FIX: Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware
Written by Rimvydas Iliavicius on
How to Fix the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" Error in Windows 10
The "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error is a Windows 10 notification that prevents users from launching their web browser or video game. If you're getting this error, read the instructions below to fix it.
This error can be very frustrating, especially if you are a gamer or a graphic software user. Windows 10 shows this error message when launching a video game or web browser (notably Mozilla Firefox).
The "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error is usually caused by outdated or faulty graphics drivers.
Another reason you could be getting this error is because too many visual effects or programs are running in the background.
To fix this problem, you might need to reinstall or update your graphics drivers, run System File Checker, run some troubleshooters, etc. Read the guide below and follow the provided, and hopefully, one of them will fix the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error for you.
Video Showing How to Fix the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" Error:
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter
- Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
- Run System File Checker and DISM Scan
- Reinstall Graphics Drivers
- Update Graphics Drivers
- Video Showing How to Fix the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" Error
Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter
System Maintenance Troubleshooter is a Windows tool that automatically fixes any detected problems related to maintenance tasks. It repairs broken shortcuts, disk volume errors, unused desktop icons, etc.
To run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter, type "run" in Search and click the "Run" result, or press Windows key (Win key) + R.
In the Run dialog box, type "msdt.exe -id MaintenanceDiagnostic", and then press Enter to run it.
Before you start troubleshooting maintenance problems, remember that you will need to use your administrator account to run System Maintenance Troubleshooter. In the System Maintenance window, click "Advanced", then click "Run as administrator". Click "Next" and follow the instructions.
Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
Another troubleshooter might want to try out is the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. Windows includes several troubleshooters designed to quickly diagnose and automatically resolve various computer problems.
To start troubleshooting, go to Settings and type "troubleshoot", select "Troubleshoot" from the list.
Now find "Hardware and Devices" under "Find and fix other problems", select it and click "Run the troubleshooter".
Run System File Checker and DISM Scan
System File Checker (SFC) is a utility in Windows that allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files. To run it, you need to open Command Prompt first.
To open it, type "command prompt" in Search and then right-click on the "Command Prompt", select "Run as administrator" from the dropdown menu to run Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
You must run an elevated Command Prompt to be able to perform an SFC scan.
In opened Command Prompt window, type "sfc /scannow" and press Enter on your keyboard to execute this command. System File Checker will start, and it should take some time to complete the scan.
Wait for the scanning process to complete and restart your computer.
If the SFC scan couldn't fix the problem, or for some reason, you couldn't run the SFC scan, then try to run the DISM scan and then try to run the SFC scan again.
DISM stands for Deployment Image Servicing and Management and it can be used to repair and prepare Windows images, including the Windows Recovery Environment, Windows Setup, and Windows PE.
To run DISM scan, you need to open Command Prompt as administrator again and type in this command: "DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth". Press Enter on your keyboard to execute it.
Reinstall Graphics Drivers
A device driver informs the operating system and other software how to interact with particular hardware. If the appropriate driver is not installed, the device might not function properly, if at all. You might want to try to uninstall and then reinstall the graphic drivers.
To do this, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Device Manager" result from the contextual menu.
In Device Manager, find "Display adapters", expand it, right-click your graphics device and select "Uninstall" from the dropdown menu to uninstall it.
In the popped-up window, click "Uninstall". Make sure that you check the "Delete the driver software for this device." checkbox. Restart your computer. Windows will automatically install the missing graphics drivers the next time you start your Windows. Check if this fixes the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error.
If for some reason Windows could not or won't install the missing graphics drivers, then go to Device Manager again and right-click your computer name, select "Scan for hardware changes". It should detect missing drivers and install them.
Update Graphics Drivers
Another way to fix the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error is to update your graphics drivers manually or automatically.
To do so, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Device Manager" result from the contextual menu again.
Find "Display adapters" in Device Manager, expand it, right-click your graphics device, and select "Update driver" from the contextual menu.
You will be asked if you want to search for updated driver software automatically or to browse your computer for driver software. If you select the first option, then Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the latest driver software for your device.
If you select the second option, then you will have to locate and install the drivers manually. Using this option requires having a downloaded driver on your computer or USB flash drive.
Follow the instructions and update your graphics drivers. Restart your computer and see if this fixed the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error.
Another way to update or install new drivers for devices is by using third-party software such as Snappy Driver Installer. Snappy Driver Installer (SDI) is a powerful free driver updater tool for Windows.
Drivers are downloaded through Snappy Driver Installer in driverpacks, which are simply just collections (packs) of drivers for various hardware like sound devices, video cards, network adapters, etc. You can download Snappy Driver Installer from here.
We hope at least one of our provided solutions fixed the "Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware" error. If there is another method that solved the problem for you and is not mentioned in our guide - do not hesitate to share it with us and with the others by leaving a comment in our comment section below.
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