Drivers for hardware devices on a computer are used to communicate with the operating system. In simple terms, any hardware device that wants to work on Windows needs a compatible driver.
If you are experiencing system problems such as the printer not working, unable to connect to the network, the computer has no sound... it may be because the driver is too old. Let's learn how to update the driver on Windows 11 right after this.
Normally, you do not need to update the driver yourself.
Before we begin, let’s talk about situations where you don’t need to update your hardware drivers in Windows 11. Generally, you shouldn’t update your drivers unless you know that the new driver update will definitely fix the problem you’re having.
If the hardware device is already working, installing a new, inappropriate driver update could potentially break something in an unintended way. In other words, it's a form of making an untested change to the system.
The safest way to update drivers on Windows 11
When looking for driver updates, it’s important to know that Windows has a built-in driver update feature that automatically updates drivers with Windows Update, so if there are any updates for essential system hardware components like your mouse, keyboard, etc., Windows will usually handle them automatically without you having to do anything.
Additionally, some driver updates come as “ Optional Updates” in Windows Update. Microsoft recommends that you do not install these updates unless you are trying to resolve a known issue with a specific device.
However, if you are having problems, you should still check to see if there are any Optional Updates. To do so, press Windows + i to open Windows Settings . In the menu that appears, click “ Windows Update ,” then select “ Advanced Options .”
On the Advanced Options page, scroll down and click “ Optional Updates ”.
On the Optional Updates page, click the “ Driver Updates ” section heading to display additional options. Then, browse through the list and check any driver packages you want to update. When finished, click “ Download & Install .”
Windows will install the driver you selected and, if necessary, restart your PC. This is an effective solution, however, not all driver packages can be found in Windows Update. In that case, see below.
The best place to manually download driver updates
Sometimes you need to update a device, such as a graphics card, that is not included in Windows Update. In this case, your best bet is to go to the device manufacturer’s official website. Navigate to the “ Support ” section and look for “ downloads ,” “ updates, ” or “ drivers ” for your device.
After downloading a trusted driver package from the device manufacturer, zip it and look for the “ Setup ” or “ Install ” program to run. Run it and the driver will automatically install and then ask you to restart the system. After the PC restarts, your new drivers are ready to go.
Update drivers manually with Device Manager
You can also use Device Manager to switch or update drivers for specific devices in Windows 11.
To get started, click the Start button and search for the keyword “ device manager ”, then click the Device Manager icon in the corresponding results returned.
In the Device Manager window , browse through the list of devices installed on your PC and find the device whose driver you want to update. Right-click on it and select “ Update Drivers ”.
In the “ Update Drivers ” window that appears, you have two options:
If you select “ Search automatically for drivers ”, Windows will run a scan of the driver files on your system, looking for updated drivers for your device. If any are found, Windows will install them automatically and ask you to restart your PC when finished.
If not, you will see a message saying “ The best drivers for your device are already installed ”. At this point, you can search further by clicking “ Search for updated drivers on Windows Update ”, which will open the Settings > Windows Update menu . Otherwise, click “ Close ”.
If you select “ Browse my computer for drivers ”, you can browse for the location of the driver files by clicking the “ Browse ” button and following the on-screen steps. Or you can click “ Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer ”.
If Windows recognizes the drivers you browsed for — or you select “ Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer ” — Windows will display a list of compatible drivers you can choose for the device. Select an item from the list and click “ Next .”
If you see the message " The best drivers for your device are already installed " then there is no need to update. Otherwise, the newer driver package will be installed. Windows will then ask you to restart your PC. Click “ Yes ”.
When you log back in, the new driver will be active.
Good luck!
In a new post on its Tech Community website, Microsoft has announced plans to discontinue WSUS driver synchronization in favor of its latest cloud-based driver services.
Updating drivers can be done manually or using driver update software. The advantage of using driver update software is that it is fast, convenient and finds the right driver version to update. Below are some of the best driver update and installation software for your reference.
If your computer is equipped with an Intel wireless network card, you should download the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth driver packages that have just been released, which come with some notable optimizations and improvements.
Driver Booster 12 Free is an effective tool to keep your drivers up to date. This driver updater enhances system performance with a simple 1-click solution.
Have you ever booted another operating system alongside Windows? Dual booting is a great way to try out new operating systems without compromising your version of Windows. You can choose between operating system versions using the built-in boot manager.
Dual monitor setups are becoming more common these days. Multitasking on one screen is too limiting.
Windows has powerful built-in command line troubleshooting tools. The Windows Maintenance Tool simplifies things by consolidating these tools into one easy-to-use menu.
Installing Windows with WinToHDD is very simple, no need for USB or DVD containing the installation file. You just need to use the ISO file and then WinToHDD will proceed to install Windows.
DISM (Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management) is an important tool along with SFC (System File Checker) to handle many system issues in Windows 11.
Inaccessible Boot Device is a blue screen of death (BSOD) error. This error usually occurs on Windows 10 after users use the Reset This PC feature to restore Windows 10 computer to default settings or to refresh (reinstall) Windows 10 without losing files or after upgrading the system to Windows 10.
While Windows 11 certainly comes pre-installed with a few useless apps, it also hides some incredibly powerful tools right under your nose.
Adding free space from one partition to another is the best way to make full use of hard drive capacity. The extra space in the large partition will not be wasted, and the problem of lack of memory in the smaller drive will also be solved.
A top-of-the-line gaming laptop will never match the performance of a similarly priced gaming desktop. But that doesn't mean you can't play the latest games on a laptop.
If you don't like Photos on Windows 10 and want to view photos using Windows Photo Viewer on Windows 10, follow this guide to bring Windows Photo Viewer to Windows 10, helping you view photos faster.
No matter where you are or what computer you're using, you have everything you need to work, troubleshoot, and stay productive.
Changing the name of a Windows network does not affect the configuration and makes it easier to identify the network. There are several ways to change the name of a network on Windows.
Changing your WiFi password to special, complex characters is one way to protect your family's WiFi from being used illegally, affecting your family's WiFi speed.
Currently, Windows 11 has been officially launched and we can download the official Windows 11 ISO file or Insider Preview version to install.
The mouse pointer has disappeared from your Windows device and you're wondering: How do I get the mouse pointer back? Or, the mouse pointer always decides to disappear when you type.
