World of Warcraft is probably the most popular MMORPG (Massivly Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) there is. With so many people playing this game, its no surprise that errors are somewhat common.
If you are getting an error that states ‘World of Warcraft was unable to start 3D acceleration’, it can be super frustrating. Most of the time, this problem can be resolved by updating the graphics driver, disabling the full-screen optimization mode, or launching the game as Administrator.
The good news is that inability to start 3d acceleration is one of the common problems in the World of Warcraft (WoW). Most of the time when this error occurs when the user switches the game into windowed mode. After the error message is displayed, the game automatically shuts down.
Although switching the game into windowed mode is the most common reason for this to happen, its not the only possible cause. So, there are a few different solutions that you may need to try. In this article, we will go over all the most common reasons why you would get the error, ‘World of Warcraft was unable to start 3D acceleration’. We will also cover a few simple solutions that can help you solve this problem.
What Is 3D Acceleration?
Hardware acceleration or 3d acceleration is a technique by which an application offloads specific computing tasks to specialized hardware components. It is meant to outstretch the current capabilities of a CPU. Enabling this functionality allows for efficient performance in certain high-demanding applications.
What Causes The WoW 3D Acceleration Error?
The 3d acceleration is not supported error message in the World of Warcraft game may be triggered by several things, including:
- Corrupted WoW game files
- Outdated/ faulty graphic drivers
- Software conflicts
- Improper WoW game settings configuration
How To Fix The Classic WoW Unable To Start 3D Acceleration Error In Windowed Mode
Although everyone can play the World of Warcraft game without any restrictions, you may encounter the 3d acceleration failure message. This will automatically shut the game down, preventing you from playing your favorite game.
In most cases, the error is to do with the DirectX feature or the graphics card. In other cases, the problem is simply inappropriate game settings. This being the case, different methods may be used to resolve the problem, including:
Method 1: Run The Repair Tool from The Blizzard Battle.net Desktop App
In response to this problem, the developers of the WoW game have included a repair tool within the Battle.net desktop app. You may use this tool to automatically troubleshoot for, and fix the error. However, you may find the solution to be a bit slow, depending on the actual cause of the problem.
To use the repair functionality, launch the Battle.net app on your desktop. You can do this using the desktop icon, or by searching for the app in the Start menu. Next, navigate to the World of Warcraft pane, and click on Options. Select the ‘Scan and Repair’ button on the context menu that appears.
When prompted, click on the ‘Begin Scan’ option to start the process. The process may take some time as some game files may need to be downloaded and re-installed during the repair. Once the repair process is completed, close the app and check whether the error has been fixed.
Method 2: Solution 1: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations
Another solution to this problem would be to disable certain graphic settings on your computer. As a matter of fact, a considerable number of users have been able to clear the ‘World of Warcraft was unable to start 3D acceleration’ error message.
The following procedure will help you accomplish this:
Step One: Open The WoW Installation Folder Location
Navigate to the location of the WoW game installation folder on your PC. If you did not change the location during the installation of the game, the location should be Local Disk> Program Files or Program Files (x86) by default. If you are not sure of its location, just right-click on the World of Warcraft shortcut on your desktop, and then select the ‘Open File Location’s option’.
You can also access the WoW installation folder location from the Shortcut tab under Properties.
Step Two: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations
Now select the Wow-64.exe, or WoW.exe inside the installation folder, depending on the Windows architecture you have. Right-click on the .exe file, and select Properties from the context menu that appears.
Next, navigate to the Compatibility tab within the Properties window. Uncheck the box adjacent to the ‘Disable Fullscreen Optimizations’. Finally, click on the Apply button to apply the changes you just made before restarting the computer.
Method 3: Run The WoW Game As Administrator
In some cases, you can bypass the WoW unable to start 3the D acceleration error screen by simply running the World of Warcraft game as Administrator. Actually, this is the first thing you should do when you get the error message.
Right-click on the executable (.exe) file or the shortcut of the WoW game and then select Properties from the context menu that appears. To find the executable file on the Steam launcher, navigate to Library> Games. Now right-click on the World of Warcraft, and select Properties.
You should then navigate to Local Files > Browse Local Files. Go back to the Compatibility tab, and check the box adjacent to the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ option. Once done, click on the Apply button, and then OK to close the window.
Method 4: Update The Video Card
An outdated video card version can also lead to incompatibility issues, which may then trigger the ‘World of Warcraft was unable to start 3D acceleration’ error message. The solution, in this case, would be to update the video card drivers on your computer, as follows:
Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to launch the Run dialog box. Type devmgmt.msc into the dialog box and press the Enter key.
Step 2: Double-click on the ‘Display Adapters’ option, and then right-click on the Graphics Card. Select ‘Update Driver’ from the context menu that pops up.
Step 3: When prompted, choose the ‘Search Automatically for updated driver software’ option. Now follow the on-screen prompts to update the drivers.
Once the process is completed, close the window and restart the computer. You can now launch the WoW game to check whether the error has been resolved. If you do not find any updates using the automatic update process, you can download the right video driver update directly from the manufacturer’s website and install it manually.
Method 5: Roll Back The Video Driver Update
Some games have reported getting the 3D acceleration error on the World of Warcraft following an update of the Video Card driver. If you started getting the error message soon after updating the drivers, you should consider rolling the software update back to a version that used to work.
Use the procedure outlined in step 1 of method 4 to locate the problematic graphics card driver. Right-click on the graphics card driver you wish to roll back, and select Properties. Navigate to the Driver tab on the Properties window, and locate the ‘Roll Back Driver’ button towards the bottom of the window.
If this button is greyed out, it does not have backup files recalling the old driver as it was not updated in the recent past. If the button is highlighted, click on and follow the on-screen prompts to roll it back to a previous version. Once done, restart the computer and try launching the WoW game once again.
Method 6: Assign A Preferred Processor To WOW
The World of Warcraft 3D acceleration malfunction may also be caused by insufficient CPU resources. If this happens to be the problem, you need to allocate enhanced processor performance to the World of Warcraft game.
The procedure May differ a little bit for the various Video Card driver types, but here are the steps you should follow for the NVIDIA video card:
Step 1: Open The NVIDIA Control Panel
Right-click the Windows desktop and then select the NVIDIA Control Panel from the context menu that comes up. Alternatively, press the Windows key to open the Start menu, and select the ‘Control Panel’ option. Now double-click on the NVIDIA Control Panel icon on the Control Panel window.
Step 2: Add The Wow.exe Executable File To The Program Settings
Click on the ‘Adjust image Settings with preview entry’ option on the left pane of the NVIDIA Control Panel window. Next, select the ‘Advanced 3D image settings’ on the right page, and then find the ‘Manage 3D settings’ option on the left side of the window.
Head back to the right page, and add the Wow.exe executable file to the list, under the program settings. You can copy the executable files from this location: C > Program Files. Finally, choose to ‘Select the preferred graphics processor’ for the program you just added before choosing the ‘High-performance NVIDIA processor’ option.
Method 7: Disable SLI On The NVIDIA Graphics Card
The Scalable Link Interface (SLI) is a multi-GPU technology by NVIDIA that has been designed to link two or more video cards. By so fast doing, it produces a single output, which increases the processing power and allows for improved FPS while playing video games.
Despite being a great feature for video games, the WoW game does not support SLI functionality. Under normal circumstances, the LSI feature will be disabled the moment you install the WoW game. If for some reason, the LSI is still enabled, you may get the “World of Warcraft was unable to start up 3D acceleration” error message.
A considerable number of players have reported that disabling the SLI feature on NVIDIA graphics cards can actually solve the problem. Here are the steps you need to follow to disable the LSI feature on your computer:
Step 1: Right-click on your desktop, and select the ‘NVIDIA Control Panel’ option from the context menu that appears. Alternatively, you can open the NVIDIA control panel by double-clicking on the NVIDIA icon on your system tray.
Step 2: Click on the ‘3D Settings’ on the left-hand side navigation pane of the NVIDIA Control Panel window. You should then click on the ‘Set SLI configuration’ option on the 3D Settings menu.
Step 3: Finally, check the ‘Do not use SLI technology’ option to activate it. Once you are done, click on the Apply button to apply the changes you just made.
Method 8: Configure NVIDIA, And WoW Settings Accordingly
On rare occasions, updating the Windows operating system or reinstalling the World of Warcraft game can interfere with in-game, as well as NVIDIA control panel settings. When this happens, you may encounter the World of Warcraft was unable to start 3D acceleration when you try to launch the game.
To fix the problem, you need to optimize the in-game, and NVIDIA control panel settings accordingly. In addition to resolving the 3D acceleration unable to start issue, this method has been proven to reduce input lag, enhance FPS, and improve the overall visual quality
How To Configure The WoW In-game Settings
Launch the World of Warcraft game on your desktop and wait for it to open. Once the game has started, press the Esc key on your keyboard, and then select the ‘Video Settings’ option. Depending on your processor speed, adjust the ‘Terrain Draw Distance’ to between 70, and 97.
Next, toggle the ‘Fullscreen glows’ option to the Off position. Navigate back to the WoW game settings, and adjust the ‘Anisotropic Filtering’ setting to between 85 and 97. You should also remember to set the Terrain Texture, Weather Intensity, Vertex Shading, Smooth Shading, and Weather Shaders settings to above 95.
Once you are done, apply the changes and close the window. Launch the WoW game to check whether the error persists.
How To Configure NVIDIA Control Panel Settings
Right-click on your desktop, and select the NVIDIA control panel option. On the NVIDIA control panel window, you just opened, click on ‘3D setting’, and then select the ‘Manage 3D Setting’ option. Next, open the Advanced View of this settings menu and change the ‘Anisotropic settings’ option to ‘ application control’.
After that, set the ‘Anisotropic MIP filter optimization’ setting to the On position. You should then toggle the ‘Anisotropic sample optimization’ setting to the Off position. Configure the ‘Vertical Sync’ setting to ‘App-controlled, and the ‘SLI Performance Mode’ to ‘Force alternate frame rendering 2’.
You also need to set the ‘Force mipmap’ setting option to Bilinear. Once you are done, click on File, and select the Exit option to save changes and exit the window. Now restart the computer and check whether the error message has cleared.
Method 9: Disable NVIDIA Overlay
This method is only applicable to the games running an NVIDIA graphics card in their gaming computer. The GeForce feature on such video cards is part of the NVIDIA overlay, which is meant to accelerate your GPU.
Some users have been able to fix the WoW unable to start 3D acceleration by just disabling the Overlay feature. To do this, you need to open the GeForce application experience and click on the Share icon on the left-hand side of the window.
Now select the ‘Instant Reply’ option on your Overlay, and then select the ‘Turn off’ option. Close the Overlay window, restart the compute, and try launching the World of Warcraft game once again.
Method 10: Update The DirectX Software
DirectX is a software on the Windows 10 OS that allows other apps, especially games, to work with your audio and video hardware directly. If you are running an outdated version of the DirectX software, you could have compatibility issues with the WoW game.
First things first, check to see the DirectX version you are currently running. Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open a Run dialog box. Type dxdiag into the dialog box and press Enter to launch the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
Check the version number, displayed to the right of ‘DirectX Version’. If it is not the latest version download the latest version for your computer from the official manufacturer’s website and install it. For information on how to download and install the latest DirectX version on different Windows versions, check the Official Website.
Conclusion
If you are getting the 3D Acceleration failure error when you attempt to put WoW into the window mode, the problem is most likely the video drivers or graphical settings. However, the error message may also be triggered by several other things in Windows 10.
This being the case, there is no absolute solution for this particular problem. The right solution will depend on what is triggering the error message in the first place. Even so, this guide includes the most effective solutions you can apply to fix the problem. For instance, you may configure such settings as Fullscreen Optimization, and SLI NVIDIA settings to fix the problem. In other cases, you may need to repair, update or even roll back the graphics card drivers, and the WoW game to fix the World of Warcraft was unable to start 3D acceleration error.