As WOW the MMORPG is becoming popular among gamers, the error message, World of Warcraft Was Unable To Start Up 3D Acceleration Error is becoming common. Due to this, gamers are restrained from playing their favorite game.
If you too are facing the same issue when launching World of Warcraft and are looking for a fix for World of Warcraft was unable to start up 3D acceleration, you are at the right place.
In this post, we will walk you through the steps to fix the “WOW unable to start 3d acceleration” error.
6 Best Ways To Fix World Of Warcraft Was Unable To Start Up 3D Acceleration Error
TIP: If the game overlay is enabled for World of Warcraft, we suggest disabling it like Discord. Once done, try to run the game and you should not face any problems.
1. Update Video Card Driver
Outdated, faulty, and missing graphics driver also causes “World of Warcraft was unable to start up 3D acceleration.” Hence, to fix this problem, we suggest updating the graphics driver. This can be done both manually and automatically.
If you prefer doing it manually, read our post on how to update drivers manually.
To update the driver automatically follow the steps below:
1. Download, install and run Advanced System Optimizer
2. Click Windows Optimizers > Driver Updater
3. Hit Start Scan Now and wait for the scan to finish
4. Once the scan is finished, update outdated graphics drivers and other drivers.
5. Restart the system to save changes.
6. Now try to run World of Warcraft you should not face any problem.
Read More: Review: Advanced System Optimizer, The Fastest Cleaner & Optimizer!
2. Run game as an administrator
This fix has worked for many WoW players and we hope it works for you too. To run the game as an administrator, follow the steps below:
1. Launch Steam and log in to your Steam account
2. Click Library > Games
3. Right-click World of Warcraft > Properties
4. Local Files tab > Browse Local Files
5. This will open File Explorer > right-click World of Warcraft.exe > Properties
6. Click Compatibility tab > check the box next to Run this program as an administrator > Apply > Ok.
7. Reboot Steam
8. Now try to run and play World of Warcraft.
If this doesn’t work for you nothing to worry about, we have other methods too.
Read More: Best Game Boosters And Optimizers For Windows PC
3. Update DirectX
To fix WoW, try installing the latest DirectX on your PC. Generally, by updating Windows to the latest version you can install the latest version of DirectX.
However, if you are using an older version of Windows, you will need to update it via package.
For this, you can visit the Microsoft website and install the latest version of DirectX.
Once DirectX is updated, reboot the PC and try playing the game the 3D acceleration error should be gone.
4. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations
Since the error message is related to graphics, modifying graphic settings will help resolve the problem. To learn how to do that, follow the steps below:
1. Head to the World of Warcraft installation folder. By default, it is saved at C: >> Program Files or Program Files (x86).
Note: If you are unable to find it under C:\ drive then it means you have saved it to some other location. To know the file location right-click WoW shortcut > Open file location > Shortcut tab > under target look for location.
2. Select the Wow-64.exe file in the folder > Properties > Compatibility > uncheck Disable Fullscreen optimizations.
3. Apply the changes > ok > restart the system.
4. Now try to launch War of Warcraft, you should not face any problem.
5. Run built-in repair tool offered by Blizzard Battle.net
Using Blizzard Battle.net you can repair minor issues like World of Warcraft 3D acceleration and others. Though the tool is a bit slow it has helped many users. To use it follow the steps below:
1. Open Battle.net and navigate to the World of Warcraft pane.
2. Click Options > look for Scan and Repair button > click it > Begin Scan option.
Note: You might have to download and install certain files during the Scan and Repair process.
3. Once the process is finished try launching World of Warcraft, you should not encounter a 3D acceleration error.
6. Disable SLI
Turning off Scalable Link Interface also helps fix issues with World of Warcraft. To ensure it is not the reason for the problem, try disabling it. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Open NVIDIA Control Panel
2. Unhide the 3D Settings category.
3. Click Set SLI and PhysX configuration > select the Do not use SLI radio button.
Now try to run World of Warcraft, you should no longer face the problem.
FAQ’s –
Q1. How to fix World of Warcraft was unable to start up 3D acceleration error on Windows 10?
To fix World of Warcraft unable to start 3D acceleration we recommend doing the following things:
1. Ensure your system meets minimum requirements.
2. Video cards should be updated and supported by World of Warcraft.
3. Update graphics driver.
4. Disable overlay and Discord.
Q2. How to disable WoW 3d acceleration in Windows 10?
1. Head to the game folder where the World of Warcraft setup package is installed.
2. Right click on game’s .exe file > Properties
3. Click Compatibility tab > check the box next to Disable fullscreen optimizations > Apply > Ok.
Q3. Why does World of Warcraft keep crashing?
If any changes are made to the settings of video card drivers or your system doesnt meet minimum requirements, World of Warcraft will crash.
Q4. Why does World of Warcraft keep freezing?
If the WoW application is outdated, the system overheats, the graphics driver is outdated, then you might face problems with World of Warcraft.