Upgrade your graphics drivers to use hardware acceleration and WebGL

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Firefox and some plugins use your graphics card to help speed up the display of web content. Graphic cards are also used by advanced web features like WebGL. To fix problems with these features or to take advantage of them, you may need to update your graphics card drivers. This article describes how to do that.

Search for and install new graphics drivers

Using Windows Update

Some recent graphics driver versions are made available as an optional update from the Windows Update feature. If you haven't set Windows to automatically install recommended updates, follow these steps:

  1. Click XP Start button, select All programs, then select Windows Update to open the Windows Update website.
  2. Update ActiveX controls if prompted.
  3. Click Custom and wait until it is done searching.
  4. Select "Hardware, Optional" on the left pane.
  5. Search updates with your graphics card manufacturer name (probably Intel, AMD/ATI or NVIDIA) in the title.
  6. If you find some, check the latest one and click "Review and install updates".
  7. Click Install Updates.
  8. Wait until update is installed. When prompted, restart your computer.
  9. Start Firefox.
  1. Click Small Vista Logo, select All programs, then select Windows Update to open the Windows Update window.
  2. Click the "Check for updates" link on the left pane and wait until it is done searching.
  3. If there are optional updates available, click "optional updates are available".

Windows Vista: The View available updates panel will open. Click "Optional".

Windows 7: The Select updates you want to install panel will open.

  1. Search updates with your graphics card manufacturer name (probably Intel, AMD/ATI or NVIDIA) in the title.
  2. If you find some, check the latest one and click OK to close the View available updates panel.
  3. Click Install updates.
  4. Wait until update is installed. When prompted, restart your computer.
  5. Start Firefox.
  1. From the Start Screen, click the Desktop tile. The Desktop view will open.
  2. From the Desktop, hover in the lower right-hand corner to access the Charms.
  3. Select Control Panel from the Settings charm. The Control Panel window will open.
  4. In the Control Panel window, select System and Security.
  5. Select Windows Update to open the Windows Update window.
  6. Click the "Check for updates" link on the left pane and wait until it is done searching.
  7. If there are optional updates available, click "optional updates are available". The Select updates you want to install panel will open.
  8. Search updates with your graphics card manufacturer name (probably Intel, AMD/ATI or NVIDIA) in the title.
  9. If you find some, check the latest one and click Install to close the View available updates panel.
  10. Wait until update is installed. When prompted, restart your computer.
  11. Start Firefox.

In Windows 10, all drivers are automatically downloaded and installed through Windows Update but you can manually search for an updated graphics driver. See Microsoft's support article, Update drivers in Windows 10 for details. If there are no updates available or if the updates don't solve your problems, continue to the next section.

Using your computer manufacturer's system update tool

Some computer manufacturers include a system update tool that updates drivers and bypasses the Windows ones. You may be required to use this tool to update graphics drivers.

Just search for this tool from the Start menu. Some possible search terms are the name of your computer manufacturer (such as Dell or HP) or generic terms like "update", "maintenance" or "driver". Open the tool and apply all available updates.

If there is no update tool, no updates available, or if the updates don't solve your problems, continue to the next section.

Use your distribution's standard update process

If your distribution's standard update process doesn't give you the latest drivers, you may need to look for other package repositories for your distribution. For example, to upgrade closed-source drivers on Ubuntu, you may need to go to System Settings > Hardware > Additional Drivers.

Using the latest generic graphics drivers

You can also install a generic graphics driver from your graphics card manufacturer's website. These are usually kept up-to-date and are designed to work on a variety of systems:

If you don't know which graphics card you have, look in the graphics section of Firefox's about:support Troubleshooting Information page.

Note: Hardware acceleration is not available for graphics cards from other manufacturers.
Note: After downloading the graphics driver, the installation wizard may prevent you from installing it because your current driver is customized by your computer manufacturer.
Warning: With some combinations of computer and graphics card, you may experience problems with generic versions of software drivers.
  1. Click the Apple.
  2. On the "Apple" menu, click "Software Update."
  3. If there is a Mac OS X update available, you can install it. If there is a graphics driver update, it will be included in the Mac OS X update.

After upgrading your graphics driver

Reboot your computer to use the new graphics driver.

I still have problems with my graphics card in Firefox

Unfortunately, due to the wide range of possible driver, video card and operating system combinations, hardware acceleration or 3D web graphics (WebGL) may still not work for you in Firefox. In these instances you fix the problems by disabling hardware acceleration and WebGL.

Turning off hardware acceleration

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Under Performance, uncheck Use recommended performance settings.
    Additional settings will be displayed.
    Fx115Performance-disableHWA
  4. Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
  5. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  6. Start Firefox the way you normally do.

Disabling WebGL

Warning: These instructions are for experienced Firefox users. Changing settings in the Configuration Editor (about:config) can have serious effects on your browser’s stability, security and performance.
Only proceed if you are comfortable with advanced settings and understand the potential impacts.

  1. Type about:config in the address bar and press EnterReturn.
    A warning page may appear. Click Accept the Risk and Continue to go to the about:config page.
  2. Enter webgl.disabled in the search box.
  3. Click the Toggle Fx71aboutconfig-ToggleButton button next to the webgl.disabled preference to switch it to true.
  4. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  5. Start Firefox normally.

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AliceWyman, Chris Ilias, Cheng Wang, Underpass, Tonnes, user47661, Jesse_Ruderman, Michael Verdi, scoobidiver, bjacob, Swarnava Sengupta, Joergen, Younghwan Kwon, Ed, Wesley Branton, Lan, scootergrisen, Joni, Heather, Ömer Timur
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