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LibGL error: failed to load driver: swrast

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By Genesis and InahUpdated on June 3rd, 2022

What is 'LibGL error: failed to load driver: swrast'?

LibGL error: failed to load driver: swrast is an error that usually occurs when trying to use Steam on Ubuntu. It appears to be an issue on the 32bit openGL drivers.

How can you fix 'LibGL error: failed to load driver: swrast'?

Some of the common fixes include:

  • Deleting libstdc++.so.6
  • Reinstalling the driver

Please see our in-depth walk-through solutions below.

1. Delete libstdc++.so.6

"LibGL error: failed to load driver: swrast" may appear when your Steam libstdc++.so.6 is out of date. To fix it, delete the libstdc++.so.6 in the Steam folder only. Avoid deleting other libstdc++.so.6 file because it may damage your operating system. To delete libstdc++.so.6, see steps below.

For x32 version

  1. Close Steam.
  2. Go to ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/
  3. Then delete libstdc++.so.6 using rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6

For x64 version

  1. Close Steam.
  2. Go to ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/
  3. Then delete libstdc++.so.6 using rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6Or rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6

2. Reinstall the driver

"LibGL error: failed to load driver: swrast" may also appear when your Ubuntu has received an update. The update might have overwritten the Nvidia libstdc++.so.6. Try to reinstall the lib32-nvidia-utils package.