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How to Install and Update Drivers in Windows 10 and 11

6 min read

Install, update, and roll back drivers in Windows the right way. Where to find the correct drivers, how to use Device Manager, and when to avoid Windows Update drivers.

Wrong or outdated drivers cause crashes, poor performance, and broken devices. Here's how to manage drivers correctly.

Where to Get Drivers

Always prefer the manufacturer's website over Windows Update for critical drivers:

  • GPU: nvidia.com, amd.com, intel.com/graphics
  • Chipset/Motherboard: motherboard manufacturer (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock)
  • Laptop: laptop manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS support pages)
  • Network/Audio: usually included with motherboard drivers

Windows Update drivers are generic — they work but lack features and optimizations.

Check Current Driver Versions

# All installed drivers with versions
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver |
  Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion, DriverDate |
  Where-Object {$_.DeviceName -ne $null} |
  Sort-Object DeviceName

Or: Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager) → right-click any device → Properties → Driver tab

Install a Driver

From .exe installer (GPU, audio, chipset): Download the installer from manufacturer → run as Administrator → follow prompts → restart if required.

From .inf file (manual install): Win + X → Device Manager → right-click the device → Update driver → Browse my computer → navigate to the extracted driver folder → OK

From Device Manager (automatic): Right-click device → Update driver → Search automatically — Windows searches Windows Update.

Roll Back a Driver

If a new driver breaks something:

Device Manager → expand the category → right-click the device → Properties → Driver tab → Roll Back Driver

If Roll Back is greyed out (no previous version saved):

# Find old driver packages
Get-WindowsDriver -Online | Where-Object {$_.ProviderName -like "*NVIDIA*"} |
  Select-Object Driver, Version, Date

Or use System Restore to a point before the driver was installed.

Uninstall a Driver Completely

Sometimes you need a clean install — especially for GPU drivers:

  1. Download DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) from guru3d.com for GPU drivers
  2. Boot into Safe Mode
  3. Run DDU → Clean and restart
  4. Install fresh driver after reboot

For other drivers: Device Manager → right-click → Uninstall device → check Delete the driver software → Uninstall → restart

Find Missing Drivers

After a fresh Windows install, some devices may show as unknown:

# Show devices with missing or problem drivers
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPEntity |
  Where-Object {$_.ConfigManagerErrorCode -ne 0} |
  Select-Object Name, ConfigManagerErrorCode

Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices — reveals devices without proper drivers.

To identify an unknown device: right-click → Properties → Details tab → Hardware IDs → copy the ID → search on devid.info to find which device it is.

Driver Signing and Security

Windows by default only installs signed drivers. If you need to install an unsigned driver:

bcdedit /set testsigning on

Restart. You'll see a watermark. Re-disable after installing:

bcdedit /set testsigning off

Keep Drivers Updated Automatically

Built-in option: Win + I → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates — check for driver updates here periodically.

Third-party tools:

  • Snappy Driver Installer Origin — free, offline driver pack
  • Driver Easy — scans and updates automatically (freemium)

Avoid sketchy "driver updater" tools — many are adware. Stick to manufacturer websites and the tools above.

GPU Driver — Special Considerations

GPU drivers update frequently and have the most impact on performance.

NVIDIA: download GeForce Experience for automatic updates, or download directly from nvidia.com/drivers

AMD: download AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition from amd.com/support

Intel Arc: download from intel.com/arc-graphics

Always do a clean install when upgrading GPU drivers (DDU first for major version changes).

Summary

For critical drivers (GPU, network, audio): always download from manufacturer. For unknown devices: check Hardware ID on devid.info. For broken driver after update: roll back via Device Manager or use DDU for GPU. For GPU drivers specifically, do a clean install with DDU when upgrading major versions.

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