How to Check What Graphics Card Is in Your Computer

To find out what graphics card is in a Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open the Performance section in Task Manager: graphics cards are listed there as GPU 0, GPU 1 with their model names. Another quick way is to right-click the Start button, open Device Manager and expand Display adapters. On a Mac, open the Apple menu → About This Mac: on computers with Apple silicon, the graphics are part of the Chip line, and on Macs with an Intel processor, the model appears in the Graphics line.

Below are four methods for Windows, one for Mac and a tip for when the computer won’t turn on, based on Microsoft, Apple, NVIDIA, AMD and Intel help pages as of October 25, 2026. We’ll also cover what to do if you see Microsoft Basic Display Adapter instead of a model name. You won’t need third-party software: everything you need is already built into the system.

Which method to choose

Situation	Where to look
You need the model quickly	Task Manager → Performance
A strange name instead of the model	Device Manager → Display adapters
You need a report or the driver version	DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag)
NVIDIA, AMD or Intel software is installed	System information in that software
A Mac	Apple menu → About This Mac
The computer won’t turn on	The box or the sticker on the graphics card

1. Task Manager: the fastest way

This method works in Windows 11 and Windows 10 and shows not only the model but also GPU usage and the amount of video memory.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, or right-click the Start button and select Task Manager.
2. In Windows 11, select Performance on the left side of the window; in Windows 10, click the Performance tab at the top.
3. Below the CPU, memory and disks, you’ll see GPU 0, GPU 1 and so on. Select the one you need: you’ll see the graphics card’s name, usage graphs, and dedicated and shared GPU memory.

If there are several graphics cards, Task Manager orders them by their physical location on the PCI bus, not by performance. According to Microsoft’s DirectX developers, the GPU section appears only with a driver that supports WDDM 2.0 or later; if there are no GPU entries at all, move on to the second method.

2. Device Manager: if the model isn’t shown

This is the main method in Microsoft’s help. It also shows right away whether the manufacturer’s driver is installed.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager. The same menu opens with Win + X.
2. Click the arrow next to Display adapters.
3. Each entry in the list is a separate graphics card. The name usually starts with the manufacturer, such as NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon.

If the list shows Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, Windows is using its own generic driver. Microsoft recommends installing the manufacturer’s driver: first try Windows Update, and if the driver isn’t there, download it from the website of the graphics card or laptop manufacturer. If you can’t tell the model from the name, AMD suggests opening the adapter’s properties and checking the hardware IDs: the line contains the vendor code VEN (in AMD’s example, VEN_1002) and the device code DEV, which you can use to look up the model.

3. DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag)

The tool shows the model, the driver version and its WDDM driver model, and it can also save a report that’s handy to send to support.

1. Press Win + R, type the command below and click OK. You can also just type dxdiag in the search box on the taskbar.
2. The first time you run it, the tool may ask whether to check if your drivers are digitally signed. Microsoft recommends answering Yes.
3. Open the Display tab. In the Device section, the graphics card’s name is in the Name: line.
4. Click Save All Information… to save a report.

dxdiag.exe

If there are several Display tabs, your computer has several display adapters: check each one.

4. NVIDIA, AMD and Intel software

If the manufacturer’s driver is already installed, its software is usually installed along with it, and that software has detailed information about the graphics card.

• NVIDIA. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel and choose the System Information window: there’s a link to it in the lower-left corner and in the Help menu. According to NVIDIA’s help, it collects technical details about your NVIDIA graphics cards and the installed driver.
• AMD. Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition from the Start menu, type System in the app’s search and open System Settings. AMD says that’s where you’ll see details about the graphics card and the driver and software versions.
• Intel. Launch Intel Driver & Support Assistant and expand Intel Graphics in the Devices and Drivers section. If you only see Intel UHD Graphics or Intel HD Graphics without a number, Intel suggests finding out your processor model and checking its graphics in the specifications on Intel’s website.

5. Mac: About This Mac and System Report

On a Mac, the graphics depend on the processor. On computers with Apple silicon, the GPU is part of the chip itself, so there’s no separate graphics card in the description.

