If a game runs far slower than your hardware should allow, it may be running on the wrong graphics chip. Most laptops and many desktop processors have integrated graphics built into the CPU, alongside the separate graphics card. Games should run on the card, but they don’t always.

This guide shows how to check which GPU a game is using, then how to move it onto your graphics card. For other performance problems, start with our PC game troubleshooting guide.

Signs a game is using integrated graphics

  • Frame rates far below what the game’s system requirements suggest for your card.
  • The game’s settings menu lists an Intel, AMD Radeon Graphics or other integrated chip as the display adapter.
  • An out of video memory error on a card that has plenty of VRAM.
  • Your graphics card’s fans stay quiet and its usage stays near zero while you play.

Step 1: Check which GPU the game is using

  1. Start the game and leave it running.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, then open the Processes tab.
  3. Right-click a column header and turn on GPU engine.
  4. Find the game in the list. The GPU engine column shows GPU 0 or GPU 1 and the engine in use.
  5. Open the Performance tab and click each GPU to see which number is your graphics card and which is the integrated chip.

Microsoft’s DirectX team describes this column as the way to see which adapter a process is using. If the game shows the integrated GPU’s number, carry on to step 2.

Step 2: Set the game to High performance in Windows

This works for NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards.

  1. Open Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
  2. Find the game in the list. If it isn’t there, choose Add desktop app (or Browse) and select the game’s .exe file, usually in its install folder.
  3. Select the game, choose Options if prompted, and set it to High performance. The dialog names the GPU it will use, so check it lists your graphics card.
  4. Save, then close and restart the game completely. The change doesn’t apply to a game that’s already running.

Some games launch through a separate launcher. If the game still runs on integrated graphics, add the game’s own .exe as well as the launcher’s.

Step 3: Set the preferred GPU in the driver

If Windows’ setting doesn’t stick, set the game’s GPU in the graphics driver too.

NVIDIA. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel, go to Manage 3D settings > Program settings, click Add, select the game, and set Preferred graphics processor to High-performance NVIDIA processor. Apply the change and restart the game. NVIDIA’s Optimus technology uses these profiles to decide which GPU renders each app.

AMD. On laptops with AMD graphics, open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition and look for the per-game or switchable graphics options for the game, then choose high performance. The Windows setting in step 2 also applies to AMD cards.

Step 4: On a desktop, check the monitor cable

On a desktop PC, the graphics card only drives screens that are plugged into it. If your monitor cable goes into a port on the motherboard’s rear panel, near the USB ports, the game runs on integrated graphics, however powerful the card is.

Move the cable to a port on the graphics card itself, lower down on the back of the case, in a horizontal row. Our guide to the new gaming PC setup checklist covers this and other first-day checks.

Step 5: On a laptop, plug in and check power settings

  • Plug in the charger. Many laptops limit the graphics card on battery.
  • Set Windows power mode to Best performance in Settings > System > Power & battery.
  • Check the manufacturer’s app (such as Armoury Crate, Lenovo Vantage, Alienware Command Center or MSI Center) for a performance or GPU mode. Some laptops have an “eco” or “integrated only” mode that switches the graphics card off.
  • Turn on the MUX switch or dGPU mode if your laptop has one. It connects the screen directly to the graphics card for more FPS, and usually needs a restart.

Step 6: Update the graphics driver

An old or broken driver can stop Windows from using the graphics card at all. Install the latest driver from NVIDIA or AMD, as our guide to updating graphics drivers explains, and restart.

If the graphics card doesn’t appear in Task Manager’s Performance tab at all, Windows can’t see it. Check Device Manager under Display adapters for a warning icon, and reinstall the driver.

Still slow on the graphics card?

If Task Manager confirms the game is on your graphics card and it still runs badly, the GPU isn’t the problem. Check temperatures with our guide to monitoring CPU and GPU temperature while gaming, and see the PC gaming performance guide for settings that help the most.