Windows 10 drivers update by yourself

In this guide we’ll show you how to update drivers in Windows 10. A driver is a piece of software that allows your PC’s components to work together and be recognised by Windows. If they become corrupted or out of date, problems can arise, from crashes and stability issues to sluggish performance and peripherals no longer working.That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to them. When things start going wrong with components in your computer your PC stops connecting to Wi-Fi, for example updating your drivers should be one of the first things you try.

1. Create a restore point

Before you get started, you should make sure to create a restore point. This ensures you can roll back in case updating a driver causes problems for your computer. It only takes a minute but can save you a lot of hassle down the line.

To create one, click Start and type ‘Create a restore point’ and click the top result. Make sure that ‘Protection’ is enabled for the drive you wish to create a restore point for, select the drive, then click ‘Create’. Give it a name, click ‘Create’, then wait for it to finish.

2. Windows Update

The first way to update your drivers is to use Microsoft’s built-in tool, Windows Update. Click Settings > .Update & Security > Windows Update, then click ‘Check for updates’. If any updates are found, Windows will download and install them.

This is good when you need to do a general check of your drivers, as well as getting updates for the operating system itself. However, if you know the specific driver that needs updating, there could be a quicker way to upgrade it this leads us to.

3. Device Manager

The Device Manager is a way to quickly view all of the components that make up your computer, and update their drivers if necessary.

For instance, if your Wi-Fi seems to be playing up, you can find your Wi-Fi adapter in Device Manager and update its driver from there.

In this example, open the Start menu and type ‘Device Manager’, then click the first result. Scroll down to ‘Network adapters’ and click the arrow to open the full list. Right-click the wireless adapter, click ‘Update driver’, then click ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’.

4. Getting drivers from the manufacturer’s website

Sometimes it makes sense to go directly to the manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers, especially so if you have several components from the same company that all need updating.

Go to the company’s support section and download the relevant driver. Now load up Device Manager from the previous step and right-click the component that needs updating, then click ‘Update driver’.

This time, click ‘Browse my computer for driver software’ and navigate to the folder containing the driver (making sure to tick ‘Include subfolders’).

5. Nvidia graphics drivers

While most drivers focus on improving stability and performance, graphics drivers see more regular updates, with drivers often being tailored for specific games. Depending on your graphics card, there will be different ways to update its drivers.

We’ll start with Nvidia graphics cards. First, open up Nvidia’s GeForce Experience program, then click Drivers in the top-left corner. If there is a new driver, you will see an option to download it.

Nvidia gives you an option to perform a fresh installation this will erase your previous settings, but can help if you’re having issues installing the new driver.

6. AMD graphics drivers

If you have an AMD graphics card, the process is a little different. Right-click on your desktop, then click AMD Radeon Settings.

When the program loads, look to the button in the bottom left. If new graphics drivers are available, it will say ‘New Update’. If it says ‘Updates’ with a tick next to it, you’re up to speed.

Click the button and you’ll see which graphics driver you currently have installed. Click ‘Check for Updates’ to see what is available; if a new driver is ready, click the name of it, then either ‘Express Upgrade’ for a quick installation, or ‘Custom Upgrade’ if you want to configure it.

7. Installing graphics drivers manually

As in step 3, you can download and install graphics drivers manually from the manufacturer’s website. However, the installation process is slightly different when it comes to graphics drivers compared to those for other components.

You’ll need to go to the specific website of the graphics card maker for instance, if you have an Nvidia card made by Gigabyte, try going to the Gigabyte website first, rather than to Nvidia’s site. Navigate to the download or support section, download your driver, then double-click the installer file to get started.

8. Reinstall a troublesome driver

Sometimes, drivers just don’t want to install properly. Even when it seems everything should line up and go according to plan, you can run into a critical error. Thankfully, there is a solution, and it’s simple to implement.

Load up Device Manager, find the component that’s giving you grief, then right-click on it. In the list of options, click ‘Uninstall device’, then reboot your PC. When your computer loads up again, Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver, which could solve the problem.

If that still won’t work, download and run the Windows Update Troubleshooter from Microsoft’s website. Once it’s finished, try updating the driver again.

9. Try a third-party program

There is a whole host of third-party programs available that promise to find and update old drivers on your Windows PC. There are plenty of free options out there, with others charging for larger databases of drivers and extra features.

Make sure you do your research before plumping for a program, as some are bloated with lots of unnecessary extras, for example.

Making sure you regularly check Windows Update and Device Manager should preclude needing an additional program, but they can be worth it if you want the added convenience.

10. How to check if drivers installed properly

Now that you’ve installed the necessary drivers, there’s one final step to take: check it all worked as intended. It’s important to make sure the driver installed correctly so you know any issues have been fixed.

Open the Device Manager and, as before, navigate to the component whose driver has just been updated. Right-click on it, then click Properties.

In the new window, click the Driver tab, then check the ‘Driver Date’ and ‘Driver Version’ fields. If the date and version line up with the details for the driver you installed, you know everything went smoothly.