Every device connected to your computer, and the components inside it, are managed by device drivers. These drivers ensure that the devices can run smoothly and support their full feature sets. These drivers let you make the most of what your computer has – and Windows includes a built-in device manager that can be used to manage device drivers. This guide will cover how to use the Windows Device Manager to maintain your device drivers. Whenever you obtain a peripheral device such as a printer or scanner the device is accompanied by a compact disk that includes the software code for loading the device driver.
- By the same token, failing to update graphics drivers can result in sluggish and glitchy performance.
- In each way we will attach a step-by-step guide to help you better know how to update drivers Windows 10.
- The OS can automatically install a driver if it detects any missing drivers.
- You’ll want to check back periodically and download new revisions when they become available.
Creating any specific device driver starts by working within its class framework. Within that class, a particular type of device, such as Bluetooth audio, keyboards or mice, also falls within a related driver framework. In addition, device drivers can access physical devices or virtual devices . The former are called physical drivers and the latter are called virtual drivers. The best driver updater for your PC is one that works automatically without the need for you to manually hunt down drivers. From graphics cards to Wi-Fi chips — even your motherboard and CPU — there are thousands of drivers installed on your PC.
Reinstall Drivers in Windows 10
If your current setup runs on an obsolete socket, it can make upgrading a chore, as you’ll need to install a new motherboard first. Intel is guilty of this and might be giving motherboards more longevity in the future, while AMD has done well to support upgrade paths when possible. It’s important to use an eGPU with a recommended graphics card and Thunderbolt 3 chassis.
After that, you can choose Search automatically for driversoption, and Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the latest driver software for your device. If there is a newer update, Windows Device Manager will download and install the newer driver to your Windows 10 computer. Notably, though, this isn’t always the case as some updates can make your PC malfunction due to compatibility issues. If your sound card manufacturer doesn’t let you automatically update your driver — or if you aren’t using an automatic driver updater — you may need to do so on your own.
Some manufacturers ship devices with a slightly modified version of Intel graphics drivers. In this case, you should open the manufacturer’s website and look for new drivers. If you want to update or reinstall specific drivers, you can use Device Manager. Start by right-clicking the Start menu and clicking on Device Manager. Once you’re in Device Manager, select the device you want to update the drivers for. If you don’t see any new drivers available after checking for updates, then you’ll want to check for optional updates.
As mentioned earlier, it would be better if you could perform a manual backup in case you run into complications while updating drivers. Normally, if you have System Restore enabled, Windows will take a snapshot before installing any driver updates. The Game Ready drivers will work with both games and graphics software, but the Studio drivers can sometimes cause issues with games. Install the program, and then open it and let it identify what kind of graphics card you have.
Do I Need To Install Drivers After I Install Windows From a USB Flash?
If you love playing PC games, one of the most important things people overlook is updating their GPU drivers. Click “Search automatically for updated driver software”. From the same tab, you can also view optional updates or confirm the most recent changes to your driver by clicking View update history. Another easy way to get driver updates is via the Windows Update tool. Bear in mind that, like Device Manager, Windows Update won’t always provide the most recent updates compared to our direct NVIDIA solutions. Performing an NVIDIA driver download at the company’s official website is a fast and easy way to update.
When you looked at your graphics card, was it called an Nvidia “GeForce”? If so, Nvidia offers a free app that will download all the drivers you need automatically, similar to the way Windows keeps your other computer files up to date. After you’ve checked for updates, click the big greenDownloadbutton. Installation only takes a few minutes, during which your screen will temporarily go black and your sound will cut out.