Choose the default GPU for games or apps, many computers use processors with integrated graphics that help them provide basic video features with low power consumption, however, some computers also have dedicated video cards that are used for more demanding applications and games, Windows 11 usually automatically switches between graphics cards, Depending on the apps you use and the games you play.
However, sometimes, you may want to force a specific app or game to use the discrete video card or the integrated graphics, so how do you force a game to use the more powerful dedicated graphics card? In (Windows 11), you can do this directly from the Settings app without having to search through (Nvidia) or (AMD) apps for the correct settings.
Why change the default graphics card that certain games or apps use
Some desktop computers and most laptops have graphics cards built into their processors. Integrated graphics cards are not powerful enough to manage applications and games that require a lot of graphic power. This is why many computers also have dedicated video cards, which use Graphics chips and are usually made by Nvidia or AMD. Dedicated video cards are much more powerful, but they also require more power than integrated graphics.
To balance performance and power usage, computers must be able to use the appropriate graphics option for each application and game you're running. If you want to play the latest video game on Steam, you should switch to using the more powerful (Nvidia) or (AMD) video card.
Usually, the two graphics options are switched automatically by your graphics drivers, however, on occasion, some “maybe early development or buggy” games may not switch to your dedicated video card, another use case for this feature is dedicated graphics card troubleshooting, in which case you may want to choose the integrated graphics on the discrete video card on your computer to see if the app or game displays correctly.
How to change the graphics card your game or app is using
Step 1: Open Graphics Settings in Windows 11
Start by opening the Settings app, a quick way to do that is to press (Windows + I) on your keyboard, in the Settings app, make sure the System partition is selected in the left pane, then select Display on the right side, after that, Scroll until you see a link called (Graphics) and click or tap on it, you should find it under the relevant settings.
On the graphics page, there is a list of installed applications (which is not necessarily exhaustive), along with the graphics card they use by default, if the game or application you want to change is not in the list, go to step (2), if it is in the list, go to step (3).
Step 2: Choose the app or game you want to change the graphics card for
To configure a specific application or game, you must first choose its type: “desktop application” or “(Microsoft Store application)”, if you want to configure an application or game that you have installed from (Microsoft Store), then choose “Application (Microsoft Store)”. Otherwise, select the “Desktop app” option, if you want to change the graphics card the game is using, the last option “Desktop app” is the one you need to select, click the button under “Add an app” ” expand the drop-down menu and select the type of game or application.
Now click or tap on the “Browse” button, if you choose a desktop application, go through your computer (Windows 11) and select the executable file of the application or game, after pressing the “Add” button, the application or game is added to the list of applications in which you can set the graphics card used, if you choose to configure the “Application (Microsoft Store)”, pressing “Browse” opens a new window “Choose an application”, scroll to the application you want to configure Click or tap on it. This will add the app to the list in the Graphics window.
Step 3: Change the graphics card your game or app is using
In the list of apps and games that can be controlled in the graphics window, find the application you are interested in, then click or tap on it, now, click or tap its options button, and a new dialog box called “Graphics Preferences” opens, you can see the cards Which graphics you can use on your computer, and which ones save power or offer better graphic performance, for example, on your laptop, we can “let (Windows) make the decision” or we can choose between:
- Power saving: The integrated Intel UHD Graphics chip inside your laptop's CPU processor (Intel Core i7-10510U).
- High performance: The most powerful discrete graphics card inside your NVIDIA laptop.
Choose the app you want to use for the given app and then press “Save.” If you want to undo the change, select the game in the list, click Options, select the “Let (Windows) decide” option, and press “Save.”
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