Drivers in a Windows PC play a very important role. They act as a medium between the OS and the hardware. Without drivers, the hardware will not work or will function abnormally. Having an updated set of drivers is always a best practice as it will let your hardware work on newer versions of the OS as well as protect it from any vulnerabilities that might affect it. So, if you want to stay on the latest drivers and be safe from any vulnerabilities, here is a guide on how to update drivers on Windows 11.
In Windows 11, there are various methods that you can use to update your device drivers. Even if you are running a Windows 10 PC, you will be able to use the same methods to update the drivers. Depending on what drivers you might want to update, the time taken might be more or less the same. Well, in the end, it depends on your internet speed on how fast it can download the driver. So, if you are ready to know how to update your drivers on a Windows 11 PC, read on to know more.
There are four main ways that you can use to update your drivers on a Windows 11 PC. The steps are simple and easy to follow. Read on to know which one of the methods will work the best for you.
How to update Windows 11 drivers from Windows Update
Windows Update, especially on Windows 11 is much improved and has options that let you choose when and how to install or download the updates for your device.
- Open the Start Menu and click on the Settings app icon.
- On the left panel, click on Windows Update to bring the update and settings screen for your system.
- Click on the button that says Check for Updates.
- The Windows Update service will first check if it has any updates for itself. If it does, it will install those and then, it will start to search for any updates available.
- For most of the items, the Windows Update service will show driver updates for important hardware like your CPU and GPU alongside any system or Windows Defender updates.
However, if it doesnโt seem to show you any device driver updates, here is another thing that you can do.
- While you are still on the Windows Update page click on the Advanced Options.
- You will now see a screen filled with a lot of options.
- At the top, you will see receive updates for other Microsoft products. Select the toggle and slide it to the On position.
- What selecting this option does is, the Windows Update service will also now scan for other updates such as driver updates whenever you ask it to check for updates on your system.
There is also another method for you to try to get driver updates on your Windows 11 PC. Here is what you do.
- Now that you are on the Advanced Options screen, simply scroll down a bit till you see Optional Updates and click on it.
- Here is where you will get other updates such as system feature updates, quality updates as well as driver updates.
- You will be able to see if there are any updates as it shows the number of updates available.
- If there is an update available it will show you the number otherwise it will simply show none.
How to update drivers on Windows 11 via Device Manager
- Open the Start Menu and type in Device Manager. When it shows up simply press the Enter button.
- The Device Manager will show you a list of hardware installed on your system.
- To update the drivers for any particular device you will have to select the device.
- Now, right-click on it to bring the context menu. Select Update Driver.
- It will now ask if you wish to search for driver updates online or browse through the system for any driver that you might have downloaded.
- If you select Search Automatically, it will begin to search for driver updates and then begin downloading it provided an update is found.
- If it has found an update it will install and then ask you to restart the system.
- Restart the system and your device will now be running on the latest driver version.
How to update drivers on Windows 11 from Device Website
Sometimes, the Windows Update method or the Device Manager method might not be able to bring you the driver update for a particular device. In this case, you can simply visit the deviceโs webpage (Asus, Acer, Dell etc) and then head over to the downloads folder. Simply search for your device by model number and then see if you have any new drivers released. Then when you find the driver update, download it and then get it installed. This is a simple and easy way for you to update your drivers on a Windows 11 PC.
How to update Windows 11 drivers via OEM update software
Now, depending on what manufacturer system you are using, this software will be unique to its own brand. A lot of systems such as Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and others will have a system updater software. What this program does is check for updates for various drivers and then installs them as and when available. This software also downloads updates for your BIOS and motherboard. The drivers that are downloaded from such software are usually custom-tailored to be run in a particular device model. The added advantage is that these will be stable drivers and most of the time will not run your system into stability or device usability issues.
Conclusion
These are the best ways you can use to update drivers on Windows 11 PC. None of these are complicated and the best apart? You do not need to download third-party driver updater programs to install driver updates. Because they might not have the correct and perfect driver for your device and if you wish to download the drivers all at once, it will ask you to purchase a subscription or maybe even throw up a few ads and even ask you to download unwanted software.
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Which one of these methods worked the best for you? Let us know in the comments below. Also, share this article with your friends.
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