WebGL is the older path, based on OpenGL ES, and every current browser has it. WebGPU is newer, maps to Direct3D 12, Metal and Vulkan, and adds compute shaders.
- Every graphics stage of the SystemCheck stress test uses WebGL 2; the WebGPU compute test uses WebGPU.
- For WebGPU, not supported and no adapter are different failures: the first means the browser lacks it, the second that it refused the graphics chip.
- Neither API tells a page how much graphics memory the machine has.
The short answer
Both let a web page draw with the graphics chip. WebGL has been in every browser for years and is what most 3D pages use. WebGPU is the modern design, closer to how current graphics APIs work, and it can run general computation on the chip as well as draw. If a page needs WebGPU and your browser has none, update the browser or use one that has it.
What runs underneath
Chrome, Edge and Safari run WebGL through a layer called ANGLE, which translates it to Direct3D, Metal or Vulkan. That is why a renderer string in Chrome on Windows starts with ANGLE and names Direct3D 11: the chip's own name sits inside the brackets. WebGPU talks to Direct3D 12, Metal or Vulkan more directly, and its adapter describes itself by vendor, architecture and sometimes a device name.
Which browsers have WebGPU
Chrome and Edge 113 or later have WebGPU on Windows, macOS and ChromeOS, and Chrome 121 or later on Android; Safari 26 on macOS, iOS and iPadOS has it; Firefox has it on Windows from version 141 and behind a flag elsewhere.
Three WebGPU failures, three fixes
- Not supported: the browser has no WebGPU at all. Update it, or use one from the list above.
- No adapter: the browser has WebGPU but refused an adapter, usually a graphics driver on its blocklist or graphics acceleration turned off. chrome://gpu or edge://gpu gives the browser's reason.
- Fallback adapter: WebGPU works, but in software on the processor. The hardware acceleration steps apply.
What neither tells a page
WebGPU gives limits, such as the largest buffer a page may make, and WebGL gives the largest texture and viewport. None of these is the graphics memory size, and no browser API reports it, nor the clock, the temperature or the driver version beyond what a renderer string happens to carry. A page that prints your VRAM from either API is guessing.
Terms used here
Questions
- Is WebGPU faster than WebGL?
- It can be, because it does more work per call and allows compute shaders, but the same chip draws both. The speed you see depends on the page and the browser's implementation more than on the name of the API.
- Why does WebGPU say no adapter found?
- The browser has WebGPU but would not give an adapter: usually a blocked graphics driver, acceleration switched off, or a remote or virtual machine with no usable graphics chip. The browser's diagnostic page gives the reason.