What Is Hardware

Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is handy, but it's not perfect by any means. Here's how to turn it off on Windows.

If you were looking for new ways to get more out of your hardware, chances are you’ve enabled the Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling feature on your computer. While it’s supposed to improve your computer’s performance, it might have a negative effect, if your GPU is a bit older.

In this case, should you disable it? But how can you turn off Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows 10 and 11?

Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is a feature designed to reduce the load on your CPU during intensive tasks. Usually, the CPU assigns the graphics-intensive data to the GPU, so games, media-playing apps, or editing software run smoothly. To do so, the CPU gathers, assigns, and sets the priority for each task so the GPU can render it.

When the hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling feature is enabled, the dedicated GPU-based scheduler will handle the high-priority tasks. This way, the CPU can execute more tasks in the same amount of time.

Most of the time, GPU hardware scheduling is worth turning on in Windows, especially if your computer isn’t equipped with one of the latest GPU models. But enabling the GPU scheduling feature can also backfire, and have a negative impact on your computer’s performance. For example, on an older GPU, it might cause latency between the frames or even significant lag while gaming.

Also, GPU scheduling is known for causing conflict with Windows services, such as dxgmms2.sys, which helps render graphics, especially during gaming sessions. So, if you keep running into the dxgmms2.sys error in Windows 11, you’ll have to disable the Hardware- accelerated GPU scheduling feature.

In addition to this, the feature might encounter compatibility issues with specific hardware or software. So, you have to turn off GPU scheduling to keep your computer running smoothly.

If the cons outweigh the pros, it’s time to disable Windows GPU scheduling. We’ll walk you through two different methods, so you can choose the one that works best for you.

The easiest way to disable the Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling feature is through Windows Settings. Here’s how you can do it on a Windows 11 computer:

If you’re using Windows 10, here’s how you can disable the GPU hardware scheduling feature:

If your graphics driver is outdated or corrupted, the hardware accelerated feature might be missing from the Settings menu. If you don’t have the time to replace or update the graphics driver right now, you can still disable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling through Windows Registry.

We’ve taken a look at how Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling works and when you should disable it. As we’ve mentioned, it may cause system issues, so it might be better to turn it off and look for alternatives. Fortunately, Windows comes with more built-in features to help you improve your gaming experience.

Razvan has always been passionate about technology, which led him to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering. Having left the corporate world, he joined the MUO team in 2021. Now, he focuses on troubleshooting guides and tips that improve the experience readers have with their devices.