How To Fix Failed To Initialize Direct3D In Windows 10 Issue

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Direct3D is a graphics API that is part of DirectX. It is responsible for rendering 3D graphics in software and games delivering complex images at a minimum amount of time. Although this is a solid application there are instances when certain issues can occur. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the failed to initialize Direct3D in windows 10 issue.

What to do when the initialization of Direct3D fails

Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and removes any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the failed to initialize Direct3D issue.

There are several factors that can cause this particular problem ranging from a driver issue to a problematic DLL file. Listed below are the recommended troubleshooting steps you need to do to fix this problem.

Update your graphics card driver

One of the most common factors that can cause failed to initialize Direct3D issue is an outdated or corrupted graphics card driver. To fix this you will need to reinstall the driver.

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card then follow the steps listed below.

  • Press Win+R (Windows logo key and R key) at the same time to invoke the Run box.
  • Type msconfig and click OK. Then the System Configurations will open.
  • When System Configuration opens, click the Boot tab. Under Boot options, check Safe boot then click OK.
  • When you’re prompted to restart your computer to apply these changes, click Restart then you will boot into Safe Mode.
  • Go to your local hard disk by clicking on This PC then Local Disk C. You should be able to see the NVIDIA folder right there. Right-click on it and choose Delete.
  • Click Start and type Run. Select Run, the Run dialog box will appear.
  • Type “devmgmt.msc” in the run box and click the OK button which should open the Device Manager Window.
  • Expand the “Display Adapters” field. This will list all network adapters that the machine has installed. Right click on the Nvidia adapter you want to uninstall and select “Uninstall”.
  • Click “OK” when prompted to uninstall the device. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the driver.
  • Press Win+R (Windows logo key and R key) at the same time to invoke the Run box.
  • Type msconfig and click OK. Then the System Configurations will open.
  • When System Configuration opens, click the Boot tab. Under Boot options, uncheck Safe boot then click OK.
  • When you’re prompted to restart your computer to apply these changes, click Restart.
  • Download the latest NVIDIA driver for your computer from here https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx.
  • Run the setup file and follow the instructions which appear on screen. Choose the Custom installation option and check all the boxes in the custom install options windows. Also check the box which states “perform clean install”.
  • Restart your computer

If you have an AMD graphics card then follow the steps listed below.

  • Download the AMD Cleanup Utility from here https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-601.
  • Locate the file where it was saved and double-click on the “AMDCleanupUtility.exe’ file.
  • A dialogue box should appear stating AMD Cleanup Utility has detected the system is not in safe mode and provide an option to reboot the system to run the Utility in safe mode:
  • Click “Yes” the system will be rebooted and AMD Cleanup Utility will run in safe mode.
  • The next dialogue box provides a warning message stating that the AMD Cleanup Utility will remove all AMD driver and application components.
  • Click “OK” to continue
  • After clicking “OK” the Utility will be minimized to the notification area (system tray) and the progress will be displayed as a tool tip.
  • The cleanup process will continue to run in the background.  To check the progress, hover the mouse over the AMD icon in the notification area.
  • Once the cleanup process is finished, a message is displayed stating it has successfully completed. Click “View Report” to see the list of components that were uninstalled, otherwise click “Finish” to exit the Utility.
  • Reboot your computer.

Once the drivers have been uninstalled it’s time to install the latest driver update. You can do this with the help of the AMD Driver Auto-detect tool  which you can download from https://www.amd.com/en/support.

  • Visit the AMD Driver and Support page and see section Auto-Detect and Install Radeon Graphics Drivers for Windows.
  • Click the DOWNLOAD NOW button to begin downloading the executable file for the tool.
  • Once download is complete, run the file to launch the Installer.
  • Click Install to extract the needed files.
  • After file extraction is complete the tool should automatically launch.
  • Review the End User License Agreement and information about the User Experience Improvement Program.
  • Click Accept and Install to continue or close the window to exit the AMD Driver Auto-detect tool.
  • After clicking Accept and Install, the tool will attempt to detect the installed AMD graphics product and operating system.
  • Upon successful detection of your system configuration, the tool will display the latest Recommended and Optional driver packages that are compatible with your graphics product, as well as the currently installed driver version
  • Select the desired version and choose Express installation.
  • After the driver package has been downloaded, installation should begin automatically.
  • Restart your computer

If you have an integrated graphics (Intel)

  • Press the Windows Logo key + R to launch a Run
  • Type devmgmt.msc into the Run dialog and press Enter to launch the Device Manager.
  • In the Device Manager, expand the Display adapters
  • Right-click on your graphics drivers, click on Uninstall and then go through the uninstallation wizard to uninstall the drivers.
  • Restart your computer. Once your computer boots up, it should automatically reinstall the same version of the graphics drivers.

Check if the initializing Direct3D problem still occurs.

Reinstall Visual C++ Redistributables

The Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is a standard distributable package of shared code that comes as part of your Windows and enables apps to run on your PC. If this has become corrupted or is missing some files then it could lead to the failed to initialize Direct3D  issue.

  • Press Windows Key + S and enter the control panel. Select Control Panel from the list.
  • When Control Panel starts, navigate to Programs and Features.
  • Once the Programs and Features window opens, locate Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and double click it to remove it.
  • Download the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads
  • Install the downloaded file.

Check if the cannot initialize Direct3D issue still occurs.

Change the game resolution

There are instances when this problem can occur because of a game configuration. In particular, the problem will occur when running the game at a specific resolution. To fix you can simply change the game’s resolution from its configuration app and try to run it again or you can also try to run the game in windowed mode.

Try checking if failed to initialize Direct3D issue still occurs.

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