To find graphics card BIOS version on Windows, open GPU-Z and read the "BIOS" field, or check the "Video BIOS" line in your graphics card's control panel, these are the fastest methods for most users. The graphics card BIOS, also known as Video BIOS (VBIOS), is firmware embedded in the card that handles its power-up initialization, and knowing it is essential before checking compatibility with a new driver or preparing for a firmware update.
How to find your graphics card BIOS version on Windows
For the majority of Windows users, the VBIOS version is visible in a few clicks using tools you may already have. The most reliable and universally recommended method is a third-party utility called GPU-Z, which displays the exact BIOS version along with other card details. Alternatively, the official control panels from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel each show this information without any extra downloads.
- Using GPU-Z: Download and launch GPU-Z. The "BIOS" field in the main window shows the full VBIOS version string, which you can note down or compare against the manufacturer's database.
- Using Intel Graphics Control Panel: Press
Ctrl + Alt + F12or right-click the desktop and select "Graphics Properties." Go to "Options and Support," then select "Information Center" to note the "Video BIOS version." - Using Intel Arc Control: Open the panel, go to "Settings" (Cog icon), select "System Info," then the "Hardware Section," and refer to "IFWI (V-BIOS)" under "GPU Info."
If you are troubleshooting a display issue or checking whether a new game supports your card, the VBIOS version from these screens is exactly what support forums and manufacturer tools will ask for. Note that the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (DxDiag) provides system and driver information but does not directly show the graphics card BIOS version in its display tabs.
How to check your GPU VBIOS on a Mac
On macOS, the System Information GUI often hides the VBIOS version, but a single terminal command pulls it directly. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal) and run:
ioreg -l | grep "firmware-version"
This command returns a line containing the firmware version of your GPU, which is the VBIOS string you need.
Finding the VBIOS version on Linux
Linux users have two straightforward commands that work across most distributions. Open a terminal and run lspci -v to list all PCI devices; scroll to the "VGA compatible controller" section, and the "VBIOS" line shows the version. For NVIDIA cards specifically, nvidia-smi is faster, it prints a table that includes a "BIOS Version" column in the GPU section. Both commands require no extra software and work with proprietary and open-source drivers alike.
lspci -v | grep -i vga -A 12
This shows the full VGA device block, including the BIOS version. On systems with multiple GPUs, run nvidia-smi to see each NVIDIA card's VBIOS individually, which is useful for multi-GPU setups where the cards may have different firmware revisions.
A critical warning before you update your VBIOS
Updating a VBIOS is not a routine task and should only be done if experiencing graphics-related problems or if recommended by the computer or card manufacturer. Unlike driver updates, which you can install frequently, a VBIOS update carries a real risk of bricking the card if interrupted or if the wrong file is flashed. If you are only checking the version to satisfy curiosity or to compare against a friend's card, stop there, do not flash anything. The only scenario where a VBIOS update is justified is when the manufacturer has released a specific fix for a problem you are actually encountering, such as a fan-curve bug or a display corruption issue, and the release notes explicitly mention your card model and the symptom. After any update, verify the new version using the same methods above, and if the system fails to boot, use the manufacturer's recovery procedure (often a dual-BIOS switch or a recovery jumper) to restore the original firmware. Also, if you are in the middle of system maintenance, remember that the VBIOS is separate from the CPU microcode, so you do not need to touch it for steps after installing a new CPU, that process involves only the motherboard BIOS and chipset drivers, not the graphics card firmware.
