Last Updated on April 18, 2026
Last Updated: April 2026
If you are experiencing problems when running Microsoft DirectX applications, the DirectX Diagnostic Tool can help you find the source of the trouble such as incorrect versions of DirectX components, lack of hardware acceleration, devices that are not connected and unsigned drivers in Windows.
Why use DxDiag in 2026?
Today, the most important part of this tool is the “Save All Information…” button at the bottom.
- If you are having a technical issue with a game or software, support teams will often ask for your “DxDiag log.”
- Clicking this button creates a text file containing every detail of your hardware, drivers, and even recent “app crashes” (at the bottom of the log).
- This is the fastest way to spot if your GPU driver is outdated or if a specific system file is failing.
You can test Microsoft DirectDraw and Direct3D on each monitor attached to your system. You can also test DirectSound on each wave output device, and DirectMusic on each music port. The quickest way to launch it in Windows 11 is to press Windows Key + R, type dxdiag, and hit Enter. You can also just type dxdiag directly into the Start menu search bar. When you run the tool for the first time you may get a message similar to the one below asking if you want the tool to check to see if your drivers are digitally signed. Click yes to the dialog box.
Next you will see a new window with various tabs. These tabs will vary depending on what version of Windows DirectX you are running on your computer.
The System tab shows information about your computer and displays the version of DirectX installed on your computer.
The Display Tab: In modern Windows, you can no longer manually disable DirectDraw or Direct3D here, as they are essential to the Windows interface. Instead, use this tab to verify that DirectX 12 (Ultimate) is supported and that your WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) version is up to date. It also provides a quick look at your “VRAM” (Display Memory), which is critical for checking if your PC meets the minimum requirements for new games.
The Sound Tab: This tab is now purely informational. It lists your hardware ID and driver version. If you are hearing “crackling” or “popping” audio, the Hardware Sound Acceleration slider is gone, you should instead check the Sample Rate in the Windows Sound Control Panel.
The Input tab lists the input devices connected to your computer such as USB and PS2 devices. It also displays the input drivers installed on your computer. If the DirectX Diagnostic Tool detects a problem with an input device or an input device driver, a warning message is displayed in the Notes box.
The More Help tab allows you to further troubleshoot problems that the other tabs could not resolve. Features include the DirectX troubleshooter, sound troubleshooter, system information tool and the override tool which will override DirectDraw’s refresh rate.
Is your PC ‘DirectX 12 Ultimate’ Ready?
Modern games often require DirectX 12 Ultimate for features like Ray Tracing and Mesh Shading. To check if your video card supports this, look at the Display Tab under the “Drivers” section. It will explicitly list whether your hardware supports these advanced 2026 features.
