How to Update Drivers in Windows 10

This Itechguide teaches you how to update drivers in Windows 10. The guide covers steps for 2 methods to update drivers Windows – update drivers automatically or manually.

Option 1: Update Drivers Automatically

The fastest method to update drivers is to do it automatically. Here are the steps…

• Right-click the Windows 10 Start menu and click Device Manager.

• When Device Manager opens, expand the device category for the driver you want to update. To expand a category, click the arrow beside the category.

• Beneath the category, right-click the device driver you want to update and select Update driver.

• On the How do you want to search for drivers screen, select Search automatically for updated driver software.

• Windows will search the internet for updated drivers for the device.

• If Windows finds an updated driver, it will download the driver and install it.

• When the driver is successfully updated, on the bottom right, click close.

Option 2: Update Drivers Manually

Sometimes, the automatic driver update tool many not find an updated driver for your device.

In this instance, an alternative option will be to download the device driver and update it manually.

Step 1: Download a Device Driver

• Open Device Manager and expand the device group you want to update the driver on.
• Then, note the name of the device driver you want to update. In this example, I want to update the driver for my Wifi adapter.

• Open Google.com and search for the name of the device driver – include the word driver at the end.
• The first result will likely be a download link for the device driver. Click the link.

• Download the Windows 10 driver for your device and save the downloaded driver file to a folder on your computer.

Step 2: Update the Downloaded Driver Manually

The method you use to update the driver depends on the type of driver file. If the file is an executable (application), follow the steps below…

• Open the folder you saved the driver file you downloaded and double-click the file.

• Then, on the first screen of the driver installation wizard, click Next.

• On the next screen, click Next. Then, accept the license agreement and click Next.

• On the Choose Setup Type screen, select Typical.

• Finally, click Install.

• When the driver installation is completed, the driver for your device should be updated.

Alternatively, if the driver you downloaded is NOT an executable, use the steps below to update the device driver.

• Open Device Manager and expand the device group you want to update the driver on.
• Then, right-click the device driver you want to update and select Update driver.

• On the How do you want to search for drivers screen, select Browse my computer for driver software.
• Then, open the folder you saved the driver you downloaded, select it and complete the driver update.

It is very easy to update drivers in Windows 10!

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Finally, for more Windows 10 Itechguides, visit our Windows How-To page.