14 Easy Fixes: The application Has Been Blocked From Accessing Graphics Hardware

Every system, new or old, has some bugs and issues. And windows 10 is no exception to this. It also has specific bugs that create issues. When windows 8.1 was released, all the issues associated with the previous windows were fixed. 

After this, Windows 10 was released, and most users preferred this over any other windows.

And there are lots of reasons behind its success. But the fact that Windows 10 also has specific bugs cannot be ignored. 

Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware is one example of such issues associated with Windows 10. 

What Does The “Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware” Error on Windows Mean? 

This error is mainly associated with a video game or a browser that can be used to play online. And then you might come across the message on-screen, i.e.; Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics hardware. 

This can be highly frustrating for someone who does like to face issues while using that video or browser on the PC. And especially if you are facing this issue for the first time and have no idea what this is all about. 

Hence, in the next section, we’ll discuss the fixes you can try to resolve this issue you are currently facing. 

How To Fix The “Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware” Error on Windows? 

Hence by now, you must have understood the error. Therefore there is nothing more important than discussing the possible fixes to resolve these issues. 

1. Run The App As An Administrator
2. Run SFC And DISM Scan
3. Tweak The Windows Registry
4. Update Graphics Card Driver
5. Reinstall Graphics Card Driver
6. Run The System Maintenance Troubleshooter
7. Run Hardware Device Troubleshooter
8. Use System Restore Point
9. Set Application On Graphic Card Preference
10. Disable TDR Checker 
11. Replace Your RAM 
12. Properly Seat Your Graphics Card 
13. Clean The Fan on the inside of Your PC/Laptop 
14. Downclock Your Graphics Card 

All these fixes are discussed below. 

1. Run The App As An Administrator

This should be your first fix when you encounter such an issue where an application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware on a system. By this, you will have access to graphics hardware and everything. 

These are the steps to run the application as an Administrator:

• Right-click on the application.
• From the list, choose Run as Administrator.

• When prompted, select the Yes option.

2. Run SFC And DISM Scan

If your system has corrupted system files, it can create many issues, such as the one you are facing now. But you don’t need to worry, as your windows have a nifty system file checker (SFC) scanner. This is used for finding and repairing these files by itself. 

Do this to use SFC:

• Go to the Start Menu.
• Type cmd.

• Open the Command Prompt as an admin by selecting Run as administrator.

• Type this command, sfc /scannow.  

• Press the Enter key.
• Wait for a few seconds/minutes for the process to be completed.
• Restart the PC.
• Check the application where you were facing the issue.

After checking if you are still facing the same issue, you can try running a DISM scan, i.e., similar to the SFC. Deployment Image Servicing and Management is also used for scanning and Management is also used for scanning the damaged images and files on your system.

To do this:

• Again open a Command Prompt as an Admin.

• Type the following command.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Press the Enter key.

Restart your PC.

3. Tweak The Windows Registry

It has been observed that tweaking the windows registry has also solved the issue of the Application being blocked from accessing Graphics hardware. With this fix, you need to consider that the windows registry is an integral part of the OS. 

Hence, there is always a possibility of severe damage to your system while deleting without accurate information from the registry.

But if you have proper knowledge, you can process the increasing timeout detection and recovery with the registry to fix the issue. 

After this, Windows 10 will be forced to wait till the response from the graphics card before you reset it. This can be done by:

• Launch and run the utility by pressing the Windows key + R on the keyboard. 

• Open Registry Editor as administrator by typing Regedit and pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys together. 

• Type the following address in the address bar on top of your screen.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\GraphicsDrivers

• Click on the Graphics Driver folder. 
• On the right side of your screen, right-click anywhere.
• Select New.
• Click on QWORD (64-bit) value or DWORD (32-bit) value.

• Name it, TdrDelay.
• Change the value data to 8 after double-clicking on TdrDelay.
• Restart your computer.
• Check the application.

4. Update Graphics Card Driver

If somehow your graphic cards are outdated, missing, or corrupted, it can lead to several problems, including the one you are facing. This can be easily fixed if you update your graphics card driver on your PC. This can be done by:

• Press the Windows and X keys.
• In the resulting menu, click on Device Manager.

• Click on Display adapters to expand it.

• Choose the update option after right-clicking on the graphics card.
• Click on Search automatically for the driver option.

• Wait till the process is completed.

Restart your PC.

5. Reinstall Graphics Card Driver

If you have checked the graphics card drivers and they are updated, but the issue still exists, then you can also try reinstalling the graphics card drivers:

For this, you have to do the following steps:

• Press the Windows and X keys.
• Click on the Device Manager.

• Select the Display Adapters folder to expand it.

• Right-click on the graphics card.
• Click on the Uninstall driver button.

• After this goes to the Device Manager
• Navigate to the Action Menu.
• Select the Scan for hardware changes option.

• Check if your issue is fixed.

6. Run The System Maintenance Troubleshooter

Running the system maintenance Troubleshooter is also a great fix to address the Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware issue. 

