How to update drivers in Windows

what to know

• Extract the driver and open Device Manager . Right-click the device and select Update Driver .
• Select Browse my computer for driver > Let me choose > Have disk > Browse > [INF file] > Open > OK .
• Select the newly added hardware and select Next . After the driver update is complete, restart your computer.

This article describes how to use Device Manager to update drivers in Windows. You may need to update drivers (this happens when new hardware doesn't work, after upgrading to a new version of Windows, when troubleshooting a device with problems or errors (such as Device Manager error codes), or when new hardware features are enabled) Common in popular graphics and sound cards).

These steps can be used to update drivers in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. Updating drivers in Windows usually takes about 15 minutes.

1. Find, download and extract the latest drivers for your hardware. When looking for updated drivers, you should first check with your hardware manufacturer. When downloading directly from the hardware manufacturer, you know that the driver is both valid and up-to-date for that hardware.

   If the hardware manufacturer doesn't provide a working driver, check for Windows Update or even the disc that came with your computer or hardware (if you received one). If these ideas don't work, there are several other driver download options.

   Many drivers are integrated with software that automatically installs them, so there is no need to follow the instructions below. If there are no instructions on the driver download page, you may need to manually install the driver in ZIP format. Drivers obtained through Windows Update are installed automatically.

2. Open Device Manager. There are several ways to access Device Manager in Windows, but it's very simple to do so from the Control Panel (the method outlined in the link).

   

   Device Manager is one of the shortcuts on the Power User menu in Windows 11, 10, and 8. Just press WIN + X to open this handy tool.

3. Select the > or [+] icon (depending on your version of Windows) to open the category that you believe contains the device for which you want to update the driver.

   

   If you don't find the device you're looking for, just open some other categories until you find it. Windows doesn't always categorize hardware the way you understand the device and its capabilities.

4. Once you've found the device for which you want to update the driver, the next step depends on your version of Windows:

   • Windows 11, 10, and 8 : Right-click or hold the hardware name or icon and select Update Driver (W11/10) or Update Driver Software (W8).
   • Windows 7 and Vista : Right-click the hardware name or icon, select Properties , then select the Drivers tab, then select the Update Drive button.

   The Update Driver or Update Driver Software wizard will begin and we will fully step through the driver update for this hardware.

   

   • Windows XP only : Right-click the hardware item, select Properties , Driver tab, and then select the Update Drive button. From the Hardware Update Wizard , select No, not this time for the Windows update question, and then select Next > . From the Search and Install Options screen, select the Don't search, I'll choose the driver to install option and then select Next > again. Skip to step 7 below.

   Make sure you right-click on the device itself, not the category group. For example, instead of right-clicking Display Adapters , right-click the item in that group that needs to be updated.

5. Select Browse my computer for drivers (Windows 11 and 10) or Browse my computer for driver software .

   

6. Select Let me choose from a list of available drivers on my computer (Windows 11 and 10) or Let me choose from a list of device drivers on my computer near the bottom of the window.

   

7. Choose Have Disk .

8. In the "Have Disk" window that appears, select "Browse" in the lower right corner of the window.

   

9. In the Find Files window you now see, locate the folder you created in step 1 as part of the driver download and extraction.

   There may be multiple nested folders within the folder you extracted. Ideally there will be a label with your version of Windows (e.g. Windows 11 or Windows 7 , etc.), but if not, try to make an educated guess based on the contents of the driver you want to update, which folder May contain driver files.

10. Select any INF file in the file list and select Open . INF files are the only driver settings information files that Device Manager accepts, and therefore are the only file types you will display.

    • Multiple INF files found in one folder? Don't worry about this. The Driver Update Wizard automatically loads information from all INF files in your folder, so it doesn't matter which one you choose.
    • Found many folders with INF files? Try the INF files in each folder until you find the correct file.
    • No INF file found in the folder you selected? Look through other folders (if any) until you find the folder containing the INF file.
    • No INF file found? If you do not find the INF file in any of the folders included in the extracted driver download, the download may be corrupted. Try downloading and unzipping the driver package again.

11. Return to the Have Disk window and select OK .

12. Select the newly added hardware in the text box and select Next .

    If you receive a warning after pressing "Next" , see step 13 below. If you don't see an error or other message, continue to step 14.

13. There are some common warnings and other messages you may receive at this point during the driver update process, some of which are explained and listed here, along with recommendations on what to do:

    • Windows cannot verify that this driver is compatible : If you are sure that the driver is correct, select Yes to continue with the installation. Select No if you think you might have a driver for the wrong model or something similar, in which case you should look for a different INF file or possibly download a completely different driver. Checking the "Show compatible hardware" box in the step 12 window (if available) can help prevent this.
    • Windows cannot verify the publisher of this driver software : Select Yes to continue installing this driver only if you received it directly from the manufacturer or its installation disc. Select No if you downloaded the driver elsewhere and did not exhaustively search for the driver provided by the manufacturer.
    • This driver is not signed yet : Similar to the publisher verification question above, select Yes only if you are confident about the driver's origin.
    • Windows requires digitally signed drivers : In 64-bit versions of Windows, you won't even see the above two messages because Windows won't let you install drivers with digital signature issues. If you see this message, end the driver update process and find the correct driver from the hardware manufacturer's website.

14. On the Install Driver Software screen (this screen should only last a few seconds), Windows will install the updated driver for your hardware using the instructions contained in the INF file in Step 10.

    Depending on which drivers you happen to have installed, you may need to enter additional information or make certain choices during this process, but this is uncommon.

15. Once the driver update process is complete, you should see a success message. Select Close . You can also close Device Manager now.

16. Restart your computer even if you are not prompted to do so. Windows doesn't always force you to reboot after updating your drivers, but it's a good idea.
    

    Driver updates involve changes to the Windows Registry and other important parts of Windows, so restarting is a good way to ensure that this update does not negatively affect other parts of Windows.

It's not difficult to update drivers yourself, but there are programs that will more or less do it for you. See our list of free driver update tools for reviews of the best tools. These programs are especially useful if you can't find the driver you need, if you want to be alerted when a new driver is available, or if you need to install a driver on an offline computer.

FAQ

• To check for Windows updates, go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates . Install new Windows updates as soon as possible.

• To update the Windows graphics driver from Device Manager, select the arrow next to Display Adapters , then right-click the name of the graphics card or display adapter and select Update Driver .