According to reports, some users cannot use WebGL based sites like WebGL Earth, Shadertoy, etc. The message that appears is $ 0027 WebGL is not compatible with $ 0027. Although the message is much more common with Google Chrome, it is also confirmed to appear with other browsers (Opera y Firefox). The problem is not unique to a certain version of Windows, but it has been reported to occur mainly on systems using an older GPU model.
What is WebGL?
WebGL is a JavaScript API used to render interactive 2D and 3D graphics without the use of plugins within any supported web browser. Although WebGL is fully integrated with most web standards, still dependent on GPU support and may not be available on older devices.
The primary use of WebGL is to implement GPU-accelerated use of physics, effects and image processing as part of the web page canvas. The original author of WebGL is the Mozilla Foundation.
What is causing the problem $ 0027WebGL not supported $ 0027?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that they themselves implemented to resolve this particular issue.. Based on what we have collected, there are several common scenarios that will trigger this particular problem:
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The browser version does not support WebGL: Older versions of browsers are not designed to support WebGL technology. If you have the problem with a very outdated browser version, the solution is to update it to a version that supports WebGL.
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Hardware acceleration is not enabled in your browser: although hardware acceleration is not a requirement for WebGL, we have found many reports that the WebGL technology was not working properly. Chrome has been known to falsely report that WebGL is not supported if hardware acceleration is disabled. In this case, the solution is to access your browser settings and enable hardware acceleration from the browser.
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Outdated graphics drivers: another possible trigger that will cause the error $ 0027 WebGL not supported $ 0027 it is a very outdated graphics driver. In this case, the solution to update graphics driver to latest version automatically (using Device Manager) the manually (using the GPU manufacturer's proprietary update software).
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Windows XP does not support WebGL: if you still use Windows XP, may need to upgrade to use WebGL technology. An alternative solution that will allow you to use XP is to use an older version of Chromium (not recommended)
If you are looking for a way to resolve the error $ 0027 WebGL is not supported error $ 0027 in your browser, This article will provide you with several troubleshooting steps. Below you will find a compilation of methods that other users in a similar situation have used to solve the problem.
Please note that not all browser versions support WebGL. If your browser version is very out of date, you may see this error message because your browser is not equipped to handle WebGL.
Almost all recent versions of browsers are equipped to handle Web GL, but there are some exceptions. For example, WebGL is not compatible with Opera Mini, regardless of the version you are using.
A quick way to check if your browser version supports WebGL is to review this table (here). You can easily see which browser versions are equipped to handle WebGL.
Since all popular browsers currently support WebGL with the latest desktop versions, you can probably solve the problem by updating to the latest version available.
If you have ensured that the current version of your browser is equipped to support WebGL and you are still encountering the error $ 0027 WebGL is not supported $ 0027, proceed to the next method below.
One possible reason why you may encounter the error $ 0027 WebGL is not supported $ 0027 is that hardware acceleration is disabled in your web browser. WebGL technology is based on hardware acceleration, so you will need to take appropriate measures to ensure that hardware acceleration is enabled in your browser.
Since the steps to enable hardware acceleration are different from browser to browser, we have created separate guides for all the most popular web browsers. Please, follow the one corresponding to the browser you are using:
Enabling Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
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Click on the action menu (three dots icon) in the upper right corner and then click Settings.
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Inside the Settings menu, scroll down to the bottom of the list and click Advanced to make the advanced settings options visible.
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Scroll down to the System tab and check the toggle associated with Use hardware acceleration when available.
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Click the Relaunch button for the change to take effect.
Enabling Hardware Acceleration in Mozilla Firefox
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Open Firefox and go to the action button (Right upper corner) and click Options.
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Later, in the Options menu, scroll down to Performance and clear the checkbox associated with Use recommended performance settings.
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With recommended performance settings disabled, enable the checkbox associated with Use hardware acceleration when available.
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Restart your browser to force the changes to take effect.
Enabling hardware acceleration in Opera
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Click on the Opera icon (upper left corner) and choose Settings from the menu.
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Inside the Settings menu, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Advanced button to make the hidden settings options visible.
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Scroll down to the System tab and enable the switch associated with Use hardware acceleration when available.
If you still encounter the error even after turning on hardware acceleration, go to next method.
Method 3: update graphics drivers
How WebGL depends on GPU support, older graphics drivers could end up causing the error $ 0027 WebGL is not supported $ 0027. If your system is equipped to support WebGL, you may be able to solve the problem just by making sure you are using the latest graphics drivers available.
If you have Windows 10, you can easily do it by using Device Manager to update graphics drivers. That's how:
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Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Later, scribe “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter to open Device Manager.
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Inside Device Manager, expand drop-down menu associated with display adapters. Later, right click on your graphics card and select Update Driver.
Note: If you are using a system that has a dedicated and integrated GPU, it is better to update both. What's more, make sure you are using a stable internet connection.
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On the next screen, click Search automatically for updated driver software and then follow the on-screen instructions to search for the latest driver.
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Wait until the driver has completely downloaded, then continue with the installation to configure the latest driver.
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After installing the new driver, restart your computer to complete the installation.
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Open your browser again and see if you can now see the WebGL content.
If you have an older version of Windows or Device Manager does not identify a newer version of the driver, you will have to find the latest version for your particular GPU model and install it manually.
Fortunately, all major GPU manufacturers have proprietary software that will automatically identify the appropriate driver and install it for you. Just use the appropriate software for your GPU manufacturer:
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GeForce experience – Nvidia
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Adrenalin – DMAE
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Intel controller – Intel
If you keep encountering the same problem even after updating the GPU drivers, scroll down to the next method.
Method 4: install a new version of Windows (if appropriate)
Since most browsers have removed GPU rendering in Windows XP (for security reasons), you may need to install a newer version of Windows if you want to use WebGL.
O, if you insist on using WebGL with Windows XP, you can do it using an older version of Chromium. If this scenario applies to you, lean on a version of Chrome earlier than 291976.
