How to update the graphics drivers on a Windows 11 computer
- Updated graphics cards are important in making sure your gaming sessions are the best they can possibly be.
- There are multiple ways to update your drivers, like going to the company website or simply by auto-updating via the Settings menu.
- This guide will show you how to update your graphics drivers and where you can find them.
Graphics drivers are the software that allows your Windows 11 computer to use the machine’s graphics hardware. This is usually in the form of a graphics card.
There are other names for the graphics card like display adapter, video card, and even graphic accelerator, but they all mean the same thing.
If you’re a big gamer, it’s very important to update your graphics frequently so that you can have the most optimal performance possible. And this is especially important if you have an Nvidia, Intel, or MAD graphics card as these cards are the standard.
So many modern video games require the best possible standard and the mentioned brands deliver on that quality. Now, if you’re not really into video games, then updating graphics drivers isn’t that important. Most drivers already installed or those that come through Windows Update do just fine.
Why should I update my graphics drivers?
In addition to keeping your computer’s performance optimal, updates can also fix bugs. It’s now uncommon for new bugs to come with a driver update due to some random oversight or unseen consequence.
Plus, companies like NVIDIA often roll out updates that give huge performance boosts.
There are even times when an older game gets some much-needed attention and may get a performance increase as well. Or there may be some new feature rolling out. Intel is getting into the game as well and giving new tools to play with frequently.
This guide will do several things. It shows you how to check your graphics driver on Windows 11 and how to update them, specifically NVIDIA and Intel drivers. It will also show how to reinstall graphics drivers on Windows 11 machines.
How do I update the graphics drivers on my Windows 11 computer?
1. Using a third-party driver updater
In order to manage your graphics drivers, you can use the standard modes to update drivers on your Windows 11 PC. However, you have dedicated software to efficiently perform this job.
With DriverFix you can run a deep scan on your system and detect outdated drivers in a few clicks. You should only select the drivers you need to update and let the software do the rest automatically.
The software has an extensive online database that contains millions of drivers from official manufacturers.
It is possible to find and update your graphics drivers to boost the gaming video quality, as well as enhance the overall PC system performance.
Hence, this solution is safe and can guarantee increased system performance and up-to-date drivers without causing system malfunctions.
2. Using built-in tools
➡ Check what graphics drivers you already have
- Click on the magnifying glass icon to bring up the search bar.
- Type in System Information and click on the first entry you see to open the System Information app.
- Under System Summary, click on Components.
- Then click on Display.
- Locate Adapter Type and Adapter Description to see what graphics card model you have. In this example, the graphics card comes from the virtual machine being used whereas you typicall see an Intel card.
➡ Update the graphics drivers via Settings
- Bring up the Start menu and click on the Settings icon.
- Click on the Windows Update tab on the left side of the Settings menu.
- Click Advanced options.
- Click Optional updates.
- Click on the top drop down menu and see if there are any driver updates available.
- If there are any updates, click the update to highlight it.
- Then click the Download & install button.
- The driver will begin downloading and will finish after a few minutes.
- Press the Restart now button to finish installation.
➡ Update via the Device Manager
- Open up the search bar and search for the Device Manager.
- In the Device Manager, click on Display adapters.
- Here you will find your Windows 11 computer’s graphics card or cards.
- To update, right-click on one and select Update driver.
- A window will appear asking how you want to search for available drivers.
- Select Search automatically for driver to make it easy.
- At that point, the Device Manager will automatically download and install the drivers.
- The window may tell you that the best drivers are already installed. In that case, just close the window.
3. Using external official tools
➡ Updating NVIDIA graphics driver
- In a internet browser, search for the Nvidia GeForce Experience.
- In the GeForce Experience page, click the Download Now button.
- Click on Save File in the small window.
- Go to where the file was downloaded and double click it to install.
- In the wizard, select Agree and Install.
- Create an account for GeForce Experience.
- In GeForce Experience, click on Drivers at the top.
- Click on Check For Updates in the corner to see if there’s anything available.
- For other drivers, click on Download.
- After a short time, the drivers will download.
- You can click either Express Installation or Custom Installation.
- Installation will take a few minutes.
➡ Updating Intel graphics driver
- In an internet browser, search for Intel graphics driver and click the entry that allows you to Download Intel Drivers and Software.
- On the next page, click Get started.
- Click Download now to download the Intel Driver & Support Assistant.
- Click Save File in the small window that appears.
- Go to the location of the downloaded app and double click it.
- Click Install and run through the installation wizard.
- After installation, click Restart to finish.
- Open the Intel Driver and Support Assistant app.
- In the app, select Support on the left hand side.
- Select Download Graphics Driver to download the latest drivers.
- You will go back to the Drivers and Software page. Select Get started again.
- Here you will now see all the drivers available for download. You can pick and choose which ones you want or select Download all, which is what this guide will select.
- Give it a few minutes for downloading.
- Click Install on a driver.
- A small window will appear asking you if you want to upgrade. Click Yes.
- Run through the installation wizard.
- It may ask you to choose a setup type. Select Typical or you can customize the installation.
- Select Finish to complete the installation.
4. Reinstalling the graphics driver
- Return to the Device Manager and click on Display adapters. In this example, the guide will reinstall Intel UHD Graphics 630, but the instructions are the same for all drivers.
- Right-click on the graphics card and select Uninstall device.
- A small window will appear. Click the box next to Attempt to remove the driver for this device.
- If you want manager the driver separately, click Device by driver in the small window.
- Click the Uninstall button.
- Now head over to the official download page of the driver’s respective manufacturer. This guide will go to Intel’s page, but there’s also AMD and NVIDIA.
- Locate the drivers you uninstalled. In this case, it’s Intel UHD Graphics 630.
- Locate the drivers and click Download.
- Click Save File when the small window appears.
- After downloading, go to where the file is located and double click it.
- In the small window that appears, click Run.
- A graphic driver installer will appear. Begin the installation.
- Run through the installation wizard and the instructions of your respective driver.
- After installing, restart your computer.
- You can check if the installation was successful by going back to the Device Manager and see if it was successful.
Are there other tips that I should know about updating graphics drivers?
There are several things that you should know about updating drivers on Windows 11. The first is learning how to manually install graphics drivers on your computer. Manually upgrading is similar to the instructions above, but you should also know how to browse drivers on your machine.
Earlier it was mentioned that you may experience bugs or some kind of issue when downloading, especially when it comes to Nvidia drivers. A problem may arise with installing these drivers and it’s highly recommended that you learn the way to fix it.
It’s possible that the graphics card may not be detected in a Windows 11 computer. Solutions may be as simple as updating your graphics card or as complex as updating the BIOS. And for good measure, it’s recommended that you learn how to update your graphics driver on Windows 10.
Windows 10 may be going out of style, but Windows 11 computers are expensive, so you may be holding onto that old laptop. Until the day arrives when you buy a Windows 11 machine, we recommended learning how to update drivers on a Windows 10 computer.
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions on other Windows 11 apps. Also, leave comments about what reviews you’d like to see or information on other Windows 11 features.