1. Open the Apple menu → About This Mac. In newer versions of macOS, the same information is in System Settings → General → About.
2. Look at the Chip line (on computers with Apple silicon) or Graphics (only on Macs with an Intel processor).
3. For details, open the report: in About, click System Report, or hold Option and choose System Information from the Apple menu. Graphics cards are listed under Graphics/Displays in the Hardware section.

Some 15-inch MacBook Pro models have two graphics cards: integrated and discrete. Apple says the graphics cards currently in use are shown in the Graphics section, and you can see which app is using the discrete one in Activity Monitor, on the Energy tab, in the Requires High Perf GPU column. If that column isn’t there, your Mac has only one GPU.

6. If the computer won’t turn on: the box and the sticker

When Windows won’t boot or you need to identify a graphics card before installing it, AMD names the simplest way: look at the box the card came in or at the sticker on the card itself. It shows the manufacturer and the model, such as Sapphire Radeon RX 580. For a laptop, look up the graphics card in the model’s specifications on the manufacturer’s website using the serial number or model code from the sticker on the bottom.

What to do with this information

• Compare it with a game’s requirements. The graphics card model and the amount of video memory are the first things system requirements ask for, as in our breakdown of the Battlefield 6 requirements.
• Check a card before buying it used. The name in Device Manager and dxdiag should match what the seller promises; the other checks are collected in our checklist for a used graphics card.
• Decide whether it’s time to upgrade. If your model can’t handle the games or programs you need, compare it with the cards in our roundup of the best graphics cards.
• Download the right driver. Once you know the manufacturer and series, get the driver from the NVIDIA, AMD or Intel website or from your laptop manufacturer.

If it didn’t work

• Task Manager has no GPU entries. The driver is old or generic: the section appears only with a WDDM 2.0 or later driver. Check the model in Device Manager or dxdiag.
• Display adapters shows only Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. Install the driver through Windows Update or from the manufacturer’s website; until then, you can find out the model from the hardware IDs, the box or the sticker.
• Only integrated graphics show up, though you definitely have a discrete card. If the card doesn’t appear even in Device Manager, turn off the computer and check that it’s firmly seated in the slot and that auxiliary power is connected to it, if it needs any.
• Intel shows only Intel UHD Graphics. Find out your processor model and look up its graphics in the specifications on Intel’s website.
• The NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Software won’t open. Most likely, the manufacturer’s driver isn’t installed or isn’t working properly — use methods 1–3.

Sources and methodology

Analysis of public sourcesChecked 25 October 2026

Versions

• Windows 11 and Windows 10
• macOS (Mac User Guide for macOS 27)
• AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, Intel Driver & Support Assistant, NVIDIA Control Panel

1. Microsoft — Microsoft Basic Display Adapter in Windows support.microsoft.com
2. Microsoft — Which version of DirectX is on your PC (dxdiag) support.microsoft.com
3. Microsoft DirectX Developer Blog — GPUs in the Task Manager devblogs.microsoft.com
4. Apple — View About settings on Mac support.apple.com
5. AMD — How To Identify the Manufacturer and Model of an AMD Graphics Card amd.com

Frequently asked questions

How can I check my graphics card without extra software?

In Windows, use Task Manager (the Performance section), Device Manager → Display adapters or the dxdiag command. On a Mac, go to the Apple menu → About This Mac.

Why are there two graphics cards in the list?

Usually these are the processor’s integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card. Microsoft says each entry under Display adapters is a separate display adapter.

What does Microsoft Basic Display Adapter mean?

It’s a generic Windows driver that runs until the manufacturer’s driver is installed. Microsoft recommends installing the driver through Windows Update or from the manufacturer’s website.

How do I check how much video memory I have?

In Task Manager, select the GPU you need in the Performance section: it shows dedicated and shared GPU memory.

What graphics card does a MacBook with an M-series chip have?

There’s no separate graphics card: the GPU is part of the Apple chip, so About This Mac shows only the Chip line. The Graphics line appears only on Macs with an Intel processor.