Free Driver Updater for Windows 11 [Best 7 Ranked]
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Key notes
- Driver updates are important for the optimal performance of a PC.
- While it is true that Windows automatically downloads and installs the latest drivers during Windows updates, you can still miss out on some drivers.
- Driver updaters save you the stress of frequently checking and installing driver updates by automating the process.
Updated drivers are to the PC what healthy food is to the body – keeps the system working optimally. Hence, you should always update your PC drivers.
Windows 11, just like other operating systems before it, requires frequent updates. Although you can easily update drivers on Windows 11 manually, nobody will ever say no to automation.
And that (the automation) is what you get with the best free Windows 11 driver updater. This software, upon setting, automatically scans, downloads, and installs the latest drivers on your PC.
But with the overwhelming number of products out there, choosing a safe and effective one might be a real headache.
We have eased that task for you in this article with a list of six of the very best third-party Windows 11 driver update software.
Why do I need to update my drivers?
Drivers are important to the overall performance of your PC as they play a vital role in maintaining a flawless relationship between the software and hardware components.
They also improve PC speed and efficiency. More importantly, updated drivers are crucial to a system’s security as they provide the latest firmware versions against bugs and malicious software.
A PC with outdated drivers should be seen as a security disaster waiting to happen.
What are the best driver updaters for Windows 11?
PC HelpSoft Driver Updater – Best driver updater for Windows 11
PC HelpSoft Driver Updater is a very powerful driver updater that also stands out for being very easy to use, with a simple and very clean interface.
Right after installation, this software will start a scan of your system to properly identify the components and the required drivers for them. From the same screen, you will be notified if any of the drivers found are out of date and it will offer you the download option.
It is worth mentioning that this tool is very light, you will not notice any strain on your computer while it performs its scan.
PC HelpSoft Driver Updater is equipped with powerful tools which will allow you to create a driver back-up, or deploy an existing one.
You can easily use this software to only fix specific areas of your computers if you wish, such as network issues, display issues, sound fixes, and many more.
Key features of PC HelpSoft Driver Updater:
- Toolbox for specific driver tasks
- Schedule or automatic scans
- Driver back-up
- System Restore
- Very easy to use
PC HelpSoft Driver Updater
Keep your computer in its best shape with the help of this professional driver updater.Outbyte Driver Updater – High-speed scan
Outbyte Driver Updater is a lightweight driver updater that keeps your PC in top shape by frequently scanning for outdated, missing, and broken drivers.
It does not just scan but also recommends original and official driver updates for installation. You only have to give permission, and it will download and install the drivers as needed.
One of the good things about this software is that you can only download the scanner and the downloader on your PC – hence the incredible lightweight.
Every other thing that makes Outbyte Driver Updater tick is hosted online on exceptional and extensive online libraries. This makes it easy to store millions of drivers from manufacturers worldwide.
You can read more about the app system requirements and other features in this extensive Outbyte Driver Updater review.
Other features:
- Superfast scan.
- Previous driver version backup before upgrading.
- User-friendly interface.
- Schedule manager for driver scans and update notifications.
Outbyte Driver Updater
Keep your drivers in top shape with this powerful driver updater.IObit Driver Booster – Schedule manager
Driver Booster is a top-notch driver updater with a database of over 6 million drivers curated from over a thousand brands.
It runs automatically in the background to find outdated drivers and the corresponding official update.
One of the standout features of the Driver Booster is that it shows a comparison of the update and the outdated one before installation. This allows you to make a choice on which is better for you.
What’s more, it creates a restoration point before updating drivers. This makes it possible to restore the original driver if there is a problem in the installation process.
Other notable features:
- Drivers rollback.
- Schedule manager for scanning for outdated drivers.
- Incorporates an offline updater.
IObit Driver Booster
Driver Booster can swiftly scan, download, and install device drivers for you in the most convenient manner, even while you are not connected to the internet.Driver Easy – Detailed hardware information
Driver Easy is a unique driver updater that works for all versions of Windows starting from Windows XP to Windows 11.
