###### (This is the documentation for SDL3, which is the current stable version. [SDL2](https://wiki.libsdl.org/SDL2/) was the previous version!)
# SDL_HINT_RENDER_DRIVER

A variable specifying which render driver to use.

## Header File

Defined in [<SDL3/SDL_hints.h>](https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/blob/main/include/SDL3/SDL_hints.h)

## Syntax

```c
#define SDL_HINT_RENDER_DRIVER "SDL_RENDER_DRIVER"
```

## Remarks

If the application doesn't pick a specific renderer to use, this variable
specifies the name of the preferred renderer. If the preferred renderer
can't be initialized, creating a renderer will fail.

This variable is case insensitive and can be set to the following values:

- "direct3d"
- "direct3d11"
- "direct3d12"
- "opengl"
- "opengles2"
- "opengles"
- "metal"
- "vulkan"
- "software"

The default varies by platform, but it's the first one in the list that is
available on the current platform.

This hint should be set before creating a renderer.

## Version

This hint is available since SDL 3.1.3.

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[CategoryAPI](CategoryAPI), [CategoryAPIMacro](CategoryAPIMacro), [CategoryHints](CategoryHints)