How to check DirectX version – 4 ways

In this manual, we will analyze the issue that some users face: how to check DirectX version on the computer. There are situations when the user needs to know what version of DirectX is used in the Windows operating system installed on the computer.

DirectX is a development kit, a set of APIs that solves programming problems in the Microsoft Windows environment. DirectX development tools are most commonly used when writing computer games for the Windows operating system.

In addition to being built into the operating system, DirectX is often bundled with PC games to be installed on the PC along with the games. The most recent version of DirectX makes the display of game graphics on a computer more perfect, allowing you to unleash all the features of the software.

I have DirectX installed on my computer, how can I find out the version? You can check the DirectX version using a system tool or using third-party software.

In general, DirectX versions correspond to the following versions of the Windows operating system:

• DirectX 9 – Windows XP SP2
• DirectX 10 – Windows Vista, Windows 7
• DirectX 11 – Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
• DirectX 12 – Windows 10, Windows 11

Pay attention to the following:

Some applications require a specific version of DirectX on the computer, so the user will have to download DirectX on their own to install on the PC.

In the article, we will consider 4 ways to obtain information about the installed version of DirectX: using the DxDiag system tool, video card software, using third-party programs (GPU-Z, AIDA64).

How to check DirectX version using the DxDiag system tool

You can find out the version of DirectX using the DxDiag (DirectX Diagnostic Tool) utility built into the Windows operating system. The tool provides detailed information that you may need to troubleshoot video and audio problems on your computer.

To run DxDiag, follow these steps:

1. Press the keyboard keys “Win” + “R”.
2. In the Run window, enter the command “dxdiag” (without quotes), and then click on the “OK” button.

In the “DirectX Diagnostic Tool” window, in the “System” tab, in the “System Information” section, opposite the “DirectX Version” item, the installed version of DirectX will be displayed.

In recent versions of Windows 10, DirectX always appears in 12th edition. In fact, your computer hardware may not support this version of DirectX 12, so I recommend looking at more information.

Open the “Display” tab, in the “Drivers” section, you will see the levels of support for the functions of the video card installed on the computer.

How to check DirectX versionusing the control panel of the video card

You can check the DirectX version using the graphics card software. I’ll show you how to do this using an NVIDIA graphics card as an example:

1. Launch the NVIDIA Control Panel.
2. In the left column, at the very bottom, click on the “System Information” link.
3. In the “System Information” window, in the “Display” tab, information about the video card will be displayed.

This image shows that the operating system has a DirectX 12 runtime version, a Direct3D API version of 12, and a Direct3D feature level of 11. This means that even though the system supports the new version of DirectX 12, the legacy graphics card will only be able to fully work with DirectX 11.

How to find out what DirectX costs in GPU-Z

The free GPU-Z program provides detailed information about the graphics hardware installed on your computer. The GPU-Z program does not require installation on a computer.

Follow these steps:

1. Launch the GPU-Z program on your computer.
2. Open the “Advanced” tab, select “DirectX” on the panel (there may be different versions of Direct X), read the information provided.

Getting DirectX Information in AIDA64

The AIDA64 program provides extensive information about the computer’s hardware and software. In particular, in AIDA64 you can see the DirectX version of your computer.

Go through the steps:

1. Open the AIDA program.
2. In the “Menu” tab, in the “Computer” section, open “Summary information”. This will display the installed version of DirectX (on my computer – DirectX 12).

For information about the supported version of DirectX, open the “DirectX” section and then “DirectX – Video”.

In the “Direct3D Properties” section, opposite the “DirectX Hardware Support” item, you will see the supported version of DirectX (in my case, DirectX 11). This means that the video card supports version 11 of DirectX.

Article Conclusions

If necessary, the user can check the version of DirectX installed on the computer in the Windows operating system. You can get the necessary information about Direct X using the DxDiag tool, graphics card software, and third-party programs: GPU-Z, AIDA64.