How to Manually Install a Driver in Windows 11/10

Has nothing to do with cars

Every computer has multiple drivers that enable hardware and software to communicate with the operating system. These drivers need to be updated frequently to provide security benefits, functional upgrades, and fixes for glitches.

Generally, Windows automatically installs drivers as required. However, this isn’t always the case, so in this article, we’ll cover how you can manually install a driver in Windows 10 and 11.

What Are Drivers and What Devices Need to be Updated?

Drivers are pieces of code that allow software and hardware devices to work by facilitating interaction with the operating system. Most devices need drivers to work, and most will be installed on their first use and updated automatically.

However, for several reasons, devices are often forgotten by the system (or the user) and left out of date. Often these out-of-date drivers are only discovered when troubleshooting an issue with a device.

The most common devices that require drivers include:

How to Manually Update Your Drivers in Using Device Manager

To manually update your drivers you must use the Device Manager. The process is identical whether you’re using Windows 10 or Windows 11.

How to Manually Update Your Drivers in Windows 11

Updating drivers in Windows 11 is essentially identical to Windows 10, but it has an added capability to update your drivers via the settings app.

The easiest way to find device driver updates in Windows 11 is via the settings app.

How to Manually Update Your Graphics Driver

Graphics card drivers are probably the most frequently updated. If you’re a gamer, you want to stay on top of these updates as they will give your PC a competitive edge in many of the latest games.

Video card manufacturers generally have their own software from which you can easily download drivers. The most common graphics card manufacturers include:

Depending on your graphics card, download the manufacturer’s software and follow their instructions to download and install the latest drivers.

For example, with GeForce, select theDRIVERStab and clickEXPRESS INSTALLATION.

Set Your PC to Update Device Drivers Automatically

Let’s face it – it’s easy to forget to update driver software. Luckily, no matter what version of Windows you use, it’s pretty easy to update your drivers manually. Even better, Microsoft Windows offers a way toautomatically update your device drivers so that you don’t have to worry.

Jake Harfield is an Australian freelance writer whose passion is finding out how different technologies work. He has written for several online publications, focusing on explaining what he has learned to help others with their tech problems. He’s an avid hiker and birder, and in his spare time you’ll find him in the Aussie bush listening to the birdsong.Read Jake’s Full Bio

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How to Manually Install a Driver in Windows 11/10#

What Are Drivers and What Devices Need to be Updated?#

How to Manually Update Your Drivers in Using Device Manager#

How to Manually Update Your Drivers in Windows 11#

How to Manually Update Your Graphics Driver#

Set Your PC to Update Device Drivers Automatically#

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