vkCreateDevice(3)

# vkCreateDevice(3) Manual Page

## Name

vkCreateDevice - Create a new device instance

Loading… please wait.

## C Specification

A logical device is created as a connection to a physical device. To create a logical device, call:

    // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
    VkResult vkCreateDevice(
        VkPhysicalDevice                            physicalDevice,
        const VkDeviceCreateInfo*                   pCreateInfo,
        const VkAllocationCallbacks*                pAllocator,
        VkDevice*                                   pDevice);

## Parameters

- `physicalDevice` must be one of the device handles returned from a call to `vkEnumeratePhysicalDevices` (see Physical Device Enumeration).

- `pCreateInfo` is a pointer to a VkDeviceCreateInfo structure containing information about how to create the device.

- `pAllocator` controls host memory allocation as described in the Memory Allocation chapter.

- `pDevice` is a pointer to a handle in which the created VkDevice is returned.

## Description

`vkCreateDevice` verifies that extensions and features requested in the `ppEnabledExtensionNames` and `pEnabledFeatures` members of `pCreateInfo`, respectively, are supported by the implementation. If any requested extension is not supported, `vkCreateDevice` must return VK_ERROR_EXTENSION_NOT_PRESENT. If any requested feature is not supported, `vkCreateDevice` must return VK_ERROR_FEATURE_NOT_PRESENT. Support for extensions can be checked before creating a device by querying vkEnumerateDeviceExtensionProperties. Support for features can similarly be checked by querying vkGetPhysicalDeviceFeatures.

After verifying and enabling the extensions the `VkDevice` object is created and returned to the application.

Multiple logical devices can be created from the same physical device. Logical device creation may fail due to lack of device-specific resources (in addition to other errors). If that occurs, `vkCreateDevice` will return VK_ERROR_TOO_MANY_OBJECTS.

Valid Usage

- VUID-vkCreateDevice-ppEnabledExtensionNames-01387
  All required device extensions for each extension in the VkDeviceCreateInfo::`ppEnabledExtensionNames` list must also be present in that list

Valid Usage (Implicit)

- VUID-vkCreateDevice-physicalDevice-parameter
  `physicalDevice` must be a valid VkPhysicalDevice handle

- VUID-vkCreateDevice-pCreateInfo-parameter
  `pCreateInfo` must be a valid pointer to a valid VkDeviceCreateInfo structure

- VUID-vkCreateDevice-pAllocator-parameter
  If `pAllocator` is not `NULL`, `pAllocator` must be a valid pointer to a valid VkAllocationCallbacks structure

- VUID-vkCreateDevice-pDevice-parameter
  `pDevice` must be a valid pointer to a VkDevice handle

Return Codes

On success, this command returns

  - VK_SUCCESS

On failure, this command returns

  - VK_ERROR_DEVICE_LOST

  - VK_ERROR_EXTENSION_NOT_PRESENT

  - VK_ERROR_FEATURE_NOT_PRESENT

  - VK_ERROR_INITIALIZATION_FAILED

  - VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DEVICE_MEMORY

  - VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY

  - VK_ERROR_TOO_MANY_OBJECTS

  - VK_ERROR_UNKNOWN

  - VK_ERROR_VALIDATION_FAILED

## See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkAllocationCallbacks, VkDevice, VkDeviceCreateInfo, VkPhysicalDevice

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification.

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2026 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0