4 Simple Ways to Find Out What Graphics Card You Have

A user-friendly guide to know your graphics card on PC, Mac, or Linux

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: December 6, 2022 Tested

Using Windows

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Using macOS Ventura

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Using macOS Monterey and Earlier

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Using Linux

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Q&A

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Tips

Do you want to check what graphics card you have on your computer? You can easily see your Graphics processing unit (GPU) using the Device Manager on Windows or your "About" menu on Mac. For Linux, you'll need to use the Terminal to find out what video card you have. This wikiHow will show you how to locate your computer's graphics card information on a Windows, Mac, and Linux computer.

Things You Should Know

On Windows, open the Device Manager and double-click the "Display adapters" heading. The graphics card(s) will be listed underneath.
On Mac, click the Apple menu, then "About This Mac". Click "System Report", "Graphics/Displays". The card will be listed in the right panel.
On Linux, use the Terminal to look up the list of PCI items. Find the ID number, then enter it in a new Terminal.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using Windows

1
Open the Start menu
. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen or press the Windows key on your keyboard.
- You can also right-click the Start icon to open the Advanced Options menu.
- Knowing your current graphics card can help if you need to fix or change a graphics card.
2
Open the Device Manager. Type "Device Manager" into the Start menu, then click Device Manager at the top of the search results.
- If you opened Start with a right-click, click Device Manager in the pop-up menu.
- A new window will open.
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3
Locate the "Display adapters" heading. This looks like a monitor icon with a small chip-like icon. You may need to scroll down to find it.
- The options in the Device Manager window are organized in alphabetical order, so you'll find the "Display adapters" heading in the "D" section.
- If you see indented options below the "Display adapters" heading, skip the next step.
4
Double-click the "Display adapters" heading. Doing so expands it to show your installed graphics card(s).
- You can also click the right-facing arrow to the left of Display adapters.
5
Review your graphics card(s). Your installed graphics card's name will appear under the Display adapters heading. If you see more than one name there, it means you have both a built-in graphics card and an installed graphics card.
- If you want to install a new graphics card, be sure to research for your specific needs before choosing one.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using macOS Ventura

1
Open the Apple menu
. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Click System Settings. This will be near the top of the menu.
3
Click General. This will be next to the grey cog icon.
- You may need to scroll down to find this.
4
Click About. This will be located in the right panel.
5
Click System Report. A new page will open.
6
Click Graphics/Displays. This can be found underneath the Hardware header. If the header isn't expanded, click the arrow to the left of Hardware.
7
Look for your graphics card's name. It will appear at the top of the right-hand pane.
- Select your graphics card to view its specifications listed below.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using macOS Monterey and Earlier

1
Open the Apple menu
. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.^{[2]
X
Research source}
2
Click About This Mac. This option is at the top of the drop-down menu.
- You may find your graphics card listed next to Graphics. If you don't see it, proceed to the next step.
3
Click System Report…. It's at the bottom of the About This Mac window.
4
Click ▼ to the left of Hardware. This option is in the left-hand pane of the System Report window.
5
Click Graphics/Displays. It's about halfway down the group of options that appear below the Hardware heading in the left-hand pane.
6
Look for your graphics card's name. It will appear at the top of the right-hand pane.
- You can view your graphics card's specifications listed below the card's name, or check other computer specifications.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Linux

1
Open the Terminal app. Click the Terminal app icon, which resembles a black box, or press CTRL + ALT + T at the same time to open a new Terminal window.
2
Update your computer's list of PCI items. Type the following command into Terminal, then press Enter.
```
sudo update-pciids
```
3
Enter your password. Type in the password that you use to log into your computer, then press Enter. Doing so will confirm your command and update your computer's PCI list.
- The password's characters will not appear when you type in Terminal.
4
Look up your computer's list of PCI items. Type in the following command and press Enter to bring up a list of installed and built-in PCI items (including graphics cards):
```
lspci -v | less
```
5
Find your graphics card. Scroll up in the Terminal window until you find the "Video controller", "VGA compatible", "3D", or "Integrated graphics" heading. Your graphics card's name will be listed next to this heading.
6
Note the graphics card's ID number. This number is to the left of the graphics card's heading, and will usually be in the following format: 00:00.0
7
Open a new Terminal window. Press CTRL + ALT + T again, or right-click the Terminal app icon and click New Terminal Window (or similar).
8
Look up your graphics card's information. Type the following command into Terminal—making sure to replace "00:02.0" with your graphics card's actual ID number—and press Enter to see your graphics card's specific information:^{[3]
X
Research source}
```
sudo lspci -v -s 00:02.0
```

Community Q&A

Question

Can I play games using Intel HD Graphics only?

Community Answer

You can play games like Minecraft, CS:GO, and other very light games on graphics with Intel HD Graphics. If you want to play more graphic intensive games though, you will need a graphics card.
Question

What if mine only says Intel HD graphics??

Community Answer

This means you have an integrated graphics controller and not a separate graphics card.
Question

How can I tell which graphics card is being used?

Community Answer

Click right on the home screen, the cpu will pop up and you can use it to chose which one you need to use.