Use the most powerful graphics card

Many Windows laptops have two graphics cards: one built into the processor, which saves the battery, and a more powerful one, from NVIDIA or AMD. Windows often gives your browser the first one. The 3D view is then lightened to stay smooth, and says so at the bottom of the view. Give the more powerful card to your browser once, in the Windows settings: the 3D view can then show its shadows and its light in each room.

Unknown directive: animation

Windows 11

  1. Open the Windows settings: click Start, then “Settings”, or press Windows + I.
  2. Click “System”, then “Display”, then “Graphics”.
  3. If your browser is not in the list, click “Add desktop app” and choose your browser's program file (below).
  4. Click your browser's row to open it, then under “GPU preference” choose “High performance”. On some versions of Windows 11 the row shows “Options” instead: click it, choose “High performance”, then “Save”.
  5. Quit your browser completely, then open it again.

Windows 10

  1. Open the Windows settings with Windows + I, then click “System”, then “Display”.
  2. At the bottom of the page, click “Graphics settings”.
  3. Keep “Desktop app”, click “Browse” and choose your browser's program file (below), then “Add”.
  4. Click your browser in the list, then “Options”. Choose “High performance”, then “Save”.
  5. Quit your browser completely, then open it again.

Your browser's program file

Browser Program file
Chrome C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
Edge C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe
Firefox C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe

If the file is not there, your browser gives its place: type chrome://version in Chrome's address bar, edge://version in Edge's, or about:support in Firefox's.

Quit your browser completely

Windows gives the card to the browser when it starts. Closing its windows is not always enough, because a browser can keep running near the clock.

  • Chrome. The ⋮ menu at the top right, then “Exit”. When “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed” is on, in Chrome's settings under “System”, Chrome stays near the clock: right-click its icon there and choose “Exit”.
  • Edge. The ··· menu at the top right, then “Close Microsoft Edge”.
  • Firefox. The ☰ menu at the top right, then “Exit”.

Check which card is used

Type chrome://gpu in Chrome's address bar, or edge://gpu in Edge's. The line GL_RENDERER names the card in use: NVIDIA or AMD Radeon is the more powerful card, Intel the built-in one. In Firefox, type about:support: the card is under “Graphics”, on the line “WebGL 2 Driver Renderer”.

The desktop application

If your site gives you a desktop application, it uses the most powerful card by itself: there is nothing to set.

If the browser keeps the built-in card

First check that it was really quit, then that the row chosen in Windows is the program it starts.

On an AMD card there is nothing more: AMD removed this choice from its software and points to the Windows setting.