What does HRESULT 0x887E0002 (D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH) mean?

D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH

Interpret the result in its owning layer: driver version mismatch

D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH (0x887E0002) belongs to the d3d layer. It marks the adapter matches but the cached PSO was produced by another driver or runtime version, rather than a generic rendering failure. The object that owns the decision is cached Direct3D 12 pipeline state compatibility.

D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH: The debug layer should be enabled in a development build before changing resource lifetimes. For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, These results usually identify a caller contract or cache-compatibility boundary, not a request to reinstall DirectX. For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, the built-in one-line message identifies the immediate result; diagnosis also needs the producing API, object ownership and the display generation current at the time.

Capture before recreating objects

For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, preserve the unsigned HRESULT, symbolic name, first failing API and timestamp in one record. If cleanup later fails too, keep that secondary result separately from D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH.

Reproduce one variable at a time

1. Freeze the D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH generation. Record adapter LUID, current driver version, cache creation version, pipeline description hash and blob age. Before diagnosing D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, do not resize, hot-plug, recreate or release the object under examination.
2. Run the narrow D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH comparison. upgrade or roll back the display driver while preserving a disposable pipeline cache. During the D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH comparison, keep every driver, monitor, resource format and unrelated policy unchanged.
3. Observe the layer after D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH. For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, if the exact check passes, record the next HRESULT or visible outcome. A different downstream result shows that the D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH boundary was crossed.
4. Repeat D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH through a lifecycle transition. For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, exercise one relevant resize, mode switch, device recreation, hot-plug or session change and confirm that this result does not reuse stale handles.

The comparison with D3D12_ERROR_ADAPTER_NOT_FOUND is especially useful: D3D12_ERROR_ADAPTER_NOT_FOUND indicates hardware identity mismatch rather than driver-version mismatch. For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, recording both names prevents a broad “graphics error” label from merging distinct ownership, capability and lifetime problems.

Recovery contract

Invalidate the affected cache generation and recreate pipeline state from descriptors and shader bytecode. Repair of D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH is complete only when the original call succeeds or returns its documented nonfatal status and the same lifetime test remains correct after a second display transition.

• The D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH trace identifies one producing API and one current graphics object, rather than only the final UI symptom.
• The passing run changes exactly the condition described for D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH; unrelated adapter, monitor and application state remains unchanged.
• For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, debug-layer, ETW or driver diagnostics no longer report the rejected cached Direct3D 12 pipeline state compatibility contract during the same scenario.
• The application handles recurrence of D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH without an unbounded retry loop, leaked resource, duplicate composition target or stale topology handle.

Implementation notes for D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH

For D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH, log Direct3D debug-layer output, object creation stacks, normalized descriptors, feature level and adapter/driver identity. When the D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH path returns a count, size, status flag or replacement object, retain it even on a nonfatal result because it can direct the next call.

A production fallback for D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH should be explicit: pause rendering, re-enumerate, rebuild one cache entry, recreate a device, or decline a protected path only when this layer calls for that action. Reinstalling every display component, deleting all caches or forcing a resolution change is not an evidence-based fix for D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH.

Technical references

• Microsoft: Direct3D 10 return codes — background for the cached Direct3D 12 pipeline state compatibility boundary involved in D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH.
• Microsoft: Direct3D 11 return codes — background for the cached Direct3D 12 pipeline state compatibility boundary involved in D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH.
• Microsoft: Direct3D 12 return codes — background for the cached Direct3D 12 pipeline state compatibility boundary involved in D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH.
• Microsoft: Use the Direct3D 11 debug layer — background for the cached Direct3D 12 pipeline state compatibility boundary involved in D3D12_ERROR_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH.

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.