What to do if computer doesn’t detect GPU [TECHNICIAN FIX]

by Tashreef Shareef

Windows & Software Expert

July 9, 2019

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At times, your computer may refuse to recognize or detect the GPU. It can happen if you have freshly installed a new graphics card or updated your Windows OS to a newer version.

One user described the problem on Microsoft’s official forum.

After I updated my laptop recently, my 980M graphics card seems to “disappear.” It is not in the device manager (only shows my intel 530) and Nvidia software can not detect my graphics card either. Please help!

Fix the problem with the solutions below.

Why won’t my PC detect my graphics card?

1. Install Graphic Card Driver

1. This is an obvious but a common mistake. After installing the graphics card, Windows will automatically install the required graphics card driver that came pre-built into the graphics card. However, most of the time, you need to update the drivers and download additional files to make it run properly.
2. You can download the latest version of the graphics driver from the GPU manufacturer’s website.

2. Check if the Graphic Card is Disabled

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run.
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press OK to open the Device Manager.
3. In the Device Manager, go to Display Adapter and expand it.
4. Check if your graphics card is listed. Right-click on the Graphics card and select Properties.
   
   
5. Go to the Driver tab and check if the Enable button is available. If the Graphic card driver is enabled, you should see a Disable button. If not, click on the Enable button.
6. Reboot the system and check for any improvements.

We’ve written extensively on dedicated GPU missing in the Dual-GPU laptops. Check out these guides and learn more.

3. Enable the Discrete GPU in BIOS

1. If your PC has both the Intel integrated as well as dedicated GPU, you may need to enable the dedicated graphics card from the BIOS. Windows OS at times may not be able to detect the GPU without manual intervention.
2. So, boot into BIOS after the shutdown. To boot into BIOS, you need to keep pressing F2 or Del button on your keyboard after pressing the power button to boot the computer.
3. In the BIOS, go to Chipset > dGPU Configuration. find dGPU function and set it to enabled.
4. This option is also called switchable graphics at times, so the terms may vary.
5. Several users have reported that enabling dGPU in BIOS has completely fixed the issue and the computer was able to detect the graphics card after the restart.

4. Enable NVIDIA Graphic Card using Command Prompt

Note: This is recommended for the NVIDIA graphic cards only.

1. Type cmd in the search bar.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result and select Run as Administrator.
3. In the command prompt window, type the following command press enter.
   bcdedit /set pciexpress forcedisable
4. Once the command is executed without any errors, close the command prompt.
   
5. Now try to install the graphics card driver all again and check for any improvements.

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