Photoshop GPU Not Detected — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

When Photoshop says 'Could not complete your request because the graphics processor is not detected' or similar, it means Photoshop cannot use your computer's graphics card. This disables GPU-accelerated features like smooth zooming and certain filters. Updating your graphics drivers fixes this in most cases.

Affected Models

Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 and later
Adobe Photoshop 2020
Adobe Photoshop 2021
Adobe Photoshop 2022
Adobe Photoshop 2023

Common Causes

Your graphics card driver is outdated and does not support the OpenGL or OpenCL version Photoshop requires
The GPU acceleration option in Photoshop Preferences was manually disabled at some point
Your graphics card does not meet Photoshop's minimum VRAM requirement (512 MB minimum, 2 GB recommended)
A recent driver update introduced a bug that breaks Photoshop's GPU detection
The computer is using the integrated (CPU) graphics instead of the dedicated GPU, which may not meet requirements

How to Fix It

Update your graphics card driver. If you have an NVIDIA card, open GeForce Experience and click Check for Updates. For AMD, use AMD Radeon Software. For Intel, visit Intel's website.

Driver updates are the single most common fix for GPU detection issues in Photoshop.
Open Photoshop, go to Edit > Preferences > Performance. Make sure the 'Use Graphics Processor' checkbox is checked.

If it is greyed out and cannot be checked, Photoshop cannot see a compatible GPU — continue to the other steps.
If you have a laptop with both integrated and dedicated graphics, make sure your dedicated GPU is set as the preferred GPU for Photoshop. In Windows, go to Settings > Display > Graphics Settings and add Photoshop, set to 'High Performance'.

Laptops often default to the weaker integrated graphics to save battery — Photoshop needs the dedicated card.
Reset Photoshop preferences by holding Alt+Ctrl+Shift while launching Photoshop, and click Yes when asked to delete preferences. Then re-enable GPU in Preferences > Performance.

Corrupted preference files can lock GPU settings into a disabled state.
If the GPU is still not detected, go to Edit > Preferences > Performance > Advanced Settings and try switching from OpenGL to Basic or vice versa.

Some GPU/driver combinations work better with one rendering mode than the other.

When to Call a Professional

If your graphics card is very old and cannot be updated, you may need a hardware upgrade to fully resolve this. For most modern computers, a simple driver update is all that is needed. Contact Adobe Support if Photoshop refuses to detect your GPU even after driver updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still use Photoshop without GPU acceleration?

Yes. Photoshop will still work without a GPU — it just falls back to using your CPU for all rendering. Some features are disabled (like smooth pan and zoom and certain filters), and overall performance may feel slower. For basic photo editing tasks, you may not notice a significant difference.

What VRAM does Photoshop need?

Photoshop requires a minimum of 512 MB of VRAM (graphics memory). For comfortable use with large files, 2 GB or more is recommended. You can check how much VRAM your card has by right-clicking the desktop, selecting Display Settings > Advanced Display Settings > Display Adapter Properties.

After updating my GPU driver, Photoshop still shows GPU not detected. What next?

Try a clean driver installation. Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove your current GPU driver, then install the latest version fresh. A clean install removes leftover files from old drivers that can cause detection issues. DDU is a free, safe tool widely used by gamers and creative professionals.