How to Update Drivers in Windows

Last Updated: December 12, 2021

This wikiHow teaches you how to manually update a device driver on your Windows PC. Windows keeps most drivers up to date automatically, but checking manually can be a helpful troubleshooting step.

Steps

1
Press ⊞ Win+S. This opens the search bar at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- On Windows versions under Windows 10, search is located in the Start menu/screen.
2
Type device manager. As you type, a list of matching results will appear.
3
Click Device Manager. It should be the first (or only) result.
4
Click the arrow next to the type of device. This expands a list of connected devices of that type.
- For example, if you want to update your network card drivers, click the arrow next to “Network adapters.”
5
Right-click the device you want to update. A menu will expand.
6
Click Update Driver Software….
7
Click Search automatically for updated driver software. Windows will now search online for updated versions of the driver. If a newer version is found, it will be downloaded and installed.
- If you already have the latest version, you’ll see a message that says “The best driver software for your device is already installed.” You can click Close to exit that window.
- If you downloaded an updated driver to your computer, click Browse my computer for driver software, then double-click the driver to install it.