Fix: Application Has Been Blocked From Accessing Graphics Hardware

If you’re reading this article, then you must have gone through the “Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error on your Windows 10 computer. Though it’s not a very common error, some users have complained about this error.

Being a gamer or graphics software user, this error can be frustrating for you. This error is related to the Windows or browser game and it gets triggered while launching the video games or browser.

The main reason that causes this error on Windows 10 computers is your faulty/outdated graphics card driver. Device drivers are crucial for your computer’s hardware in order to operate properly. But a small glitch with the device drivers can lead to serious issues on your computer.

And, the application blocked from accessing graphics hardware error is a result of such graphics driver’s glitch. However, you can easily overcome this error with the help of the below-listed fixes.

So, follow the given solutions one after another and get this error fixed with just a few clicks.

How to Fix Application Blocked from Accessing Graphics Hardware?

Table of Contents

Fix 1: Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

You can run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter as the primary solution to fix the “Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error.

As this error is associated with the hardware issue, hence running this Windows built-in troubleshooting utility may help you to fix this error. Here are the steps you need to follow to run this utility:

Press Windows + I keys to open the Windows Settings.
Now, select Update & Security.

Go to the Troubleshoot tab located in the left pane of the window.
Next, go to the Hardware and Devices section and click on the “Run the troubleshooter” button.

Wait for the process to get completed.

After the completion of the process, restart your computer and check if the error is fixed or not.

Fix 2: Run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter

There is one more Windows inbuilt utility that may fix the “Application blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error on Windows 10 computer. System Maintenance Troubleshooter is a Windows utility that fixes maintenance tasks related issues.

To run this tool, follow these steps:

Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
In the Run text box, type msdt.exe -id MaintenanceDiagnostic > press the Enter key.

Before running this tool, make sure you have logged in to your computer as an administrator.
In the System Maintenance window, click on the Advanced.
Click on the Run as administrator and then click on the Next button.

Now, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the troubleshooting process.

Fix 3: Run SFC and DISM Scan

The “Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error can also occur due to the corrupted/damaged graphics card files. Hence, if there are any damaged system files of graphics card is present on your computer, then you are likely to receive this error.

However, Windows have utilities to fix corrupted system files – SFC and DISM. Both are Windows inbuilt tool which detects and repair the corrupted/damaged Windows system files.

First, run the SFC scan and then run the DISM scan. So, follow the given steps to run the SFC scan:

Go to the Windows Search box, and type cmd.
Right-click on the Command Prompt and select the Run as administrator option.

In the Command Prompt, type this command and press the Enter key:

sfc /scannow

Now, the System File Checker may take up to 15 minutes to scan your computer.
Once the process is completed, restart your PC.

Now, check if the error is resolved. If SFC failed to fix the error, then run the DISM scan. Follow the below-given instructions to run the DISM tool:

Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Type the given command in the Command Prompt window, and press the Enter key:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Wait until the process is completed and then restart your computer.

Fix 4: Update the Graphics Card Driver

The application has been blocked error occurs as a consequence of corrupted or incompatibility of graphics driver. Hence, updating the graphics card driver may resolve this error on your Windows 10 computer.

Follow these steps to update the driver:

Press Windows + R keys.
Type devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog box and click on the OK button.

In the Device Manager window, click on the Display adapters and right-click on the graphics card driver name.
Select the Update driver option from the context menu list.

Click on the Search automatically for updated driver software.

You can follow the above-given method to update the driver but it’s quite difficult to check and update all the device drivers. Therefore I will suggest you use Driver Updater. This tool will keep eyes on drivers and will update it from time to time.

Get Driver Updater to Update Device Drivers Automatically

Fix 5: Reinstall Graphics Card Driver

If updating the graphics card driver didn’t fix the error, then uninstall and reinstall the graphics card driver. Doing this will fix the corrupted graphics driver that might be causing the “Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error on Windows 10 PC.

For this, you need to do the following:

Press Windows + X keys and select the Device Manager option from the list.

Click on the Display adapters to expand the category.
Righ-click on the graphics card name and select the Uninstall device.

Click on the Delete the driver software for this device option.

Next, click on the Uninstall button.
Click on the Scan for hardware changes button to reinstall the graphics card driver.

Fix 6: Edit the Windows Registry

To fix the “Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error, you can use the Windows Registry Editor to modify the TDR time.

Increasing the TDR value of the graphics card’s processing time can fix this error on your computer. To do this, edit the Windows Registry as given below:

Type regedit in the Windows Search box.
Right-click on the regedit and select Run as administrator.

In the Registry Editor, open the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\GraphicsDrivers

In the left pane of the window, choose the GraphicsDrivers key.

Now, right-click on the empty space of the right pane of the window and choose QWORD (64-bit) Value or select DWORD (32-bit) Value if are using the Windows 32 bit version.
In the Value name text box, type QWORD/DWORD.
Now, double click on the TdrDelay and set Value data: 8.

Restart your computer.

Fix 7: Perform System Restore

System Restore is the best way to fix such issues on the computer. It fixes several errors on Windows 10 computers because it rollbacks the Windows to the point where the error was not appearing on the computer.

So, follow the below steps to perform the System Restore on your Windows 10 computer:

Open Run dialog box (press Windows + R keys).
Type rstrui.exe in the Run box and click on the OK button.

In the System Restore window, click on the Next button.

On the next screen, check the Show more restore checkbox and select the restore point where you were not getting this error.

Click on the Next and Finish button.

Best Solution to Fix Windows PC Errors

If you are struggling with any error or issue on the Windows 10 computer and none of the manual methods worked for you, then here is an ultimate solution for you. Try the PC Repair Tool.

This advanced repair utility is designed by experts to deal with Windows errors and issues, such as BSOD, DLL, application, registry, game errors, repairs corrupted system files, etc.

It also keeps the PC secure against the virus or malware attack and also optimizes that PC to boost its performance and provide the maximum performance.

Get PC Repair Tool to Fix Errors on Windows 10 PC

Conclusion

All of the above-given solutions will help you to kick start your games without receiving the “Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware” error.

I hope this guide helped you and at least one of the provided solutions fixed the error on your computer. If you have another way to resolve this issue on your computer, then feel free to share it with us.

Along with this, you can also share your queries and suggestions on Facebook or Twitter.

Hardeep Kaur

Hardeep has always been a Windows lover ever since she got her hands on her first Windows XP PC. She has always been enthusiastic about technological stuff, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing. Before joining PC Error Fix, she worked as a freelancer and worked on numerous technical projects.