Windows 11 is the latest operating system from Microsoft that comes with many new features and improvements over its predecessor. One of the significant changes is the revamped settings app that makes it easy to check your system’s resource usage, including the GPU. If you’re a gamer, video editor, or have GPU-intensive workloads, it’s crucial to monitor what’s using your graphics card to find potential bottlenecks or see if there’s enough room for multitasking.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to check what’s using your GPU in Windows 11, whether you’re using an integrated AMD/Intel GPU or a dedicated Nvidia/AMD card.

Method 1: Check GPU Usage in Task Manager

The Task Manager is a built-in tool in Windows that shows you information about running processes, performance, and resource usage. Here’s how to use it to view your GPU usage:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and click on “Task Manager” to open it.

2. Click on the “More Details” button to expand the Task Manager window.

3. Click on the “Performance” tab.

4. Click on “GPU” in the left sidebar to show GPU usage details.

5. You’ll see the current GPU utilization percentage of each process, the dedicated and shared GPU memory usage, and the GPU engine speed.

Method 2: Check GPU Usage in Resource Monitor

The Resource Monitor is another built-in Windows tool that provides an in-depth look at system resource usage, including the GPU. Here’s how to use it:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.

2. Type “resmon” and press Enter to launch the Resource Monitor.

3. Click on the “GPU” tab to see the GPU usage.

4. You can sort the list by GPU activity, GPU memory, and GPU engine clock.

Method 3: Check GPU Usage with Third-Party Tools

If you want more features or visualization options to monitor GPU usage, you can use third-party tools like MSI Afterburner, GPU-Z, or HWMonitor. These tools provide more detailed information, such as GPU temperature, voltage, or fan speed, and allow you to customize the monitoring interface. Here’s how to use MSI Afterburner as an example:

1. Download and install MSI Afterburner from the official website.

2. Open MSI Afterburner and click on the “Settings” button.

3. Click on the “Monitoring” tab and select the GPU usage metrics you want to monitor.

4. Click on “OK” to save the settings.

5. You’ll see the GPU usage, temperature, and other metrics in the main window or the OSD (on-screen display) while gaming or other GPU-intensive tasks.

Conclusion

Checking what’s using your GPU in Windows 11 is essential to ensure optimal performance and avoid overheating or crashes. You can use the built-in Task Manager or Resource Monitor to view GPU usage or third-party tools for more features and customization. Regardless of which method you choose, it’s worth monitoring your system’s resource usage regularly and tweaking settings or hardware components accordingly.