The GPU device instance has been suspended on Windows PC

When using certain apps, such as DTS 3D or games like Modern Warfare, you may notice that the app crashes with an error message stating that the GPU device instance has been suspended. This error indicates that Windows has detected a problem with your Graphics Processing Unit, possibly due to driver issues, hardware faults, or conflicts. To maintain system stability, the GPU instance has been temporarily disabled. In this post, we will see what you can do to resolve the issue.

ERROR: The GPU device instance has been suspended. Use GetDeviceRemovedReasons to determine the appropriate action.
(0x887a0005)

Fix The GPU device instance has been suspended error on Windows PC

If your GPU device instance has been suspended in Windows 11/10, follow the solutions mentioned below.

1. Use GetDeviceRemovedReasons
2. Update your graphics drivers
3. Edit Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR)
4. Make changes to Modern Warfare Settings
5. Adjust Power Management Settings
6. Disable Background Overlays and conflicting software

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Use GetDeviceRemovedReasons for DirectX

Let’s first discuss a solution that is only applicable to developers. If you are working on a project with DirectX and encounter this error while rendering, you can use GetDeviceRemovedReasons for error handling.

Check out the following sample code to do the same.

// Example: After rendering a frame
HRESULT hr = pSwapChain->Present(1, 0);

// Check if the device was removed
if (hr == DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED) {
// Step 2: Find out WHY
HRESULT removedReason = pDevice->GetDeviceRemovedReason();
}

Now, go through the table given below.

Based on the error message you see, take appropriate steps.

Additionally, you should also make sure that your DirectX version is up-to-date.

2] Update your graphics drivers

As it is pretty clear from the error message, your GPU can not handle it, which can be a result of incompatibility. Therefore, let’s go ahead and update the GPU drivers using one of the following methods.

You may visit your computer manufacturer’s website, or use free Driver Update software or tools like AMD Driver Autodetect, Intel Driver Update Utility or Dell Update utility to update your device drivers. NV Updater will keep NVIDIA Graphic Card Driver updated.

After updating the drivers, check if the issue is resolved.

3] Edit Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR)

In this solution, we are going to make some changes to the registry. However, before that, create a backup of the registry. This can be used if things go south. After creating the backup, you need to open Notepad and paste the following line of text.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\GraphicsDrivers]
"TdrDelay"=dword:00000064

Give it a name like TDRDelay.reg. Make sure to add .reg extension.

Once done, double-click on .reg, you will be asked for confirmation, click Yes when prompted.

This registry entry modifies the Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) setting for your graphics drivers. TDR is a Windows mechanism that monitors the GPU for responsiveness; if the GPU fails to respond within a set time, Windows resets the display driver to prevent system crashes.

4] Make changes to Modern Warfare Settings

If you were specifically having issues with Modern Warfare, you need to make changes to the game’s settings and lower the resource consumption. After analyzing for a bit, we noticed that the game doesn’t just crash during startup; it crashes when one tries to play a game. Therefore, we are good to make the needful changes. So, open the game and go to Options > Graphics. Then, you need to disable Shader Preload and Shader Preload during Cinematics. Finally, save the game and start playing.

5] Adjust Power Management Settings

Next up, we need to adjust your Windows Power Plan to “Ultimate Performance” and turn off any energy-saving settings that may limit your GPU’s performance. To enable Ultimate Performance Mode, you need to follow the steps mentioned below.

Open the Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following command.

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

Now, go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options. Then, enable Ultimate Performance.

Additionally, check the power management options in your GPU control panel (either NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Settings) and disable any features that could reduce performance during demanding tasks.

6] Disable Background Overlays and conflicting software

Some background applications and overlays (such as the Discord overlay, GeForce Experience, or other system monitoring utilities) can conflict with GPU operations. Temporarily disable these programs to see if stability improves, ensuring that no additional software interferes with GPU performance during high-intensity usage.

Additionally, you should start your computer in Clean Boot and see if there are any conflicting applications. You need to ensure that the application you were having issues with is enabled. If you didn’t encounter any issues with the application in the Clean Boot state, enable processes one by one to figure out the culprit, and uninstall the application.

Hopefully, with the help of these solutions, you will be able to resolve the issue.

Read: GPU keeps crashing or freezing in Windows PC.

What does “GPU suspended” mean?

“GPU suspended” means Windows has temporarily disabled your graphics card because it wasn’t responding properly. This usually happens when the system detects an error or a timeout condition with the GPU. Driver issues, overheating, or other hardware problems can cause it. The suspension is a protective measure to prevent system instability or crashes.

Read: How to lower your GPU temperature on Windows computer

How to fix a GPU device instance has been suspended?

To resolve the “GPU device instance has been suspended” error, update your graphics drivers by downloading and installing the latest version directly from your GPU manufacturer’s website. This ensures compatibility and resolves any issues caused by outdated drivers. Next, adjust the Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) settings by backing up your registry and increasing the TdrDelay value, this gives your GPU extra time to recover before Windows resets it. Additionally, lower the graphics settings in your games or applications, such as disabling shader preloads in Modern Warfare, and set your Windows power plan to Ultimate Performance to minimize resource throttling.

Also Read: Monitor GPU performance in Windows 11 for LLM tasks.