Fix “DXGI ERROR DEVICE REMOVED”?

While playing a game , the screen suddenly went black, and a line of English text popped up: DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED. The program then crashed and exited. This could be due to a faulty graphics card driver, overheating triggering protection, unstable overclocking, or a problem with the DirectX files. Once you figure out the cause, fixing it isn’t difficult.

DXGI is a component of DirectX, responsible for communication between the graphics card and the program. “DEVICE REMOVED” means that during program execution, the operating system suddenly lost control of the graphics card, and DirectX, not knowing how to continue, could only exit with an error message.

Why does my graphics card crash? 4 reasons:

① The graphics card driver has crashed or the current version has a bug;

② The graphics card overheated, triggering its self-protection mechanism;

③ Overclocking parameters are unstable;

④ Insufficient power supply or hardware contact problems.

The first three are software or configuration issues that you can handle yourself.

Fix 1: Update or roll back the graphics card driver

This is the most common reason for DXGI errors, and it’s the first thing to do.

NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel graphics card drivers are updated frequently, and occasionally a new version may cause problems with certain hardware combinations, manifesting as frequent DXGI errors. In this case, it is necessary to update to the latest version or roll back to the previous stable version.

I recommend using ” Driver Life ” to manage your graphics card driver—it will automatically identify your graphics card model (supports NVIDIA/AMD/Intel) and directly select the appropriate version for you.

Update drivers:

Step 1: Open Driver Life, click ” Diagnose Now “, and wait for it to identify the current graphics card model and driver status;

Step 2: Locate the device corresponding to “graphics card” in the results list;

Step 3: If “Updating Available” or “Driver Error” is displayed, click ” Upgrade ” or ” Repair ” on the right;

Step 4: After installation, select ” Restart Now ” to restart your computer;

Step 5: After restarting, run the game to test if the DXGI error still occurs.

Roll back to the previous version:

Step 1: Open Driver Life, click ” Driver Management ” > ” Scan Now “;

Step 2: Locate the graphics card device and click ” Roll Back Driver ” (if you haven’t backed up the driver before, you may not be able to roll back).

Step 3: Restart your computer and test.

If DXGI errors only start appearing in the new driver version, rolling back can usually resolve the issue immediately.

Repair 2: Check for graphics card overheating

Overheating is the second leading cause of DXGI errors. When the graphics card temperature gets too high (usually exceeding 90°C during continuous operation), the driver forces the GPU into a protection mode, which manifests as a DXGI error and crash.

To check the temperature: Open Driver Life’s ” Hardware Detection ” > “Run Monitoring” and pay attention to the GPU’s temperature peak.

If the temperature is indeed too high, the reason is usually:

– Dust buildup on the chassis/vents significantly reduces heat dissipation efficiency;

– The cooling fan speed is abnormal;

– Aging of thermal paste (common in graphics cards older than three years).

Handling method:

– Desktop computer: Open the case and use a compressed air canister to clean the graphics card and dust inside the case;

– Laptop: Blow air from the cooling vents; if heavily dusty, consider sending it for cleaning.

– If the high temperature persists and there is no improvement after cleaning: consider replacing the thermal grease.

Fix 3: Disable overclocking settings

If you have overclocked your graphics card, unstable overclocking parameters are one of the most frequent causes of DXGI errors.

The solution is simple: open the overclocking tool, reset all parameters to zero and restore them to default, save the settings, and then test whether the game still crashes.

If turning off overclocking eliminates the error message, it means the overclocking level has exceeded the graphics card’s stable operating limit, and the parameters need to be lowered.

Repair 4: Repair DirectX and runtime libraries

DXGI is a component of DirectX. This error can also occur if DirectX files are corrupted or a runtime library is missing.

Operating steps:

Step 1: Open Driver Life again and click the “Diagnose Now” button;

Step 2: When runtime libraries are detected to be missing, select “Repair” or ” Full Repair “;

Step 3: After these runtime libraries are installed, restart your computer and test again to see if there are still any errors.

Repair 5: Check power supply and hardware connections (final check)

If you’ve tried all of the above and DXGI errors still occur frequently, then you should consider hardware-level troubleshooting.

Desktop computer:

– Check if the graphics card power cable (6-pin/8-pin) is properly plugged in and not loose.

– Ensure the power supply is sufficient (refer to the graphics card’s rated power + other system components).

– Remove the graphics card and reinsert it, then clean the PCIe contacts.

If the problem persists even after replacing the hardware, and the crashes randomly in any scenario, the graphics card hardware itself may be faulty. It is recommended to test with another graphics card to confirm this.

If you encounter a DXGI error, don’t immediately assume it’s a graphics card problem. Try going through the first three steps first, and it will solve the problem in most cases.