How to Update Drivers on Windows 11 (2026): 4 Easy Ways

Drivers are the small pieces of software that let Windows talk to your hardware — your graphics card, sound, Wi-Fi, printer, and more. Keeping them current can fix crashes, restore missing sound, improve game performance, and patch security holes. But updating the wrong way — or updating drivers that were working fine — can also cause problems. This guide covers four safe ways to update drivers on Windows 11, when to use each, how to update your graphics driver specifically, how to undo a bad update, and how to avoid the driver-update scams that trip people up.

First: should you update your drivers at all?

The single most important rule: if it isn't broken, don't fix it. A driver that's working fine doesn't need updating just because a newer version exists, and a bad update can turn a working device into a broken one.

Update a driver when:

• You're troubleshooting a specific problem — no sound, no Wi-Fi, stuttering, a device that stopped working.
• You want the latest graphics driver for a new game or a performance/stability fix.
• A device is brand new and Windows didn't fully recognize it.
• There's a security update for a driver (occasionally issued for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or chipset).

Otherwise, let Windows keep the essentials current and leave the rest alone.

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Method 1: Windows Update (easiest, safest)

Windows Update installs most core drivers automatically, and hides others under "optional updates."

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Windows Update.
3. Click Check for updates and install anything offered.
4. Then click Advanced options → Optional updates → Driver updates.
5. Tick any driver updates listed and click Download & install.

Best for: everyone, as a first step. It's the safest source because Microsoft tests these drivers. The catch: Windows Update is conservative and often lags weeks or months behind on graphics, chipset, and peripheral drivers — so it won't always have the update you actually need.

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Method 2: Device Manager (targeted, manual)

When you need to update one specific device, Device Manager is the built-in tool.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand the category for your device (e.g. Display adapters for graphics, Sound, video and game controllers for audio, Network adapters for Wi-Fi).
3. Right-click the device and choose Update driver.
4. Choose Search automatically for drivers.

If Windows says you already have the best driver, that only means it can't find a newer one through Windows Update — the manufacturer may still have a newer one (see Method 3).

Best for: fixing a single misbehaving device, or reinstalling a driver.

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Method 3: The manufacturer's website (most up-to-date)

For the newest drivers — especially graphics — go straight to the source. This is the method enthusiasts and gamers rely on.

Graphics (GPU) drivers:

• NVIDIA — download from NVIDIA's site or the NVIDIA App.
• AMD — download the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition package.
• Intel — use the Intel Driver & Support Assistant for integrated or Arc graphics.

Laptops and prebuilt PCs (chipset, Wi-Fi, audio):

Use your PC maker's support app or support page — Dell (SupportAssist), HP (HP Support Assistant), Lenovo (Vantage), ASUS, Acer, and so on. Enter your model or let the app detect it, and it lists the right drivers for your exact machine.

Custom / DIY desktops:

Get chipset, audio, and network drivers from your motherboard maker (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock), and GPU drivers from NVIDIA/AMD/Intel as above.

⚠️ Only ever download drivers from the official manufacturer domain. Search results and ads are full of fake "driver download" sites that bundle malware — more on that below.

Best for: graphics drivers, and getting the genuinely newest version.

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Method 4: An automatic driver updater (one dashboard, one click)

Chasing drivers across half a dozen manufacturer sites is tedious. An automatic driver updater scans your whole system, finds outdated or missing drivers, and updates them from a single dashboard — the convenient middle ground between "let Windows do it" and "hunt every site yourself."

The one we recommend is IObit Driver Booster, mainly because it does the two things that make automatic updating actually safe: it keeps a large driver database that finds updates Windows Update misses (graphics, audio, chipset, peripherals), and it creates a system restore point before each update, so a bad driver is a one-click rollback rather than a crisis.

Driver Booster is currently up to 65% off through our link, and our exclusive reader coupon OnlinesafetyC35 stacks on eligible plans. It's optional — but if you value not thinking about drivers again, it's the tidy option.

Best for: gamers, less-technical users, and anyone tired of manufacturer-site hunting.

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How to update your graphics driver on Windows 11

Graphics is the driver people most often need to update — for new games, performance fixes, or to stop crashes and black screens. The fastest reliable route:

1. Find out your GPU: open Device Manager → Display adapters, or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Performance → GPU.
2. Go to the maker's official source — NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
3. Download the driver for your exact model and Windows 11.
4. Run the installer. Choose a clean install if offered — it clears old files that cause conflicts.
5. Reboot if prompted.

If a new graphics driver causes a black screen or crashes, roll it back (next section). For persistent issues, enthusiasts use a "display driver uninstaller" utility to fully wipe the old driver before reinstalling.

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How to roll back or undo a driver update

If an update makes things worse, Windows keeps the previous version so you can revert:

1. Open Device Manager and right-click the device.
2. Choose Properties → Driver tab.
3. Click Roll Back Driver and follow the prompt.

If Roll Back Driver is greyed out, Windows doesn't have the previous version stored — use a System Restore point instead (search "Create a restore point" → System Restore), or reinstall the last known-good driver from the manufacturer. This is exactly why creating a restore point before a big update is worth the ten seconds (and why tools like Driver Booster do it for you).

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Watch out: driver-update scams

Drivers are a favorite hook for scams, so this matters as much as the how-to:

• "Your drivers are out of date!" popups in your browser are scareware — fake warnings designed to panic you into installing malware or paying for junk. Windows and legitimate tools never warn you through a random web popup. Close the tab.
• Fake "driver download" sites rank in search and ads, wrapping real driver names around bundled adware or malware. Only download from the official manufacturer domain or a reputable updater.
• "Driver pack" torrents and cracked updaters are a classic malware delivery method. Never use them.

If you're unsure whether a download link is safe, run it through our free link safety checker before you click — it inspects a URL against threat databases first. A slow or misbehaving PC is also sometimes malware rather than an out-of-date driver, so it's worth having real protection in place; see our best antivirus picks.

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The bottom line

• Start with Windows Update (Method 1) — safest, and it handles the essentials.
• Use Device Manager (Method 2) to fix one specific device.
• Go to the manufacturer (Method 3) for the newest drivers, especially graphics.
• Use an automatic updater (Method 4) like Driver Booster if you want it all from one dashboard, with rollback built in.
• Don't update what isn't broken, always create a restore point before big changes, and never download drivers from random sites or popups.

Want the wider toolkit for a faster, healthier PC? See our 5 best PC cleanup & driver tools roundup and our honest IObit review.