How do I know if hardware acceleration is working?

Run the check above. It passes when the browser names a graphics chip and gives a hardware context, and fails with the evidence when it names a software renderer or refuses a context that must not fall back to software.

Should hardware acceleration be on or off?

On, for nearly everyone. Off makes the processor draw everything, which is slower and uses more power. Turn it off only to test whether a graphics driver is causing a crash, then update the driver and turn it back on.

Does Safari have a hardware acceleration setting?

No. Safari always draws with the graphics chip, so there is nothing to switch.

Why is acceleration off when the setting is on?

The browser can still block the graphics chip for a driver it does not trust or one that crashed. chrome://gpu and edge://gpu list each feature as hardware accelerated, software only or disabled, with the reason.

Is it safe to leave hardware acceleration on?

Yes. It is the default in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. If the browser crashes or flickers with it on, update the graphics driver rather than leaving it off.

Free · Runs in its own window · Instant

Hardware acceleration test. GPU, or software?

With hardware acceleration off, or a driver the browser does not trust, the browser draws on the processor: video stutters, 3D pages crawl and the fans spin. This check reads three signs that say which is happening: the renderer the browser names, whether it refuses a context that must not fall back to software, and whether its WebGPU adapter is a fallback. Then it gives the switch for your browser.

One check · Instant

Asks for: Nothing. It runs in its own window and nothing leaves this page.

In short

Hardware acceleration test: the answer first

A hardware acceleration test tells you whether the browser draws with the graphics chip or in software. This one reads the WebGL renderer, asks for a context that must not fall back to software, and checks whether the WebGPU adapter is a fallback. Any one of those in software fails the check, with the switch for your browser.

Reading your result

Pass: The browser names a graphics chip and gives a hardware context. Video, 3D pages and the stress test's graphics stages run on the chip.
Fail with a software renderer named: Acceleration is off or the driver is blocked. The steps under the result are for the browser you are in.
Fail with the setting already on: The browser blocked the chip itself. chrome://gpu or about:support says why, usually the driver.

What it measures

Measured here, not assumed.

The renderer: The WebGL renderer string, unmasked where the browser offers it. A software rasteriser by name (SwiftShader, llvmpipe, Microsoft Basic Render Driver) means no graphics chip is drawing.
The software-fallback probe: A second WebGL context asked for with failIfMajorPerformanceCaveat. A browser refuses it when it would draw in software, even where the renderer string does not say so.
WebGPU: Whether the browser's WebGPU adapter, where it has one, reports itself as a fallback adapter that runs on the processor.
The fix for this browser: The setting's path in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, the driver, the Windows graphics preference for laptops with two chips, and the browser's own diagnostic page.

If it fails

The usual failures, and what fixes each.

Chrome: Settings, System, turn on Use graphics acceleration when available, then Relaunch.
Edge: Settings, System and performance, turn on Use graphics acceleration when available, then Restart.
Firefox: Settings, General, Performance, clear Use recommended performance settings and tick Use hardware acceleration when available, then restart Firefox.
Still in software: Install the graphics driver from the chip maker or the laptop maker; on a Windows laptop with two chips, set the browser to High performance in Settings, System, Display, Graphics. Then read chrome://gpu or about:support for anything still disabled.

Where a browser stops

What it cannot tell you.

Video decoding acceleration. This check reads the drawing path; the video decode test asks about decoders and times one.
Which of two chips a laptop is using, where the renderer string does not name it.
Why the browser blocked a driver. chrome://gpu, edge://gpu or about:support says.

Privacy

Nothing leaves this page.

The camera and microphone are read on this page and stopped as soon as they have been measured. The clip you can play back lives in the browser's memory and is discarded when you leave. The location check discards the position. The internet test sends random bytes to this site and nothing else. The result is stored nowhere unless you ask for it by email, and then only the fact that an email was sent is kept.

The privacy policy

Questions

Hardware acceleration test, answered

How do I know if hardware acceleration is working?: Run the check above. It passes when the browser names a graphics chip and gives a hardware context, and fails with the evidence when it names a software renderer or refuses a context that must not fall back to software.
Should hardware acceleration be on or off?: On, for nearly everyone. Off makes the processor draw everything, which is slower and uses more power. Turn it off only to test whether a graphics driver is causing a crash, then update the driver and turn it back on.
Does Safari have a hardware acceleration setting?: No. Safari always draws with the graphics chip, so there is nothing to switch.
Why is acceleration off when the setting is on?: The browser can still block the graphics chip for a driver it does not trust or one that crashed. chrome://gpu and edge://gpu list each feature as hardware accelerated, software only or disabled, with the reason.
Is it safe to leave hardware acceleration on?: Yes. It is the default in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. If the browser crashes or flickers with it on, update the graphics driver rather than leaving it off.

Then test the machine itself. A free stress test, in the same browser.

Run the stress test How we measure