Here’s a concise guide to understanding and checking the .
: A CUDA-capable NVIDIA GPU (e.g., Maxwell architecture or newer like Turing or Go to product viewer dialog for this item.
: Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2022, or supported Linux distributions like Ubuntu 22.04/24.04.
According to the CUDA Compatibility Guide , CUDA 12.x applications can run on systems with at least: : >= 525.60.13 . cuda 12.6 minimum driver version
The CUDA driver is backward compatible, meaning that applications compiled against a particular version of the CUDA will continue ... NVIDIA Docs CUDA Compatibility - NVIDIA Documentation It enables greater flexibility when upgrading CUDA toolkits and applications by reducing the need to upgrade drivers at the same t... NVIDIA Docs Minor Version Compatibility — CUDA Compatibility Table_title: CUDA 11 and Later Defaults to Minor Version Compatibility Table_content: header: | CUDA Toolkit | Minimum Driver Vers... NVIDIA Docs Supported Drivers and CUDA Toolkit Versions Table_title: Supported Drivers and CUDA Toolkit Versions Table_content: header: | | R535 | R570 | row: | : Branch Designation | R5... NVIDIA Docs 1. What you should know BEFORE installing CUDA toolkit and ... May 28, 2025 —
: Minimum of 5-10 GB of free disk space for the toolkit and drivers.
To run applications built with the , your system must meet at least one of the following driver version thresholds, depending on your operating system: Operating System Minimum Driver Version (General) Linux x86_64 >= 525.60.13 Part of the R525 driver branch. Windows x86_64 >= 527.41 Required for standard desktop/workstation use. Here’s a concise guide to understanding and checking the
Getting CUDA 12.6 up and running requires a specific harmony between your GPU hardware, the installed driver, and the toolkit itself. Since the release of CUDA 11, NVIDIA has made this easier with "Minor Version Compatibility," but there are still hard floors you can't cross.
It provides a user-mode version of the CUDA driver that sits on top of your older kernel driver. 3. Special Hardware Considerations Minimum Required Driver Version for cuda 12.6
The version number generally applies across supported operating systems: According to the CUDA Compatibility Guide , CUDA 12
For new GPU architectures (e.g., H100, B100, RTX 40-series), use at least 560.35.05 or newer.
| Symptom | Typical Error | |---------|----------------| | nvcc compiles, but runtime fails | CUDA error: no CUDA-capable device is detected | | nvidia-smi shows GPU, but CUDA app fails | CUDA_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED_PTX_VERSION or CUDA_ERROR_NO_DEVICE | | PyTorch/TensorFlow with CUDA 12.6 | Throws driver version mismatch at import |
Determining the depends on whether you are prioritizing full feature support or utilizing NVIDIA's "Minor Version Compatibility" for older systems. Core Driver Requirements