diff --git a/apps/effectcraft/src/main.rs b/apps/effectcraft/src/main.rs
index a1fb6e4a..2bc3265d 100644
--- a/apps/effectcraft/src/main.rs
+++ b/apps/effectcraft/src/main.rs
@@ -371,15 +371,22 @@ fn wgpu_options(backends: Option<eframe::wgpu::Backends>) -> eframe::WgpuConfigu
         // Iris Pro: the device is lost and the window never opens.
         // `WGPU_VALIDATION_INDIRECT_CALL=1` turns the check back on.
         setup.instance_descriptor.flags = setup.instance_descriptor.flags.difference(eframe::wgpu::InstanceFlags::VALIDATION_INDIRECT_CALL).with_env();
-        setup.device_descriptor = std::sync::Arc::new(|adapter| eframe::wgpu::DeviceDescriptor {
-            label: Some("EffectCraft device"),
-            required_limits: device_limits(adapter.limits()),
-            ..Default::default()
-        });
+        setup.device_descriptor = std::sync::Arc::new(|adapter| device_descriptor(adapter.limits()));
     }
     config
 }
 
+/// The window device's descriptor: the adapter's limits ([`device_limits`]) and `MemoryUsage`,
+/// so memory the compositor frees on the shared device goes back to the driver.
+fn device_descriptor(adapter: eframe::wgpu::Limits) -> eframe::wgpu::DeviceDescriptor<'static> {
+    eframe::wgpu::DeviceDescriptor {
+        label: Some("EffectCraft device"),
+        required_limits: device_limits(adapter),
+        memory_hints: eframe::wgpu::MemoryHints::MemoryUsage,
+        ..Default::default()
+    }
+}
+
 /// The limits to request from an adapter that offers `adapter`: all of them, with textures
 /// capped at 16384 px like the headless renderer's device.
 fn device_limits(adapter: eframe::wgpu::Limits) -> eframe::wgpu::Limits {
@@ -539,6 +546,17 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(super::device_limits(big).max_texture_dimension_2d, 16384);
     }
 
+    /// The window device asks for `MemoryUsage`: the adapter's limits, unchanged.
+    #[test]
+    fn the_window_device_favours_memory_usage() {
+        use eframe::wgpu::Limits;
+        let big = Limits { max_texture_dimension_2d: 32768, ..Limits::default() };
+        let d = super::device_descriptor(big);
+        assert!(matches!(d.memory_hints, eframe::wgpu::MemoryHints::MemoryUsage));
+        assert_eq!(d.required_limits.max_texture_dimension_2d, 16384);
+        assert_eq!(d.label, Some("EffectCraft device"));
+    }
+
     /// A positional .ecprojx is a project file, not an unsupported media import (#528).
     #[test]
     fn launch_classifies_xml_and_json_projects_as_projects() {
diff --git a/crates/gpu/src/context.rs b/crates/gpu/src/context.rs
index 7229aa5a..2fbf86bc 100644
--- a/crates/gpu/src/context.rs
+++ b/crates/gpu/src/context.rs
@@ -462,6 +462,12 @@ pub(crate) fn buffer_init(device: &wgpu::Device, queue: &wgpu::Queue, label: Opt
     buffer
 }
 
+/// The descriptor for a device the compositor owns: `MemoryUsage` so freed textures give their
+/// allocator blocks back instead of a few long-lived objects pinning large ones.
+pub(crate) fn device_descriptor(required_limits: wgpu::Limits) -> wgpu::DeviceDescriptor<'static> {
+    wgpu::DeviceDescriptor { label: Some("effectcraft gpu"), required_limits, memory_hints: wgpu::MemoryHints::MemoryUsage, ..Default::default() }
+}
+
 impl GpuContext {
     /// [`buffer_init`] on this context's device.
     pub(crate) fn buffer_init(&self, label: Option<&str>, contents: &[u8], usage: wgpu::BufferUsages) -> wgpu::Buffer {
@@ -870,10 +876,7 @@ impl GpuContext {
             max_buffer_size: limits.max_buffer_size,
             ..wgpu::Limits::default()
         };
-        let (device, queue) = adapter
-            .request_device(&wgpu::DeviceDescriptor { label: Some("effectcraft gpu"), required_limits, ..Default::default() })
-            .await
-            .map_err(|e| match by_name {
+        let (device, queue) = adapter.request_device(&device_descriptor(required_limits)).await.map_err(|e| match by_name {
             true => format!("no device on {} (picked by WGPU_ADAPTER_NAME): {e}", adapter.get_info().name),
             false => format!("no device: {e}"),
         })?;
diff --git a/crates/gpu/src/tests.rs b/crates/gpu/src/tests.rs
index 24f8c961..b466e539 100644
--- a/crates/gpu/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/gpu/src/tests.rs
@@ -1071,3 +1071,13 @@ fn upload_cache_drops_textures_of_freed_buffers() {
     let kept = g.ctx.upload_entries();
     assert!(kept <= before + 1, "the upload cache kept {kept} textures of freed buffers (had {before})");
 }
+
+/// The device the compositor owns asks for `MemoryUsage` so freed textures give
+/// their allocator blocks back, while its label and limits stay as they were.
+#[test]
+fn owned_devices_favour_memory_usage() {
+    let d = crate::context::device_descriptor(wgpu::Limits::default());
+    assert!(matches!(d.memory_hints, wgpu::MemoryHints::MemoryUsage));
+    assert_eq!(d.label, Some("effectcraft gpu"));
+    assert_eq!(d.required_limits.max_texture_dimension_2d, wgpu::Limits::default().max_texture_dimension_2d);
+}