Quickly Reset Your Graphics Driver

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated November 29, 2021)

Every so often, as we work on our computers, we might come across times where our machines begin to act slightly "off." The computer runs slow or just not quite right. The longer we use our computers, the more likely we are to run into situations in which we encounter strange behavior. When this happens, it can catch us off guard, and we resort to restarting our computer.

As you work on your computer, you might come across times when your display doesn't seem to work correctly. Your screen can appear frozen, your mouse or keyboard inputs don't respond, or perhaps your monitor is black. When these things happen, it could indicate something not working correctly with your graphics driver. Usually, during a restart, these graphic driver issues are taken care of as they are reset. But what happens if you're working on a project and this happens, and you can't afford a hard reboot of your system because you haven't saved your work yet?

There is an effortless way to see if restarting the graphics driver will fix the issue. By pressing Win+Ctrl+Shift+B you can tell Windows to restart your graphics driver without rebooting the entire computer.

While not a guaranteed fix, as there could be a myriad of reasons why your computer may have frozen or become unresponsive, you may discover that this simple move helps. If the issue is due to the graphics driver, this shortcut should fix the problem.

 This tip (12577) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

MORE FROM ERIC

Windows Key Shortcut List

Windows includes many combination keystrokes referred to as shortcuts. Knowing keyboard shortcuts can shorten the amount ...

Discover More

Adjusting Your Monitor's Refresh Rate

Does your screen's motion appear choppy or less than smooth? You can improve the smoothness of motion on your screen by ...

Discover More

Creating a QR Code for a Web Page

QR codes allow for data to be scanned quickly and actions to take place. Use Edge Chromium to create a QR code to open a ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Estimating Battery Life

The battery in your laptop provides the power you need to even use the system. As you use your laptop, you may notice ...

Discover More

Formatting a USB Drive with Disk Manager

Windows 10 provides multiple ways to format a USB drive. Discover how to use Disk Manager to easily format a USB drive.

Discover More

Using Powercfg to List Your Existing Power Schemes

Windows allows you to define different power schemes that control how your computer uses power. This tip shows you how to ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips