"DirectX" is a set of various software, which includes a wide range of technologies that ensure the performance of computer programs. The software also generates certain gameplay and other applications related to multimedia. Such a program is sometimes bundled with the games themselves or other applications, which allows you to update it from time to time. However, this does not always happen, and at the most inopportune moment, you may need an up-to-date version. Therefore, it is very important to always know in advance which version of "DirectX" is already installed on the PC.
By itself, "DirectX" helps applications interact with hardware personal computer, while facilitating not only the workload of the device. Without it, you used to have to download special drivers directly for various multimedia applications, which helped the same video card to interact with the application. "DirectX" combined the functions of such drivers, which made it easier for both developers and users.
Determining which version of "DirectX" is available on a Windows XP PC
In order to determine the version of "DirectX" on Windows XP, you will need:
Important! If necessary, you can upgrade to the latest up-to-date version using the official Microsoft website. Also on the site, the user can find and download almost any of the previously published versions.
Determining which version of "DirectX" is available on a Windows 7 PC
To find the necessary information about the version of "DirectX" on a given OS, you must:
Determine the version of "DirectX" on Windows 8.1
On this OS, the algorithm for determining the version of this software has not changed. To learn more about DirectX, you will need:
How can I easily find out which version of "DirectX" is available in Windows 10?
This version of the OS assumes the possibility of using the above algorithm of actions to determine information about such software. But there are cases when the "dxdiag" command does not work. In such cases, you should resort to this method:
- Launch the program "Explorer". Right-click on the "Start" icon, left-click on the "Explorer" line.
On a note! The same menu can be called up with a combination of buttons on the keyboard "Win + X".
- Then go to drive "C".
- On the "C" drive, open the folder called "Windows".
- Next - "System32".
- Find the program "dxdiag.exe" in the list of files and double-click the left mouse button to launch it. The already known "DirectX Diagnostic Tool" will open, in which you can find the "DirectX Version" item.
On a note! original software Windows 10 comes with "DirectX 12" pre-installed, but other than that, there are no earlier versions that are used for many programs and computer games. On the official website of the company, the user can install any library required for the operation of various applications and multimedia.
During the installation or use of some PC games, there are problems with "DirectX". Some games ask for more modern versions, while others ask for older versions. In this case, you should either reinstall the application itself or update the DirectX version.
Video - How to find out the version of DirectX on your PC or laptop?
What is DirectX? This is a set of APIs needed to solve problems related to programming in operating version Windows. Most often used when writing games, so often newly released games can only work under new versions of DirectX. Today I will talk about how to find out which version is installed on your PC or laptop.
First method
To start, we will use standard tool for component diagnostics, which is built into Windows. To do this, you need to use a utility called "Run" (Start - Run, or Win + R). In the window that opens, enter the word dxdiag and click OK.
A window will appear in which you can not only see the version of DirectX installed, but also a number of other parameters, including the computer name, model, manufacturer, amount of memory, and so on.
Second method
If for some reason you cannot use the method above, you can use third-party utilities. There are a great many such programs, take at least the legendary EVEREST, which shows absolutely all the information about your computer.
You need to install the program, then run it and wait until the system collects the necessary information. Go to the "Computer" - "Summary Information" section and all information will be displayed on the screen, including DirectX (see screenshot). In my case, the program English language, but I highlighted the main points.
By the way, do not forget to update DirectX as it is released, so that you can always play modern games, among other things.
Playing modern games, all of you are well aware that DirectX files are used as graphics libraries. Based on them, all graphic objects in the game, 3D polygons, anti-aliasing, vertex and pixel shaders are drawn. Also, all backdrops, that is, backgrounds, are similarly drawn using DirectX. Each video card supports the appropriate version of DirectX, and the later, the better.
In this article, I will tell how to check DirectX version on any version of Windows, including seven and ten, and I will also touch on the topic of DirectX performance testing in the operating system, namely, how it functions, whether it uses all modes, and whether it uses the PC's full power. If, as a result of checking DirectX settings it turns out that some files were not installed, you may have to deliver the missing resources to the PC by reinstalling one of the appropriate DirectX packages.
As you know, depending on the power of the iron, this or that game can work freely and easily in the very high resolution, may slightly or significantly “slow down”, or may not start at all. It certainly won’t be news to you if I say that in terms of graphics, everything depends on the power of the video adapter, in particular, on the DirectX version it supports.
If your graphics card supports the latest version of DirectX (on this moment, 12th), and the video card is powerful enough and productive, has a fairly high bus width and a large amount of video memory, then you don’t have to worry about graphics in games - everything will be on highest level. If not, you will have to sacrifice some effects, as a result of which the performance of the game can also be brought to an acceptable level.
you can check current version DirectX on the operating system by running the graphics library initialization and verification tool. To do this, we will use the notorious Win + R combination and enter the value "dxdiag" in the "Run" mini-form.
This combination will launch the DirectX diagnostic tool on your PC. To find out which DirectX version is supported, on the first System tab, look at the DirectX Version field at the bottom of the form. This will be the version number that is used on your PC.
However, not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. In fact, this field displays the version that is supported by the operating system, but not by the video card. That is, if you're not the most powerful computer installed Windows 10, then this program will certainly show version 12, although the video card can support a maximum of 9.1 or 10.
You can find out which version of the library is supported by your device in technical specifications products. We also recommend updating your video card driver, because with the latest updates, you can bring softer and smoother gameplay without freezes and stutters to your gameplay, and your video card power can increase by another 5-8%.
Now a few words about how to check the performance and health of DirectX, using the diagnostic tool already presented to you. Let's go to the "Display" tab. Here, in the lower text box labeled "Notes", you can see if there are any issues with DirectX running on your PC. If, as in my case, here you have the inscription “No problems found”, then everything is in order, and you can not even doubt the efficiency of your video adapter.
A similar field is presented on the "Sound" tab, so you can look there as well. If any problems still show up, it is likely that you will need to reinstall DirectX, which you can do as soon as you have a free minute before the game.
So we figured out the features of the operation of the DirectX graphics library. Now you know how to check which version of DirectX is installed on your PC, how to find out about the current update of this package, and how to make sure it is working and efficient. I hope that this material will be useful for you, and you will enjoy playing your favorite game projects.
DirectX is a set of programming tools for Windows, which, in most cases, is used to create games and other multimedia content. For full-fledged operation of applications that use DirectX libraries, you must have the latter as part of operating system. Basically, the above package is installed automatically when you deploy Windows.
All games designed to run under Windows require the mandatory presence of DirectX certain version. At the time of this writing, the latest revision is 12. Versions are backward compatible, that is, toys written under DirectX 11 will also run on the twelfth. The only exceptions are very old projects running under 5, 6, 7 or 8 direct. In such cases, the necessary package is also supplied with the game.
In order to find out the version of DirectX that is installed on the computer, you can use the methods below.
Method 1: programs
Software that provides us with information about the system as a whole or about certain devices may also display the version of the DirectX package.
Method 2: Windows
If you do not want to install specialized software on your computer, then you can use the built-in software "DirectX Diagnostic Tool".
It is a component of the operating Windows systems, which is used when programming computer games and other programs that use three-dimensional graphics.
If the program was developed using DirectX of a certain version, then in order to run it, this or a newer version must also be installed on the computer. But, and that's not all. For normal operation program, your video card must also support this version.
This raises a lot of questions about DirectX versions. Many users are interested in how to find out which DirectX is installed on the computer, as well as which version of DirectX is supported by the video card. You can find answers to these questions in this article.
How to find out which DirectX is installed on the computer
The easiest and fastest way to find out which DirectX is installed on the computer is the dxdiag command. This command works in all Windows versions. therefore this instruction universal.
So, if you want to know the version of DirectX, then you need to press the key combination Windows + R and enter the dxdiag command in the window that appears (screenshot below). After that, execute this command by pressing the enter key.
As a result, you will see a window called "DirectX Diagnostic Tool". This window will display basic information about your computer. Here you can find information about the version of DirectX.
How to find out which DirectX graphics card supports
If you want to know which DirectX your graphics card supports, then you will need free program TechPowerUp GPU-Z.