It is generally used for issues like broken desktop shortcuts, disk volume errors, etc. steps for running the system maintenance troubleshooter are:

• Open the Start Menu.
• Type Security and Maintenance.
• Press the Enter key.
• Click on the Start Maintenance option under the Maintenance section. 
• Follow the instructions provided on the screen for the process to start.

Check the app to see if the Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware issue has been resolved. 

7. Run Hardware Device Troubleshooter

The most important feature of Windows 10 is its great troubleshooting tools. These tools can detect and solve the problems on your system automatically on their own. Particularly for similar issues as you are facing, these tools are the best.

To run the run Hardware Device Troubleshooter, follow these steps:

• Launch Settings by pressing the Windows and I keys.
• Navigate to Update & Security.  

• Go to the Troubleshoot tab.

• Select the Additional Troubleshooter.
• Navigate to Hardware and Device by scrolling down. 

• Click on the Run the Troubleshooter button.
• Follow the instructions provided on your screen. 
• Wait for the process to be completed.

8. Use System Restore Point

The system Restore feature is one of the best features available on your windows PS. It is responsible for periodically taking backup of the device along with creating a restore data if any significant changes are being made in the device. 

Hence this is the perfect fix for this situation (issues); you can go back to the time when there was no such issue with the application, and it was working fine. These are the steps to use the system restore point:

• Go to the Start Menu.
• Type Restore there.
• Press the Enter key.
• Select the first result you get.
• Pick the restore point by yourself by selecting the second option. Then select the restore point before the issue’s arrival.
• Follow the instructions provided on your screen.
• Wait for a while till the process is completed. 

9. Set Application On Graphic Card Preference

Setting an application on Graphic Card preferences can also fix the Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware issue of yours if this is happening only with a particular app or game. 

This can be done by:

• Go to the Start Menu.
• Type Restore there.
• Press the enter key.
• Set your application or game with the help of the drop-down menu/Browser button in the Graphics settings window.
• Restart your system.

10. Disable TDR Checker

Timeout Detection and Recovery, or TDR, was first introduced in Windows Vista and then traveled till Windows 11/10.

It is responsible for the recovery of system graphics if the Operating system cannot get a response within the default time, i.e. 2 seconds. The reason behind graphic cards taking this long to respond can be several. 

With this fix, the TDR time will be increased to 8 seconds, and hence the OS gets more time to respond. This can be done by:

• Shut down all of your applications on your PC.
• In the search box, type Regedit and, with admin privileges, launch it.

• Browse to: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002 \Control\GraphicsDrivers or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001 \Control\GraphicsDrivers

The following steps vary depending upon your Windows version, i.e., 64-bit or 32-bit.

For 32-Bit Windows:

• Choose DWORD (32-bit) value.
• As the Name type TdrDelay.
• Press the Enter key.
• Double-click on TdrDelay.
• In the value data, add eight and click on the OK button.

For 64-Bit Windows:

• Choose QWORD (64-bit) value.
• As the Name type TdrDelay.
• Press the Enter key.
• Double-click on TdrDelay.
• In the value data, add eight and click on the OK button.

Now, restart your system.

If this does not work for you, then disabling the TDR is the best option for you. This can be done by:

• Change the TdrLevel and type the data value as 0. 
• Delete the TdrDelay key.
• Restart your PC.

11. Replace Your RAM

It has been observed that replacing the RAM is an effective fix to solve the “Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware” issue of yours. 

But still, there is no guarantee that this will fix your issue. Hence you should always ensure that the cause behind your issue is the RAM. 

And you need to take care of the following things:

• RAM Type

Be sure you get the same RAM type for your system. Such as, if your PC supports DDR2 RAM then you need to replace the RAM with it only.

• Turn OFF Everything

Make sure everything is disconnected from the power source. This includes the battery of your PC as well. 

• Be Aware Of Your Sockets

Use RAM sticks of greater memory as they can only be installed in a limited number of sockets. 

12. Properly Seat Your Graphics Card

This might seem extremely simple, but there is no harm in trying this fix. There is a possibility that your graphic card is not seated correctly, and hence you are facing the issue. This can be done by opening your PC unit and checking if your graphics card is seared perfectly.

13. Clean The Fan on the inside of Your PC/Laptop

The performance of the clan cleaning on the inside of your device also affects the PC’s performance. The presence of dust and dirt can cause the PC to overheat, eventually making the processor, along with the graphics card, underperform.

This can be fixed by cleaning the fan on the inside of your PC:

• Pick up the dust with the help of a small vacuum after opening the PC.
• Clean the area with the help of cotton buds or similar things. 

14. Downclock Your Graphics Card

You must be aware of what Overclocking is all about. It is a process of forcing the graphic card to perform at a higher rate than designed. By this, you can improve the performance of your system.

On the other hand, Downclock makes the graphic card’s performance slower so that more energy can be saved and the system does not overheat. It is a safer process with which you can also fix your issue. 

Conclusion

Hence, we have mentioned everything that can be used to fix the issue of the Application has been blocked from accessing Graphics Hardware on Windows 10 or 11.

And we hope one of them will work for you, and then you can use the application as there was nothing wrong in the first place. 

This issue, in general, is not impossible to fix, but in some rare situations, you might have to take your PC to a repair store and get the help of professionals.