What drivers are and why they need updating

A driver is software that lets your operating system talk to a piece of hardware — your graphics card, printer, network adapter, or motherboard. When you plug in a device or turn on your computer, Windows or macOS uses drivers to send instructions to that hardware and receive information back.

Drivers get outdated for two reasons: manufacturers release updates that fix bugs, improve performance, or add security patches, and your operating system itself updates in ways that older drivers no longer support smoothly. An outdated driver can cause a device to work slowly, stop working entirely, or create security gaps. The good news is that updating drivers is straightforward on both Windows and Mac, and you have several routes depending on how much control you want.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows Update handles many drivers automatically, but you can also update them manually through Device Manager or the manufacturer's website.
  • On Mac, system updates usually include driver updates, and you rarely need to update drivers separately.
  • The safest approach is to update drivers one at a time and restart your computer after each update.
  • If a new driver causes problems, you can roll back to the previous version through Device Manager on Windows.

Updating drivers on Windows through Device Manager

Device Manager is the built-in Windows tool that shows you every piece of hardware connected to your computer and the driver version for each one. To open it, right-click the Start button and select Device Manager, or search for "Device Manager" in the Windows search box.

Once it opens, you will see categories like Display adapters, Network adapters, and Sound, video and game controllers. Click the arrow next to any category to expand it and see the devices inside. Right-click the device you want to update and select Update driver. Windows will then ask whether you want it to search automatically for updated driver software or browse your computer for driver software. Choose the automatic search first — Windows will check its own database and Microsoft Update for the latest version. After the update finishes, restart your computer. If the automatic search finds nothing, you can then try the manufacturer's website, which we cover in the next section.

Finding and installing drivers from the manufacturer's website

If Windows Update does not find a newer driver, or if you want the very latest version, go to the manufacturer's website directly. For a graphics card, that is NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. For a printer, it is HP, Canon, Epson, or whoever made it. For a motherboard, it is the company that built your computer or the motherboard maker itself.

On the manufacturer's site, look for a Support, Drivers, or Downloads section. You will usually need to enter your device model or let the site detect it automatically. Write down or take a screenshot of the device name and model before you search, because manufacturer websites sometimes ask for this information to show you the right driver. If you built your own computer, check your motherboard manual or the box it came in for the exact model number. read the driver file to your computer, then run the installer, follow the on-screen prompts, and restart when prompted.

Letting Windows Update handle drivers automatically

Windows Update can install drivers without you doing anything. Go to Settings > System > About, then click Check for updates. Windows will read and install any available updates, including drivers, and prompt you to restart.

This is the easiest route if you want hands-off updates. However, it does not always find the newest driver version — manufacturers sometimes release updates to their own sites before Windows includes them. If a device is not working well, checking the manufacturer's site directly often finds a newer driver than Windows Update has. For most users, letting Windows Update run monthly is enough to keep drivers reasonably current.

Updating drivers on Mac

On Mac, drivers are usually bundled into system updates, and you do not typically update them separately. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and click Update Now if an update is available. This will read and install the latest macOS version, which includes any driver updates your hardware needs.

For some devices like printers or external hard drives, the manufacturer may provide a separate installer or utility. Visit the manufacturer's support page, read the software for your Mac model and macOS version, and run the installer. Most of the time, though, the system update alone is enough. Unlike Windows, Mac rarely requires you to hunt down individual drivers or manage them through a control panel.

What to do if a driver update causes problems

Occasionally a new driver will cause a device to malfunction or your computer to become unstable. On Windows, you can roll back to the previous driver version. Open Device Manager, right-click the problem device, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and click Roll Back Driver. Windows will reinstall the older version and restart.

If the Roll Back option is grayed out, the previous driver is no longer available. In that case, uninstall the current driver entirely (select Uninstall device from the same menu), restart your computer, and Windows will reinstall a working version from its own database. On Mac, if a system update causes problems, you can restart your computer in Safe Mode by holding Shift while it boots. This loads only essential drivers and can help you troubleshoot. If the problem persists, you may need to restore from a Time Machine backup made before the update, though this is rare.

When to call a professional

Most driver updates are safe to do yourself. However, if you are not sure which device to update, if Device Manager shows a device with a yellow exclamation mark and you cannot find a driver for it, or if updating a driver makes your computer unstable and rolling back does not fix it, contact a computer repair technician.

A technician can identify the exact hardware in your system and find the right driver, or diagnose whether the problem is something other than a driver — a failing hard drive, corrupted Windows installation, or hardware conflict that no driver update will solve. This is especially worth doing if your computer became unstable after an update and you cannot pinpoint which driver caused it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my drivers are out of date?

Open Device Manager and look for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark or warning symbol — those need attention. Otherwise, if a device is working fine, the driver is probably current enough. You can also check the manufacturer's website to see if a newer version exists than what Device Manager shows, but updating working drivers is optional unless you want performance improvements or security patches.

Is it safe to update all my drivers at once?

It is safer to update one driver at a time and restart your computer after each one. That way, if a driver causes a problem, you know which one caused it and can roll it back. Updating multiple drivers at once makes troubleshooting harder if something goes wrong.

Do I need to uninstall the old driver before installing a new one?

No. The installer will replace the old driver automatically. Uninstalling first is only necessary if the new driver fails to install or if you are trying to fix a problem by removing a driver entirely and letting Windows reinstall a basic version.

What if I cannot find a driver for my device?

Check the manufacturer's website and search for your exact device model and your Windows or macOS version. If nothing appears, the device may be too old or the manufacturer may no longer support it. Contact the manufacturer's support team, or consider whether the device still works without the latest driver — many older devices function adequately with generic drivers Windows provides.

Will updating drivers speed up my computer?

Driver updates can improve performance for graphics-heavy tasks or fix slowdowns caused by outdated software, but they will not make a slow computer fast if the problem is a full hard drive, too little RAM, or a failing component. Update drivers to fix specific issues or get security patches, not as a general speed fix.