DWM_E_NOT_QUEUING_PRESENTS (0X80263004) Fix

Cause #1: Outdated or corrupt GPU driver — the most common trigger

I've seen this error pop up most often right after a Windows update, especially on Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2. The Desktop Window Manager (DWM) uses your GPU to compose the desktop. If the driver is stale or got borked by an update, DWM stops queuing frames properly. You'll see the error in Event Viewer under Microsoft-Windows-DxgKrnl/Operational or as a popup in some games.

How to fix it

1. Press Win + X and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters. You'll see your GPU listed, like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600.
3. Right-click your GPU and select Uninstall device. Check the box that says Delete the driver software for this device. This is important — without it, Windows might keep the bad driver.
4. Click Uninstall. Your screen may flicker or go to a lower resolution. That's normal.
5. Restart your PC. Windows will install a basic driver automatically. After the restart, you'll be at something like 1024x768. That's fine for now.
6. Go to your GPU manufacturer's website (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel). Download the latest driver for your exact model. Don't use Windows Update here — it often lags behind.
7. Run the installer. Choose Clean Installation if offered. This wipes leftover junk from the old driver.
8. After the install finishes, restart your PC again. Your screen should come back at the right resolution.

What you should see: After the final restart, open Event Viewer and check the DxgKrnl log again. The error should be gone. If you had laggy windows animations or stuttering in video playback, that should also be smooth now.

Cause #2: Third-party overlays and screen recording tools

Overlays from Discord, Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or OBS can interfere with DWM's present queue. They inject into the graphics pipeline and sometimes hold onto frames too long. I've seen this trigger 0X80263004 specifically when you have both Discord overlay and Xbox Game Bar running at the same time.

How to fix it

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Gaming > Game Bar. Turn off Game Bar completely. Also turn off Game Mode — it doesn't help gaming much and can mess with DWM.
3. Open Discord. Click the gear icon (User Settings) next to your name.
4. Under Overlay, toggle Enable in-game overlay off.
5. If you use NVIDIA GeForce Experience: open it, click the gear icon, go to General, and turn off In-game overlay.
6. If you use OBS, close it completely. Don't just minimize — use Task Manager to end the process if needed.
7. Restart your PC.

What you should see: After restart, the error should vanish. If you launch a game or app that previously triggered the error, it should run without the DWM complaint. If you need an overlay later, turn them on one at a time until you find the culprit.

Cause #3: Corrupted system files (SFC and DISM)

Sometimes the issue isn't your driver or overlays — it's Windows itself. Corrupted system files can break DWM's ability to queue presents. This often happens after a failed Windows update or a disk error. I've fixed this on dozens of machines by running two built-in commands.

How to fix it

1. Press Win + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Click Yes when prompted.
2. Run this command:

   sfc /scannow

   It'll take 10-20 minutes. Let it finish completely.
3. What you should see: The scan will say either "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations" or "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them." If it found issues, you're on the right track.
4. If SFC found nothing, or even if it did, run DISM next:

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   This repairs the system image itself. It can take 20-30 minutes. Don't cancel it.
5. What you should see: The progress bar will stall at 20% for a while — that's normal. Eventually it'll say "The restore operation completed successfully."
6. Restart your PC.

What you should expect: After the restart, the 0X80263004 error should no longer appear. If you still see it, move on to the summary table for other less common causes.

Quick-reference summary

If none of these work, also check for a pending Windows Update (Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates) and make sure your power plan is set to Balanced or High Performance — some power-saving plans throttle DWM. Good luck.