System & GPU Requirements
The platforms Filament runs on, why a working GPU is mandatory, and how to recover when the app can't find a graphics adapter.
Filament's renderer runs entirely on the GPU. This page covers the platforms it supports, the one hard requirement that gates launch — a working GPU adapter — and how to fix things if Filament can't find one.
Supported platforms
| Platform | Minimum version | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later | Universal (Apple silicon and Intel) |
| Windows | 64-bit Windows | x86_64 (64-bit) |
| Linux | 64-bit Linux | x86_64 (AppImage) |
The macOS download is a universal binary that runs on both Apple silicon and Intel; the Windows build is 64-bit only; the Linux build ships as an x86_64 AppImage. NDI is not available in Linux builds — NDI licensing prevents shipping its binaries there; Art-Net, sACN, and everything else are unaffected. There's no enforced RAM or CPU floor — the GPU is the one thing Filament strictly depends on.
Why a GPU is required
The Rust backend is Filament's sole renderer: it composites layers, decodes and blends video, applies master effects, and downsamples your composition to per-LED values, all on the GPU. There's no CPU fallback.
So a working GPU adapter is mandatory to launch. On startup Filament probes for a usable adapter; if it can't get one, it closes the main window and opens a fixed-size Filament requires a GPU window instead of the workspace.
That window lists diagnostics so you or support can see exactly what failed, and a Copy diagnostics button puts the whole block on your clipboard for a support request:
| Field | What it shows |
|---|---|
OS | Your operating system and CPU architecture (for example macos aarch64). |
Backend attempted | The graphics backends Filament tried to use. |
Adapter | The adapter obtained, or <not obtained> if none. |
Failure | The specific reason the probe failed. |
WebGPU | A short note on the probe state at the point of failure. |
The webview WebGPU notice is harmless
Preview thumbnails are drawn on a plain 2D canvas, so the webview itself doesn't need WebGPU. If it reports no WebGPU adapter, Filament shows a one-time, non-blocking toast and keeps running — playback and previews still work. (If previews look wrong, update your graphics drivers.) Only the backend GPU requirement above is a real, hard gate.
Troubleshooting a missing GPU
If you hit the Filament requires a GPU window, work through these in order:
- Update your graphics drivers. An out-of-date or broken driver is the most common cause. Install the latest from your GPU vendor, then relaunch.
- Make sure a real GPU is present and enabled. Switchable graphics, VMs, remote desktop, and headless sessions may not expose a usable adapter at all. Run on hardware with a real, enabled GPU.
- Confirm your OS meets the minimum — macOS 10.15+, 64-bit Windows, or 64-bit Linux.
- Restart the machine. A fresh boot clears a GPU left in a bad state by another app or a recent driver install.
- Capture the details for support. Click Copy diagnostics and paste the text into your support request so the exact failure travels with it.