navigator.gpu is a read-only property that returns the GPU object for this browsing context — the entry point for the WebGPU API (MDN).
Read the notes below before you rely on this property. Prefer feature detection when support is limited.
Use navigator.gpu. Start with this line.
navigator.gpu| Call | What it does |
|---|---|
navigator.gpu | Primary signature. |
Built into the browser. Read navigator.gpu on Navigator — no import required.
navigator.gpu| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| requestAdapter() | Required. Pick a GPU adapter (or null) |
| requestDevice() | Required. Get a usable GPUDevice |
| Return Value | Description |
|---|---|
| * | GPU object |
Check whether WebGPU is available before calling it.
if (!navigator.gpu) {
console.log("WebGPU not supported.");
} else {
console.log("WebGPU available");
}navigator.gpu. Falsy means the API is missing here.requestAdapterAsk the browser for a GPUAdapter (think: the graphics card).
async function getAdapter() {
if (!navigator.gpu) {
console.log("WebGPU not supported.");
return null;
}
const adapter = await navigator.gpu.requestAdapter();
if (!adapter) {
console.log("Couldn't request WebGPU adapter.");
return null;
}
console.log("adapter ready");
return adapter;
}
getAdapter();navigator.gpu is missing.requestAdapter(). Returns a Promise for a GPUAdapter.null. MDN: no matching adapter is possible.requestDevice().requestDeviceMDN-style init: adapter → device for real WebGPU work.
async function init() {
if (!navigator.gpu) {
console.log("WebGPU not supported.");
return;
}
const adapter = await navigator.gpu.requestAdapter();
if (!adapter) {
console.log("Couldn't request WebGPU adapter.");
return;
}
const device = await adapter.requestDevice();
console.log("device ready: " + (device ? "yes" : "no"));
}
init();null.GPUDevice is what you use for GPU work.Navigator.gpu (WebGPU entry point) is Limited availability (not Baseline) on MDN. It requires a secure context. It is not Deprecated, Experimental, or Non-standard.
Available in modern Chromium (Chrome/Edge ~113+ on major desktop platforms), Safari 26+, and Firefox on supported OS builds. Always feature-detect — adapter may still be null.
Bottom line: Detect navigator.gpu over HTTPS, check requestAdapter() for null, then requestDevice() — keep a non-WebGPU fallback.
Learn how to read logical CPU cores for sizing Worker pools.
11 people found this page helpful