How to Fix DirectX Errors — Games Crashing with DirectX or D3D Errors on Windows
Games crashing with "DirectX encountered an unrecoverable error", DXGI errors, or D3D device lost? Fix DirectX issues on Windows 10 and 11.
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Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix Driver Issues →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •"DirectX encountered an unrecoverable error" when launching games
- •Game crash with "DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED"
- •"D3D11 device lost" error during gameplay
- •"DirectX Runtime Error" popup
- •Games crash immediately with DirectX error in the log
- •"Your graphics card does not support DirectX 11/12"
Common Causes
- ⚠GPU driver outdated, corrupted, or incompatible
- ⚠GPU overheating and being removed by Windows for protection
- ⚠GPU overclock unstable — causing device lost errors
- ⚠DirectX runtime files corrupted
- ⚠Game requires a newer DirectX version than GPU supports
- ⚠TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery) killing the GPU driver
Solutions
Solution 1: Update GPU Driver
- 1This fixes 90% of DirectX errors:
- 2NVIDIA: geforce.com → download latest Game Ready driver
- 3AMD: amd.com/en/support → download latest Adrenalin driver
- 4Intel: intel.com → download latest Arc/UHD driver
- 5Use "Clean install" option during driver installation
- 6Or use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for a completely fresh install
- 7Restart PC after driver installation
Solution 2: Fix DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED
- 1This usually means the GPU crashed or was disconnected:
- 2Check GPU temperature: use HWiNFO64 or GPU-Z while gaming
- 3If temp exceeds 90°C: clean GPU fans, improve airflow
- 4If GPU is overclocked: revert to stock clocks
- 5Increase TDR delay: Registry → HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
- 6Add DWORD "TdrDelay" with value 8 (default is 2 seconds)
- 7This gives the GPU more time to respond before Windows kills it
Solution 3: Reinstall DirectX
- 1DirectX is built into Windows but runtime components can be repaired:
- 2Download DirectX End-User Runtime from microsoft.com
- 3Run the installer — it adds legacy DirectX components (d3dx9, d3dx10, etc.)
- 4Many older games need these legacy DLLs
- 5Also: verify game files in Steam/Epic (may have corrupted DX DLLs)
- 6Check DirectX version: Win+R → dxdiag → check "DirectX Version" on System tab
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