9 Best Ways to Solve ‘Application Has Been Blocked From Accessing Graphics Hardware’ Error on Windows 10

From time to time, many PC gamers face the frustrating ‘Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware' error while trying to play their favorite games. This error can also occur in other apps and programs. But don't worry, in this article, we'll explore the best ways to troubleshoot this error and get you back to playing your favorite games. So, let's dive right in.

1. Run App as Admin

When an application is blocked from accessing graphics hardware on a PC, the first step is to try opening it with administrative privileges. Launching a game or program with elevated access can help it gain access to everything, including the graphics hardware.

To run an application as an administrator, simply right-click on the app and select “Run as administrator” from the menu. Click “Yes” when prompted. Now check if the app can access the graphics hardware.

2. Run SFC and DISM Scan

Corrupted system files can cause various issues, including the ‘application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware' error. Thankfully, Windows has a useful tool called System File Checker (SFC) that can find and repair these files automatically. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open the Start menu, type “cmd,” and select “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with admin rights.
  2. Type the command “SFC /scannow” and press Enter. Wait for the process to complete and then restart your PC.
  3. If the issue persists, run a DISM scan. Open Command Prompt with admin rights again and run the following commands one by one:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Restart your PC and check if the app can access the graphics hardware now.

3. Update Graphics Card Driver

Outdated, corrupted, or missing graphics card drivers can also cause issues and block applications from accessing the graphics hardware. To solve this, try updating the graphics card driver on your PC:

  1. Press Windows key + X and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Expand the “Display adapters” folder, right-click on the graphics card, and choose the “Update driver” option.
  3. Select “Search automatically for drivers” and wait for the process to complete.
  4. Once updated, reboot your PC and see if the issue is resolved.

4. Reinstall Graphics Card Driver

If updating the graphics driver doesn't help, you can try reinstalling it to see if it resolves the issue:

  1. Press Windows key + X and select “Device Manager” from the menu. Expand the “Display adapters” folder.
  2. Right-click on the graphics card and click on the “Uninstall driver” option.
  3. In the Device Manager window, go to the Action menu at the top and click on “Scan for hardware changes.”

Check if the application can now access the graphics hardware. If not, move on to the next solution.

5. Run Hardware Device Troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes with built-in troubleshooting tools that can automatically detect and solve problems. You can run a hardware device troubleshooter to see if it fixes the ‘application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware' error:

  1. Press Windows key + I to launch Settings. Go to Update & Security.
  2. Switch to the Troubleshoot tab and click on Additional troubleshooters.
  3. Scroll down to find Hardware and Devices and click on Run the troubleshooter.

Follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the process to finish. Then try running the application again to check if the problem persists.

6. System Maintenance Troubleshooter

If the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter doesn't resolve the error, you can try running the System Maintenance Troubleshooter. It can automatically detect and solve various Windows-related problems. Here's how:

  1. Open the Start menu and type “security and maintenance,” then press Enter.
  2. Under Maintenance, click on the Start maintenance option and follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.

Try running the app again to see if the ‘application has been blocked' error is resolved.

7. Tweak Registry

Some users have reported success by tweaking the Windows Registry to solve the ‘application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware' error. However, modifying the Registry can be risky, so proceed with caution:

  1. Press Windows key + R to launch the Run utility. Type “regedit” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Registry Editor with admin rights.
  2. In the address bar, copy and paste the following address to navigate to the Graphics Drivers key:
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMControlSet001ControlGraphicsDrivers
  1. Select the Graphics Driver folder from the left pane. Right-click anywhere in the empty space on the right and go to New > QWORD (64-bit) Value (or DWORD (32-bit) Value if you're on the 32-bit version). Name it TdrDelay.
  2. Double-click on TdrDelay and change its Value data to 8.

Restart your PC for the changes to take effect and check if the application can now access the graphics hardware.

8. Use System Restore Point

Windows PC has a useful feature called System Restore that creates backups of the entire system. You can use System Restore to revert to a point when the application was working fine and resolve the error:

  1. Open the Start menu, type “restore,” and click on the System Restore option.
  2. Under the System Protection tab, click on the System Restore button.
  3. Choose either the recommended restore point or pick one yourself before the error occurred.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.

Be patient as this process might take a while. Make sure you're connected to a stable power source.

9. Set Application on Graphic Card Preference

If the issue is limited to a specific app or game, you can try setting it to a higher priority using the graphics settings on Windows:

  1. Open the Start menu, type “graphics settings,” and press Enter.
  2. In the Graphics settings window, select your application or game using the drop-down menu or the Browse button.

Once done, restart your PC and check if the application can now access the graphics hardware.

These are the best ways to fix the ‘application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware' error on Windows 10. Hopefully, one of these solutions works for you, and you can enjoy your favorite app or game again.