to reset it. Resetting the graphic card will rule out incorrect settings and bugs. Below, we have shared a few simple methods to reset graphics cards on Windows 11. Let’s get started.
1) Restart the GPU Only
If your device lags while launching a game, you can restart the GPU unit instead of restarting your entire Windows device. It’s pretty easy to restart the Graphics card on Windows 11, as a keyboard shortcut is available. To restart the Graphics card in Windows, you need to press the Windows Key + CTRL + SHIFT + B button together. As you press the key combination, your screen will turn black. Don’t worry, as this is a part of the process. Your Windows experience will be recovered as soon as the restart process is complete.
2) Disable & Enable the Graphic Card on Device Manager
Another best method to restart the graphics card on Windows 11 is the Device Manager. On Device Manager, you need to make a few changes to restart the graphics card. Here’s what you need to do.
First, click on the Windows 11 search and type Device Manager. Next, open the Device Manager app from the list.
On the Device Manager, expand the Display Adapters.
Now, right-click on your Graphics card and select Uninstall Device.
This will uninstall the graphic card driver. Once done, restart your computer. That’s it! During the restart, Windows 11 will automatically install the Graphic card again. This is the easiest method to reset the graphics card in Windows 11.
3) Reset Graphics Card from BIOS
Resetting the graphics card is possible from the BIOS, but the steps will be a bit complicated. Here are some simple steps to reset the graphics card from BIOS.
- First, restart your computer and enter the BIOS. You need to press the F10 key to enter the BIOS setup. You may have to press F8, ESC, or DEL on some motherboards.
- On the BIOS setup, find and select the Advanced Chipset Features.
- On the next options, select ‘Video BIOS Cacheable‘.
- Now use the + and – keys to change the BIOS Settings.
- Next, press the F10 key on your keyboard. You will see a confirmation prompt; click on the Yes button. That’s it! This will possibly reset the Graphics card settings. The steps may vary depending on the motherboard you are using.
4) Update Your Graphics Card
Well, if you are still getting problems related to graphics cards while playing games, updating the graphics drivers is a good idea. Maybe you are facing problems due to outdated graphics card drivers. Updating the graphics driver won’t reset the graphics settings, but it will fix many issues.
First, click on the Windows 11 search and type Device Manager.
On the Device Manager, expand the Display Adapters.
Now, right-click on your Graphics card and select Update driver.
On the next window, select Search automatically for the drivers.
That’s it! This is how you can update the graphics card drivers on Windows 11 computer. Also read: How to Check the Graphics Card (GPU) in Windows 11 So, these are some of the best methods to reset graphics cards in Windows 11. If you know other ways to reset the graphics card, let us know in the comments below.
