error no matter how I try to upscayl on Windows 11

[mksouthmayd]

Attached is what I get when I try to upscale a single file or a batch file. I can't get the app on my desktop to work at all. Please help!

Marilyn

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @mksouthmayd! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the upscayl team.

The error you're seeing means Upscayl can't initialize Vulkan, which is required for upscaling. This usually happens if your GPU doesn't support Vulkan 1.3 or if the drivers aren't installed or up to date. Upscayl needs a modern NVIDIA or AMD dedicated graphics card with current drivers—most integrated or older GPUs (like AMD Radeon HD 5450, Intel HD Graphics 4000, etc.) won't work and will always show this error (source, source, source).

Here’s what you can do:

1. Check your GPU model and driver version.
2. Use VulkanCapsViewer to confirm your GPU supports Vulkan 1.3.
3. If you have a dedicated GPU, make sure Upscayl is set to use it (not integrated graphics).
4. Update your graphics drivers.
5. Try setting the app to performance mode, enable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows 11, and reinstall graphics drivers if Vulkan is supported (troubleshooting guide).

If your GPU isn’t compatible, Upscayl won’t work—there’s no CPU-only fallback. If you’re unsure about your hardware, let me know your GPU model and driver version and I can help check compatibility.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[henlun]

I have an Intel Arc GPU (laptop, no other GPU card) and Vulkan 1.4.311 driver and got the same error message. I had to go into Upscayl settings and set "GPU ID" to 0. Now it works without problem.

This worked once, now I only get this error message:

🚧 UPSCAYL_PROGRESS: [0 Intel(R) Arc(TM) Graphics] queueC=1[1] queueG=0[1] queueT=2[1]
[0 Intel(R) Arc(TM) Graphics] bugsbn1=0 bugbilz=0 bugcopc=0 bugihfa=0
[0 Intel(R) Arc(TM) Graphics] fp16-p/s/a=1/1/1 int8-p/s/a=1/1/1
[0 Intel(R) Arc(TM) Graphics] subgroup=32 basic=1 vote=1 ballot=1 shuffle=1

🎒 BACKEND REPORTED: 0,00%

🚧 UPSCAYL_PROGRESS: 0,00%

🎒 BACKEND REPORTED: vkQueueSubmit failed -4

🚧 UPSCAYL_PROGRESS: vkQueueSubmit failed -4

🔄 Resetting image paths
🎒 BACKEND REPORTED: 0,40%

🚧 UPSCAYL_PROGRESS: 0,40%

[mksouthmayd]

@dosu I downloaded VulkanCapsViewer-4.02 but can't figure out how to use it. Been trying everything I can think of. That is how I found the download.

[henlun]

Did you try and set the default GPU ID to 0 ?

[dosubot[bot]]

Here's how to use VulkanCapsViewer to check if your GPU and drivers are compatible with Upscayl:

1. Unzip and run VulkanCapsViewer.exe (no install needed).
2. When it opens, look for a list of devices in the left panel. You should see your actual GPU listed (for example, "NVIDIA GeForce", "AMD Radeon", or "Intel Arc"). If you only see "SwiftShader Device", that means your system is using a software fallback and Vulkan isn't working with your real GPU.
3. Click your GPU in the list. In the main window, look for "Vulkan API Version" or "Supported Vulkan version". Upscayl needs at least Vulkan 1.3 support.
4. If your GPU is listed and the Vulkan version is 1.3 or higher, your hardware is compatible. If not, or if only SwiftShader shows up, you likely need to update/reinstall your graphics drivers or your GPU may not be supported by Upscayl.

If you’re unsure what you’re seeing, you can share a screenshot of the VulkanCapsViewer window and I can help interpret it for you.

References: step-by-step usage and what to look for, what it means if only SwiftShader shows up.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[mksouthmayd]

@dosu, why can I use the online version and not the desktop version?

[dosubot[bot]]

You can use the online version because it runs image upscaling on remote servers with powerful, compatible GPUs and drivers. This means your local hardware and drivers don’t matter—the processing happens elsewhere. The desktop version, on the other hand, needs your own computer to have a compatible GPU (with Vulkan 1.3 support) and up-to-date drivers. If your hardware or drivers aren’t supported, the desktop app won’t work, but the online version will still work since it doesn’t rely on your system’s GPU.

If you want to try to get the desktop version working, double-check your GPU model and drivers, use VulkanCapsViewer to confirm Vulkan 1.3 support, and make sure Upscayl is set to use your dedicated GPU if you have one. If your hardware isn’t compatible, the desktop version won’t work, but you can keep using the online version for upscaling.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[mksouthmayd]

@dosu, the vulkan is saying that it needs vulkan-1.dll. It wasn't in either one of the downloads I got from their site.

here is what my log on Upscayl says:
💻 System Info: {"platform":"win","release":"10.0.22631","arch":"x64","model":"Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570 CPU @ 3.40GHz","cpuCount":4,"gpu":{"active":true,"cudaComputeCapabilityMajor":0,"deviceId":338,"driverVendor":"Intel","driverVersion":"10.18.10.5161","gpuPreference":0,"revision":9,"subSysId":91689000,"vendorId":32902}}

[dosubot[bot]]

vulkan-1.dll is the main Vulkan runtime library that lets Vulkan-based apps like Upscayl run on Windows. If you see an error about it missing, it means the Vulkan runtime isn’t installed or your GPU/drivers don’t support Vulkan. Your system info shows an older Intel HD Graphics GPU (paired with i5-3570), which does not support Vulkan 1.3 and isn’t compatible with Upscayl desktop—even if you install the Vulkan runtime or update drivers, it won’t work on this hardware (details).

You can keep using the online version, which works regardless of your hardware. If you ever use a PC with a supported GPU (like modern NVIDIA, AMD, or newer Intel Arc), installing the latest graphics drivers from the manufacturer will also install the Vulkan runtime and vulkan-1.dll automatically (troubleshooting info).

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[mksouthmayd]

@dosu, you were showing me source messages for error -9. Mine is showing a -7 error.

[dosubot[bot]]

Error -7 in Vulkan means VK_ERROR_EXTENSION_NOT_PRESENT, which indicates that your GPU or its driver is missing a required Vulkan extension that Upscayl needs to run. This is different from error -9 (VK_ERROR_INCOMPATIBLE_DRIVER), which means the driver doesn't support Vulkan at all. Error -7 usually happens when the GPU is too old or the driver doesn't support certain Vulkan features—common with older Intel HD Graphics like the one in your system. Upscayl requires a GPU and drivers that support Vulkan 1.3 and all necessary extensions; updating drivers or switching to a supported GPU is the only fix for this error. You can find more about Vulkan error codes in the official Vulkan specification and Upscayl's troubleshooting guide.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[mksouthmayd]

@dosu, I did the fix #580 and I think it worked. Upscayl is telling me hold on it is doing the upscayl magic. It is at 1.65% but that is better than it was.

[dosubot[bot]]

That's great to hear—seeing progress means Upscayl is at least partially working now, which is a big improvement over the previous errors. If the upscaling completes, you should be good to go. If it stalls or gets stuck at a low percentage, try restarting Upscayl, using a smaller image, or double-checking the steps from fix #580. If you run into any more issues or have questions about the process, let me know!

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[mksouthmayd]

Thank you for your help and patience with me. I hope it goes all the way and completes the upscale.