It has a large database and directly downloads updates from within its software. Although you will still have to install the updates manually, it saves you the stress of navigating the manufacturer’s website to download them.
It scans your PC for outdated and broken drivers and recommends an update. It has a high-level schedule manager that allows you to schedule scans daily, weekly, or monthly.
With this, you can control how frequently you get updates and how much power it consumes running in the background.
The only complaint about this software is that most extra features such as bulk driver update and driver backup are only available in the paid version.
Extra features:
- Shows detailed hardware info.
- Offline scanning.
Driver Easy
DriverEasy The free version downloads all of the necessary drivers for you to manually install, and the pro version does it automatically.DriverPack Solution Online – Expert mode
The DriverPack Solution is a free and dynamic software. It lets you download an offline version with almost the entire database (25GB) and use it for offline driver updates from anywhere.
It is ideal for newbie users as it handles just about everything. You only need to click the Start installing button after it finishes downloading and scanning updates.
For an experienced user, you can switch to the expert mode and take control of the activities of the software. DriverPack solution just offers so much dynamism.
Extra feature:
- Installs some free application software on your PC if you don’t have any.
- Scans and installs updates in offline mode.
- Downloads official updates from within its software.
DriverMax – Restore point creator
Driver Max is one of the easiest-to-use free Windows 11 driver updaters available. Aside from scanning and updating outdated drivers, it also creates a backup of all installed drivers and can restore them after an update.
One of the standout features of this software is the ability to snooze updates. This is useful when it keeps bringing notifications for a driver you don’t want to update.
Like many other driver updaters in this guide, it allows you to create a schedule for auto-scanning.
One major downside of this software is that the free version only allows you to install one update at a time and a meager two updates per day. Bulk installation is only available in the paid version.
Extra features:
- Driver installation is done automatically without prompts.
- Downloads drivers from inside the program.
- Creates restore point before driver installation.
Snappy Driver Installer – No limitations
Snappy driver installer is a 100% free driver update software that lets you install downloaded updates without an internet connection.
Despite being free, it does not display any ads and just does its job effectively. The Snappy driver installer can install many drivers at a time without limitations.
It has a respectable download speed as it downloads the drivers directly from within the software. The major nadir of this software is that the app is hard to use for non-tech-savvy users to the extent that it warrants a forum for learning how it works.
Other features:
- It can work directly from an external device like a flash drive.
- Installs software with or without the internet after download.
How can outdated drivers affect my PC?
The following are ways an outdated driver can affect your PC.
- Monitor display issues such as Blue Screen of Death (BSoD).
- Susceptibility to malicious hackers and software.
- System freezes.
- Overall malfunctioning of hardware.
- System crash in extreme cases.
What are the biggest advantages of Windows 11 driver updaters?
Below are some advantages of using the driver update software:
- Continuous automatic scanning: They run scans in the background repeatedly, looking for corrupt, missing, outdated drivers to fix.
- Only official driver updates: The driver updaters only recommend and download official drivers from manufacturers.
- Increase in PC efficiency: Thanks to the frequent scanning and, in some cases, automatic installation of updated drivers, the PC efficiency increases exponentially.
- Updated database: This software creates a working relationship with official driver brands to provide their database with up-to-date drivers at all times.
- Driver Backup: Premium driver updater software like Outbyte Driver Updater usually creates a backup of previous drivers’ versions before upgrading. This lets you restore the original if you prefer it to the updated version.
The importance of updating your drivers cannot be stated enough. While all six drivers update software in this guide are effective in their rights, we recommend using the Outbyte Driver Updater software as it ticks all the right boxes.
Feel free to name any effective free Windows 11 driver updater that you feel deserves mention in the comment section. You can also leave recommendations on any Windows 11 related software you’d want us to review in the future.
