DRIVER FILE · MICROSOFT (PART OF WINDOWS)
dxgmms2.sys: Windows' GPU Scheduler on a Blue Screen
dxgmms2.sys is the part of Windows' graphics kernel that schedules work for the graphics card and manages video memory. A blue screen that names it happened while Windows was handing work to the graphics driver.
WHAT MICROSOFT SAYS
Microsoft lists dxgmms2.sys as one of the files that make up the DirectX graphics kernel: it "implements the GPU/NPU scheduler and video memory manager for WDDM versions 2.0 and later", and dxgkrnl.sys loads it. For the stop code VIDEO_SCHEDULER_INTERNAL_ERROR (0x119), Microsoft's resolution is to see whether updates are available for the video driver from the vendor.
From Microsoft's documentation, linked under Sources. Microsoft's pages on this are written for driver developers.
ON THE TEST PC
| File | dxgmms2.sys |
|---|---|
| Published by | Microsoft (part of Windows) |
| Company in the file | Microsoft Corporation |
| File description | DirectX Graphics MMS |
| File version | 10.0.26100.9974 |
| Signed by | Microsoft Windows (signature valid) |
| Location | C:\Windows\System32\drivers\dxgmms2.sys |
| Driver service | None of its own: no driver service points at this file |
Read on 12 November 2026 on Windows 11 build 26300, without administrator rights. Versions change with Windows updates, so yours will differ.
Why a blue screen names dxgmms2.sys
- A video driver at fault: the case Microsoft's resolution for VIDEO_SCHEDULER_INTERNAL_ERROR addresses.
- Microsoft's analysis of the root causes of crashes: 70% third-party driver code, 10% hardware, 5% Microsoft code and 15% unknown.
- A damaged Windows file, which the System File Checker repairs.
What to do when a blue screen names dxgmms2.sys
The steps come from Microsoft's guidance, with the reversible ones first. Each one says how to put back what it changed. If Windows cannot start normally, Microsoft's basic steps say to start in safe mode and continue from there.
Write down the stop code and the file the screen names
Microsoft Support says the stop code appears at the bottom of the screen and, when Windows knows it, so does the name of the module that was running. If the screen went by too fast, the command under Check it yourself lists the stop codes Windows recorded, and Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System shows the errors logged around the restart.
To undo: Nothing to undo: this only reads information.
Before you change anything: note the driver and make a restore point
Open the device's Properties > Driver tab and write down the driver provider, date and version. Then select Start, type Create a restore point, open it, and on the System Protection tab choose Create. Microsoft notes that System Protection is not turned on by default; if Create is greyed out, choose Configure and turn it on for the system drive first.
To undo: A restore point changes nothing by itself. To go back later, run System Restore and pick it: Microsoft says it reverts system files, the registry and installed programs, and leaves your personal files alone.
Install the current graphics driver
Microsoft's resolution for the video scheduler stop code is an updated video driver from the vendor. Get the driver for your exact graphics card from its maker, or from the PC maker's support page for a laptop, and install it.
To undo: Open the display adapter's Properties > Driver tab in Device Manager and choose Roll Back Driver, or apply the restore point.
If it started after a driver update, roll the driver back
In Device Manager, right-click the device, choose Properties, open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver, then give a reason and confirm. Microsoft notes that you need administrator rights, and that going back to the previous driver often fixes a problem that appeared after an update. The button is greyed out when Windows kept no earlier driver for the device.
To undo: Rolling back is the undo for the update. To return to the newer driver, install it again with Update driver or from the manufacturer's package.
Install the latest Windows updates
Select Start > Settings > Windows Update and choose Check for updates. It is one of Microsoft's basic steps for a stop code that keeps returning, and it is how new versions of Windows' own drivers arrive.
To undo: If the crashes get worse after an update, apply the restore point from the earlier step.
Check Windows' own files
dxgmms2.sys is part of Windows, so there is no separate download for it. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, thensfc /scannow. Microsoft says to run DISM first, and that sfc scans all protected system files and replaces corrupted ones with a cached copy.To undo: No undo is needed: the tools only put back Microsoft's version of a damaged Windows file.
If nothing helps, go back to a restore point
Microsoft's last basic step is to restore Windows from a system restore point made before the crashes began, or to use one of its other recovery options.
To undo: System Restore leaves personal files alone; programs and drivers installed after that restore point have to be installed again.
Check it yourself
See whether a driver on your PC is running from this file (PowerShell)
Shows the driver service that loads the file, whether it is running and its exact path. No output means no driver service on your PC points at this file. Nothing is changed.
PowerShellGet-CimInstance Win32_SystemDriver | Where-Object PathName -like '*\dxgmms2.sys' | Format-List Name, State, StartMode, PathNameRead the company and version from the file itself
Every copy on the PC is listed, including copies waiting in the driver store.
PowerShellGet-ChildItem C:\Windows\System32\drivers, C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository -Recurse -Filter dxgmms2.sys -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | ForEach-Object { $_.VersionInfo } | Format-List FileName, CompanyName, FileDescription, FileVersionCheck the signature
Status should be Valid. The table above shows who signed the file on the test PC.
PowerShellGet-ChildItem C:\Windows\System32\drivers, C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository -Recurse -Filter dxgmms2.sys -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Get-AuthenticodeSignature | Format-List Path, Status, SignerCertificate
What Tweaky Driver can and cannot do here
Part of Windowsdxgmms2.sys is a Windows file: it arrives with Windows updates, and Tweaky Driver offers no replacement for it. What its scan can check is the driver of your graphics card: it lists the installed version and shows whether Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog or a manufacturer package it supports has a newer one, with the source named before anything is installed. Tweaky Driver does not read crash dumps, so it cannot confirm which driver was at fault, and a newer driver is no promise that the crashes stop.
Tweaky Driver, the driver checker that shows its sources — free for Windows 10 and 11.
Common questions
What is dxgmms2.sys?
A file of Windows' DirectX graphics kernel. Microsoft says it implements the GPU scheduler and video memory manager for display drivers from WDDM 2.0 on.
What does "What failed: dxgmms2.sys" mean?
The stop happened in Windows' GPU scheduler or video memory manager. The file is Microsoft's; Microsoft's remedy for the related stop code is to look for an update of the graphics card's driver from its vendor.
What is the difference between dxgkrnl.sys and dxgmms2.sys?
Both belong to the same subsystem. Microsoft describes dxgmms2.sys as the scheduler and video memory manager, and dxgkrnl.sys as handling everything else, including loading dxgmms2.sys.