How to Update PC Drivers Safely in Windows

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Ankit Kumar
WindowsDriversPerformance

Why Drivers Matter

Drivers are the translators between Windows and your GPU, Wi-Fi chip, audio codec, storage controller, and printer. Stale or mismatched ones cause blue screens, stutter in games, devices that vanish from Device Manager after an update, and sleep that never wakes.

They are also the most common thing people update badly—installing a random package from a search result is how a working PC becomes an unbootable one.

The One Rule

Update a driver when something is wrong, or when you specifically want a new feature or game optimisation. Otherwise leave it alone. A stable machine gains nothing from chasing version numbers, and every driver install carries a small risk. This is the opposite of how driver-updater apps want you to think.

Which Drivers Actually Need Attention

| Component | Update from | How often | |---|---|---| | Graphics (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel) | Vendor app or website | Monthly if you game; otherwise when a problem appears | | Chipset (Intel/AMD) | Motherboard or laptop maker | After a Windows feature update, or when troubleshooting USB/storage/power faults | | Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Laptop or motherboard maker | When connectivity is unreliable | | Storage / NVMe firmware | SSD maker's tool | When the vendor publishes one | | Audio | Laptop or motherboard maker | When troubleshooting sound | | Printers/scanners | Printer maker | When adding the device | | Everything else | Windows Update | Never manually |

Method 1: Windows Update (Safest)

For most components this is the correct answer, and the drivers are WHQL-tested against your exact hardware ID.

  1. Open Settings with Win + I.
  2. Go to Windows Update → Check for updates.
  3. Click Advanced options → Optional updates.
  4. Expand Driver updates, tick what you want, and click Download and install.

Anything hiding under Optional updates is worth reviewing when you are troubleshooting—Windows does not install these automatically.

Method 2: Device Manager (For One Specific Device)

  1. Right-click Start → Device Manager.
  2. Find the device—expand Display adapters, Network adapters, and so on.
  3. Right-click → Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.

Device Manager frequently reports "The best drivers for your device are already installed" even when a newer one exists on the vendor's site. That message means "nothing newer in Windows Update", not "nothing newer anywhere".

To see what you currently have: right-click the device → Properties → Driver tab. Note the Driver Date, Driver Version, and Driver Provider before you change anything.

Method 3: The Manufacturer (Best for GPUs and Chipsets)

Windows Update is often months behind on graphics drivers, which matters if you play new games.

  • NVIDIA: the NVIDIA App (successor to GeForce Experience), or download Game Ready / Studio drivers directly.
  • AMD: AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.
  • Intel graphics: Intel Driver & Support Assistant.
  • Motherboards: the support page for your exact model on ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, or ASRock.
  • Laptops: the OEM's own tool—Dell SupportAssist, HP Support Assistant, Lenovo Vantage, MyASUS. On laptops, always prefer the OEM package over the generic Intel or Realtek one; OEM builds carry the power and thermal tuning for that chassis.

Identify your motherboard first if you are unsure: press Win + R, run msinfo32, and read BaseBoard Manufacturer and BaseBoard Product.

Before You Install Anything

  1. Create a restore point: search Create a restore point → System Protection → Create. This is thirty seconds that can save an evening.
  2. Note the current driver version from the Driver tab, so you know what to go back to.
  3. Install one driver at a time, and restart between them. If something breaks, you know exactly what did it.

When a Driver Update Goes Wrong

  1. Device Manager → right-click the device → Properties → Driver tab → Roll Back Driver.
  2. If Roll Back Driver is greyed out, uninstall the device (ticking Attempt to remove the driver) and reinstall the older package manually.
  3. If Windows will not boot, do it from Safe Mode: how to enter Safe Mode.
  4. For graphics specifically, install over the top leaves fragments behind—strip it properly with clean install GPU drivers with DDU.

Driver install gone wrong? PC-Troubleshooter repairs or rolls back a bad install without digging through Device Manager.

Stop Windows Reinstalling an Old Driver

When Windows Update keeps replacing the driver you just installed:

  1. Download Microsoft's Show or hide updates troubleshooter (wushowhide.diagcab).
  2. Run it, choose Hide updates, and tick the driver you want blocked.

On Pro editions you can also use gpedit.msc → Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Device Installation → Device Installation Restrictions.

What Not to Do

  • Don't install third-party "Driver Updater" apps. They bundle adware, install generic drivers over OEM-tuned ones, and are the most common cause of the exact problems people install them to fix.
  • Don't download drivers from a search result unless the domain is the actual manufacturer. Driver sites are a long-standing malware channel.
  • Don't update every driver at once because a scanner said they are "outdated". A driver from 2019 that works is not a problem.
  • Don't update BIOS/UEFI casually. It is worth doing for a specific documented fix or CPU support—never "just in case"—and never during a storm or on a laptop off AC power.

Related: fix DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE and fix display driver stopped responding.

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