How to update drivers on Windows 11
If the devices in your Windows 11 PC—such as USB controllers, video cards, printers, or other peripherals—need new or updated drivers, they're usually easy to install. We'll show you how.
Usually, you don't need to update drivers
Before we move on to updating drivers, let's talk when you don't need to update your device drivers in Windows 11. Usually, you should only update drivers if you are updating a graphics card driver or know that updating a driver will do. Fixed an issue you encountered.
If your hardware is already working, updating your driver will likely break something in an unexpected way by making an untested change to your system. As the saying goes, "If it doesn't break, don't fix it."
The safest way to update your drivers
When looking for driver updates, it's important to know that Windows automatically keeps many drivers updated with Windows Update, which is included in Windows 11. So if there are any minor but necessary updates to common components such as touchpads or USB controllers, Windows usually takes care of them automatically the next time you update your computer.
In addition, some driver updates arrive as "optional updates" in Windows Update. We (and Microsoft) do not recommend that you install these updates unless you are trying to resolve a specific known issue with a device. But, if you're having trouble, it's worth checking to see if there are optional updates available. To do this, open Settings by pressing Windows + i. In the settings, click on "Windows Update" in the sidebar, and then select "Advanced".
In "Advanced Options," scroll down and tap Optional Updates.
In Optional Updates, click the header of the "Driver Updates" section to expand it. Then browse the list and place checkmarks next to any driver you want to update. When done, click "Download and Install".
Windows will install the drivers you selected and, if necessary, ask to restart your computer. After rebooting, it's a good idea to use updated drives. However, you won't find every driver in Windows Update. In this case, see the section below.
Best Place to Download Manually Updated Drivers
There are times when you need to update a device such as a graphics card that is not covered by Windows Update. In this case, your best bet is to select the official website of the device manufacturer. Once there, look for the "Support" section and look for "Downloads", "Updates" or "Drivers" for your device.
Beware that there are many fraudulent driver sites that install malware instead of drivers, so make sure you have access to the manufacturer's physical website. The driver update tools you might find online are worthless and can be full of scams or malware.
Once you have downloaded a reliable driver package from your device manufacturer, extract it and look for a "setup" or "install" program to run. Run it, usually the update driver is installed automatically and then asks for a restart. After the computer restarts, the new drivers are ready to work.
In the case of GPU drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, the driver update software may install a utility such as GeForce Experience (for NVIDIA hardware) that will allow quick driver updates in the future. With this software, you can update GPU drivers from a trusted source as new games appear.
Update drivers manually using Device Manager
Finally, you can also use Device Manager to switch or update drivers for certain devices in your Windows 11 PC, but most people don't need to do that. To get started, open Device Manager: Click on the Start button and search for "Device Manager," then click on the Device Manager logo in the results.
In the Device Manager window, browse to the list of devices installed on your computer and locate the device whose driver you wish to update. Right-click on it and select "Update Driver".
In the "Update Drivers" window that appears, you have two options. We'll cover both below, but first, here's a look at what each option does.
Automatically search for drivers: This option makes Windows search Windows for compatible drivers and install them automatically.
Browse my computer for drivers: This option allows you to manually locate the new drivers you want to install. This can be useful if you have already downloaded drivers from the manufacturer's website or want to install drivers from a CD, but the driver installer is absent or does not work properly.
If you choose "Automatically search for drivers", Windows will scan your system driver files, looking for updated device drivers. If it finds it, it will be installed and you will be asked to restart your computer.
If not, you will see "The best drivers for your device are already installed." At this point, you can continue your search by clicking "Search for updated drivers on Windows Update", which will open the settings menu> Windows Update. Otherwise, click "Close".
If you choose "Browse my computer for drivers", you can browse for a location where you know the new driver files by clicking the "Browse" button and following the steps on the screen. Or you can click on "Let me choose from the list of drivers available on your computer".
If Windows recognizes the drivers you've browse—or you select "Let me choose from a list of available drivers on my computer"—Windows will provide you with a list of compatible drivers you can choose from for your device. Select an item in the list and click Next.
If you see "The best drivers for your device are already installed", there is no need to update. You can close Device Manager, and you're done. Otherwise, the driver will be installed if it is newer than the old one. After that, Windows will ask you to restart your computer. Click Yes.
When you log in again, your new drivers will be active. Happy computing!