How to Force an App to Use the Dedicated GPU on Windows 11 or 10

If a game, editor, browser, or other program keeps running on integrated graphics, Windows lets you set a GPU preference for that app. On most laptops with integrated and discrete graphics, choosing High performance points the app to the dedicated GPU. On current Windows versions, this setting is usually more important than the older NVIDIA or AMD per-app GPU menus.

Quick answer: open Settings > System > Display > Graphics, add or select the app, choose Options, select High performance, and save. Close the app completely and reopen it so the new preference can take effect.

How to make an app use the dedicated GPU

1. Open Windows Graphics settings

In Windows 11, open Settings, select System, then Display, and open Graphics. Microsoft uses this same Graphics page for per-app GPU preferences and other graphics options.

If you are still using Windows 10, the equivalent path is Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings. The labels can differ slightly by Windows 10 version. Microsoft ended normal Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025, although eligible PCs can use Extended Security Updates during the transition to Windows 11. See Microsoft's Windows 10 end-of-support guidance.

2. Add the desktop app or select an existing entry

Under the app-specific graphics section, choose Desktop app when you need to point Windows to a traditional .exe file, then select Browse. Find the program's real executable rather than only a shortcut. If the app is already listed, select it instead of adding it again.

For Microsoft Store apps, Windows may provide a Store-app selector instead of asking you to browse to an executable. The exact wording depends on the Windows build.

3. Set Graphics preference to High performance

Select the app, choose Options, then select High performance and Save. On a typical hybrid laptop, Power saving is the integrated GPU and High performance is the discrete GPU. If Windows shows GPU names, confirm that the High performance entry names the GPU you actually want.

Windows also supports systems with more than one high-performance GPU, so some PCs can offer a more specific GPU choice. Microsoft documents the High performance preference on its Windows 11 Graphics settings support page.

4. Restart the app and verify which GPU it uses

Fully exit the app or game, including launchers or background processes when relevant, and start it again. To verify the result, open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc. In the Processes or Details view, enable the GPU and GPU engine columns if they are not already visible. A value such as GPU 1 - 3D identifies the GPU engine currently doing the work; compare GPU 0/GPU 1 with the names shown on Task Manager's Performance page.

NVIDIA: use Windows Graphics settings first

Older tutorials often tell NVIDIA users to open NVIDIA Control Panel or use a right-click Run with graphics processor command. That advice is now outdated on modern Windows. NVIDIA states that beginning with Windows 10 20H1, Windows assigns the GPU preference and can override the preferred-graphics-processor setting in NVIDIA Control Panel. NVIDIA also notes that the old right-click GPU command is no longer available on those Windows versions. See NVIDIA's preferred graphics processor documentation.

You can still use NVIDIA Control Panel for application-specific 3D options such as rendering features, but set the app's GPU preference in Windows first.

AMD: Catalyst and old Switchable Graphics instructions are obsolete

The old AMD Catalyst Control Center workflow is also no longer the right default. AMD says that the Switchable Graphics option was removed from Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.12.1 and later because Windows 10 version 1803 and newer provide per-application graphics preferences. AMD recommends using Windows Graphics settings on supported hybrid-GPU laptops. See AMD's graphics performance preference guide.

If the app still uses the wrong GPU

• Restart the app: GPU selection normally applies when the program starts.
• Check the executable: launchers and games can use different .exe files, so add the process that actually renders the workload.
• Update both graphics drivers: on hybrid laptops, the integrated and dedicated GPU drivers work together. Laptop makers may provide validated driver packages for the system.
• Check the app's own graphics settings: some professional apps and games expose a renderer, adapter, or compute-device selection inside the app.
• Confirm both GPUs are enabled: if Windows cannot see the dedicated GPU in Device Manager or Task Manager, a per-app preference cannot select it.

For most Windows 11 PCs and supported Windows 10 systems, the built-in Graphics page is the cleanest way to make a specific app prefer the dedicated GPU without changing the GPU behavior of every other program.