Hardware Errors

NPU Errors

NPU utilization not visible in Windows Task Manager when running on WebNN NPU

Problem

NPU (Neural Processing Unit) utilization does not appear in Windows Task Manager when running WebNN applications on NPU, e.g. Whisper Base on NPU , even after installing the latest NPU driver.

Cause

Windows Update may automatically replace Intel.com drivers with older OEM-distributed versions on devices from manufacturers like Lenovo, ASUS, Dell, and HP. This behavior affects both Neural Processor (NPU, Intel AI Boost) and Graphics drivers.

Current status and improvements

A new NPU driver release in early 2026 is expected to be the solution to resolve this issue.

Alternative: Using WebNN with default drivers and launch browser with switch --disable_webnn_for_npu=0

In many cases, WebNN NPU functionality works with the default OEM-provided drivers that come with Windows Update.

If stability is more important than having the absolute latest driver version, launch browser with switch --disable_webnn_for_npu=0 to enable WebNN NPU functionality in Chrome or Edge.

"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome SxS\Application\chrome.exe" --disable_webnn_for_npu=0

"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge SxS\Application\msedge.exe" --disable_webnn_for_npu=0

See also

• Intel NPU driver support documentation 
• Windows driver management documentation 

GPU Errors

Graphics driver rollbacks affecting WebNN GPU performance

Problem

Windows Update automatically reverts graphics drivers to previous versions, preventing WebNN from achieving optimal GPU performance.

Solution

Refer to NPU solution