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Firefox and plugins can use your graphics card to speed things up. To enable this or to fix problems, you may need to update the graphics card drivers.

Firefox and some plugins use your graphics card to help speed up the display of web content. Graphic cards are also used by advanced web features like WebGL. To fix problems with these features or to take advantage of them, you may need to update your graphics card drivers. This article describes how to do that. __TOC__ = Search for and install new graphics drivers = {for win7,win8} == Using Windows Update == Some recent graphics driver versions are made available as an optional update from the Windows Update feature. If you haven't set Windows to automatically install recommended updates, follow these steps: # In Windows, click [[Image:Small Vista Logo]], select {menu All programs}, then select {menu Windows Update} to open the Windows Update window. # Click the "Check for updates" link and wait until it is done searching. # If there are optional updates available, click "optional updates are available" and the View available updates panel will open. # Click "Optional" and search updates with your graphics card manufacturer name (probably Intel, AMD/ATI or NVIDIA) in the title. # If you find some, check the latest one and click {button OK} to close the View available updates panel. # Click {button Install updates}. # Restart your computer. # Start Firefox. If there are no updates available or if the updates don't solve your problems, continue to the next section. {/for} {for win} == Using your computer manufacturer's system update tool == Some computer manufacturers include a system update tool that updates drivers{for win7,win8} and bypasses the Windows ones{/for}. You may be required to use this tool to update graphics drivers. Just search for this tool from the {menu Start} menu. Some possible search terms are the name of your computer manufacturer (such as Dell or HP) or generic terms like "update", "maintenance" or "driver". Open the tool and apply all available updates. If there is no update tool, no updates available, or if the updates don't solve your problems, continue to the next section. {/for} {for linux} == Use your distribution's standard update process == If your distribution's standard update process doesn't give you the latest drivers, you may need to look for other package repositories for your distribution. For example, to upgrade closed-source drivers on Ubuntu, you may need to go to System Settings > Hardware > Additional Drivers. {/for} {for win,linux} == Using the latest generic graphics drivers == You can also install a generic graphics driver from your graphics card manufacturer's website. These are usually kept up-to-date and are designed to work on a variety of systems: * [http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect/graphics Intel] * [http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx AMD/ATI] * [http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx NVIDIA] If you don't know which graphics card you have, look in the graphics section of Firefox's ''about:support'' [[Using the Troubleshooting Information page|Troubleshooting Information page]]. {for win} {note}'''Note:''' Hardware acceleration is not available for graphics cards from other manufacturers.{/note} {note}'''Note:''' After downloading the graphics driver, the installation wizard may prevent you from installing it because your current driver is customized by your computer manufacturer.{/note} {warning}'''Warning:''' With some combinations of computer and graphics card, you may experience problems with generic versions of software drivers.{/warning} {/for} {/for} {for mac} # Click the Apple. # On the "Apple" menu, click "Software Update." # If there is a Mac OS X update available, you can install it. If there is a graphics driver update, it will be included in the Mac OS X update. {/for} = After upgrading your graphics driver = You will probably need to reboot your computer for the new graphics driver to come into use. {for not fx24} {note}Note: <!-- [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=653102 bug 653102]-->Firefox will not notice the new graphics driver until the day after you upgrade your driver. You can wait a day or you can <!--[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=660730#c5 force Firefox to refresh the blocklist]-->copy the following code and enter it in a single line in the Error Console (accessible from {for winxp,mac, linux}the Firefox {menu Tools} menu{/for}{for win7,win8}the {button Firefox} button{/for}, {menu Web Developer} menu) and then click the Evaluate button:<br><br> <code>Components.classes["@mozilla.org/extensions/blocklist;1"].getService(Components.interfaces.nsITimerCallback).notify(null);</code> {/note} {/for} {for =fx24} {note}Note: Firefox will not notice the new graphics driver until the day after you upgrade your driver. You can wait a day or you can copy the following code and enter it in a single line in the Browser Console (accessible from {for winxp,mac, linux}the Firefox {menu Tools} menu{/for}{for win7,win8}the {button Firefox} button{/for}, {menu Web Developer} menu) and then press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key return}{/for}:<br><br> <code>Components.classes["@mozilla.org/extensions/blocklist;1"].getService(Components.interfaces.nsITimerCallback).notify(null);</code> {/note} {/for} {for fx25} {note}Note: Firefox will not notice the new graphics driver until the day after you upgrade your driver.{/note} {/for} = I still have problems with my graphics card in Firefox = Unfortunately, due to the wide range of possible driver, video card and operating system combinations, hardware acceleration or 3D web graphics (WebGL) may still not work for you in Firefox. In these instances you fix the problems by disabling hardware acceleration and WebGL. == Turning off hardware acceleration == # [[T:optionspreferences]]. # Select the {menu Advanced} panel. # Select the {menu General} tab. # Uncheck '''Use hardware acceleration where available'''. # [[T:closeFirefox]]. Start Firefox normally. == Disabling WebGL == # [[T:aboutconfig]] # In the {menu Filter} box, type '''webgl.disabled'''. # Doubleclick on the '''webgl.disabled''' item to switch it to '''true'''. # [[T:closeFirefox]]. Start Firefox normally.