How to Check Your Laptop's Graphics Card
Knowing your graphics card helps with updates, troubleshooting, and system checks.
A few days ago, a friend called me to ask for help because videos on their laptop kept freezing, and their second monitor wouldn’t display properly. The first thing I asked was, “Do you know what graphics card you have?” They had no idea.
Honestly, I’ve been in the same situation before. When something visual isn’t working right—like choppy video, screen glitches, or display issues—one of the first things to check is your graphics card.
Knowing what GPU your PC uses is one of those small bits of info that can make troubleshooting a lot easier. Whether you're updating drivers, checking compatibility for a display, or getting help from tech support, being able to identify your graphics card can save time and confusion.
Thankfully, Windows laptops offer various methods to find out. Here’s how to check your PC’s graphics card quickly and easily.
Steps to Check Your Graphics Card via Task Manager
Step 1: Right-click the Start button on the taskbar and select "Task Manager" from the displayed options
Step 2: Switch to the Performance tab
Step 3: Select the GPU section
Step 4: Here, you will find the name of your PC's GPU alongside other information like GPU memory, utilization, driver version, DirectX version, and physical location
Steps to Check Your Graphics Card Through the Device Manager
Step 1: Right-click the Start button and select "Device Manager"
Step 2: Double-click "Display adapters" to expand it
Step 3: Under Display adapters, you will find your PC's graphics card
Oluwaseun Bamisile
Conclusion
Whether you're helping someone fix a display issue, trying to update your drivers, or troubleshooting a laggy video, knowing your graphics card is a great first step. It’s one of those details that can help narrow down problems fast and make conversations with tech support way smoother.
And the best part is that you don’t need to open up your PC or install any special tools. With just a few clicks in Windows, you can get the exact name of your GPU and even see how it’s performing.
So the next time something isn’t working quite right—or you just want to be ready with the right info—you’ll know exactly where to look.
