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Natthan
Natthan
New Participant
October 28, 2025
Solved

"Could not initialize WebGL" on Desktop App (Win 11 ARM / Snapdragon X Elite) following 28/10/2025 Update

  • October 28, 2025
  • 35 replies
  • 2611 views

Hello Figma Team,

I am encountering a critical issue with the Figma Desktop application (Windows 11 ARM64).

Since today's update, the application displays the error message: "Could not initialize WebGL".

This problem is highly likely related to the GPU/driver detection in the latest version of the app.

 

My Configuration:

 

  • OS: Windows 11 ARM64

  • Device: ASUS Vivobook S15 (Snapdragon X Elite)

  • GPU: Qualcomm Adreno X1-85 GPU

  • Adreno Driver Version: 31.0.121.1 (the latest installed via Windows Update).

 

Diagnostics and Steps Already Taken:

 

  1. WebGL works perfectly when I use Figma in my browser (Chrome/Edge).

  2. The error occurs only on the Figma Desktop application.

  3. I attempted a clean reinstall of the Figma Desktop app (uninstalled, manually deleted GPUCache and Local Storage folders in %AppData% and %LocalAppData%) without success.

  4. I also tried to force the rendering via the command line with the --use-angle=gl and --ignore-gpu-blacklist flags, but the error persists.

Hypothesis:

It is highly probable that the latest version of your internal Chromium runtime has added my specific graphics driver (31.0.121.1) to a blacklist of unstable GPUs for WebGL on the ARM architecture, thereby preventing initialization.

Could you please confirm if there is a known blocking rule for this driver in the latest Desktop app update for Windows ARM, or if a fix is planned to allow this driver to use OpenGL rendering?

Thank you for your assistance.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Best answer by djv

    Hey All, thanks again for your patience while the team worked through this issue! 

    As ​​​​@Natthan originally suspected, the team confirmed that this is an issue with Snapdragon X Elite drivers from Qualcomm, which is causing WebGL to fail. This is a minimum requirement of Figma, so because of this, the app doesn't launch as expected. The flag is forcing the use of Vulkan, which works as an alternative. To learn more about why this isn't working, you can reach out to Qualcomm directly. The workaround comes from this forum post.

    Here are the steps to mitigate this:

    1. Create a shortcut of figma.exe
    2. Open properties of the shortcuts
    3. Add “--enable-features=Vulkan --disable-gpu-compositing” at the end of the target
    4. Apply and launch Figma with the shortcut

     

    Please try this solution and let us know if you run into any further issues. 

    35 replies

    djv
    Figmate
    djv
    Community Support
    October 30, 2025

    Hi ​@Natthan, thanks for reaching out! 
     
    Since this WebGL error seems to be only showing in the desktop app and running as expected when using Figma in the browser, please let me know:

    1. Can you see if the issue persists if you Clear the Figma desktop app cache?
      You can do this from the Help menu selecting Troubleshooting > Reset Figma and Restart
    2. Can you confirm if the same issue occurs if you try connecting to a different network (e.g. mobile hotspot)?
    Natthan
    NatthanAuthor
    New Participant
    October 31, 2025

    Hi,

    Thanks for your suggestions. I’ve followed the steps you recommended:

    • Cleared the Figma desktop app cache via Help > Troubleshooting > Reset Figma and Restart
    • Tried connecting through a different network

    Unfortunately, the WebGL error still persists in the desktop app, while Figma continues to work fine in the browser.

    Could it be compatibility issues between snapdragon graphic drivers and the electron version of figma ?

    Thanks again for your help,
    Natthan

    djv
    Figmate
    djv
    Community Support
    October 31, 2025

    Thanks, ​@Natthan! 

    I’m not familiar with any compatibility issues between snapdragon graphic drivers and the electron version of Figma, but I’ve created ticket #1578057 on your behalf and escalated this issue to our technical quality team to investigate further. 

      Natthan
      NatthanAuthor
      New Participant
      November 1, 2025

      Thank you ! 
      I look forward for any answers :)

      Dandi Feng
      Dandi Feng
      November 17, 2025

      ​@djv Following as I have exactly the same issue.

      My specs: 
      Lenovo Yoga

      ARM64

      Snapdragon(R) X Elite as well

      Qualcomm Adreno X1-85 GPU

      OpenCL, OpenGL, and Volkan Compatibility Pack is installed. 
       

      Attached screenshot for reference of the error. 

       

      Dandi Feng
      Dandi Feng
      November 17, 2025

      Update with more info: the screenshot is for when launching the design file. 
      Following the dialog box message does not resolve the issue. Still unable to launch design files in desktop app. 


       

      Husna Moetiaputri
      Husna Moetiaputri
      New Member
      November 20, 2025

      hi ​@djv i have exactly the same issue. i use figma desktop, but always show the pop up “could not initialize WebGL” 

       

        djv
        Figmate
        djv
        Community Support
        November 21, 2025

        Hey All, thanks for following up here! 

        Can you please let us know if you’re using the latest version of the desktop app?

        Natthan’s issue was initally resolved after reinstalling the desktop app: https://www.figma.com/downloads/

        If that doesn’t work, support suggested trying the Figma Beta app: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/5601429983767#Download_the_beta_version 

        If neither work, are you able to reproduce the issue and share the following with our technical quality support team?

        You can file a bug report with this information for the team directly here: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

        Natthan
        NatthanAuthor
        New Participant
        November 21, 2025

        Hi,
        I just wanted to say that this bug reappeared yesterday after the latest update. To fix the issue last time, I had to completely reinstall Windows, but I cannot do that every week after your updates.
        I will send the debug information to the developer to help find a solution.
        PS: figma beta didn’t help ( + there is no arm version of figma Beta ).
         

        Natthan
        NatthanAuthor
        New Participant
        November 21, 2025

        Here is the debug info attached to this message.
        Hope the support will be able to help, Figma is so nice to use.
        And here is the link to the screen recording video: 

         

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