How to Update Graphics Driver in Windows 11

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By Victor Ashiedu

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Want to update the graphics driver in your Windows 11 PC? This guide offers you two primary options.

Option 1: Update Graphics Driver from Device Manager

Device Manager is Windows’s primary and recommended tool for installing and updating device drivers.

Before you try the other method discussed in this guide, I strongly recommend that you try this method first. Only if this method does not work, then try the second method.

Here are the steps to update the graphics driver using Device Manager:

  1. Right-click the Windows 11 Start menu. Then, when the options are displayed, click Device Manager.
You can also open the Windows 11 search tool and search for Device Manager.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 From Device Manager
  1. Next, when Device Manager opens, scroll down to the Display adapters category and expand it. When you expand the Display adapters category, Device Manager displays all display drivers installed on your PC.

    See the second screenshot below.
In this example, I have two display drivers. My Windows 11 PC has an Intel UHD Graphics driver. In addition to that, my PC also has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. To see how to update any of these graphics drivers in your Windows 11 PC, see step 3 below.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 From Device Manager
  1. I’ll right-click the driver to update the Intel UHD Graphics driver in my Windows 11 PC. Then, from the displayed options, select Update driver. Device Manager will open the update drivers wizard when you perform this action.

    Then, you’ll have two options to choose from.
  1. Select the first one from the displayed options – Search automatically for drivers. Windows will search the internet for the most suitable driver when you select this option.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 From Device Manager

When Windows completes the driver search, it will return one of two options. One, if it determines that the installed driver is the most up-to-date driver, it will return a message shown in the screenshot below.

However, if Windows finds an updated driver, it will display an option to install the driver. Follow the wizard to update the Windows 11 graphics driver to the latest driver version.

Option 2: Update Graphics Driver with Manufacturers Tools

In my introduction to this guide, I hinted that you might also update graphics drivers using. third-part tools

This section demonstrates how to upgrade NVIDIA graphics drivers and how to upgrade Intel graphics drivers.

Update NVIDIA Graphics Drivers With NVIDIA GeForce Experience

If NVIDIA made your Windows 11 graphics card, you could use this method to download and upgrade the graphics card.

  1. The first step is to download and install the NVIDIA GeForce Experience software. To download the software, click download the NVIDIA GeForce Experience. When the page opens, click DOWNLOAD NOW.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 With Manufacturers Tools
  1. Once the file is downloaded, click the downloaded file on the bottom left of your browser (Chrome or Edge).
  1. Follow the installation wizard to install the software. During installation, if you receive this error message, then the software may already be installed on your PC.

    In that case, proceed to steps 4 below.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 With Manufacturers Tools
  1. Search for GeForce experience and open the app.
From this point, you will go through some steps before you get to the point where you can download and update the NVDIA graphics driver in your Windows 11 PC. So, be a bit patient!
  1. Then, agree to the app’s licence agreement to continue.
  1. If you have a Gmail account, it is faster to login with it. You may also login with your Facebook account. Alternatively, you may create an account to login to GeForce Experience.

    For the purposes of this demo, I’ll login with my Gmail account.
  1. Finally, to complete your account creation, check your email to verify it. Then, after verifying your email, on the app, click CONTINUE.
  1. On the bottom of the screen, click SKIP.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 With Manufacturers Tools
  1. Finally, when the main page of the software loads, on the top left, click the DRIVERS button.
  1. Then, if there is an update for the NVIDIA GeForce graphics driver in your Windows 11 PC, click the DOWNLOAD button on the top right. Wait for the driver download to complete.
How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 11 With Manufacturers Tools
  1. Finally, click EXPRESS INSTALLATION to update the NVIDIA GeForce graphics driver in Windows 11.

Finally, the wait is over! Now, sit back and wait for your Windows 11 graphics driver to update. Note that the installation will take a few minutes to complete.

Update Intel Graphics Drivers with Intel Driver & Support Assistant

If the graphics card in your Windows 11 PC is Intel, follow the steps below to update the driver manually.

  1. Search for the driver on Google. In my example, I will search Download Intel Drivers and Software. Then, from the search results, click the result with Download Intel Drivers and Software.
How To Update Intel Graphics Drivers In Windows 11 With NVIDIA GeForce Experience
  1. When the Intel driver update loads, below, Automatically Update Your Drivers, click Get Started.
  1. Then, in the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant (Intel® DSA) page, click Download now.
How To Update Intel Graphics Drivers In Windows 11 With NVIDIA GeForce Experience
  1. Next up, click the downloaded file to install the Intel Driver assistant.
  1. Then, on the first page of the installation wizard, accept the license agreement (1), and click Install (2). Follow the wizard to complete the installation.
How To Update Intel Graphics Drivers In Windows 11 With NVIDIA GeForce Experience
  1. Restart your computer to complete the installation
  1. After your PC restarts, you may receive this prompt. Simply close the prompt.
How To Update Intel Graphics Drivers In Windows 11 With NVIDIA GeForce Experience
  1. You’re now at the stage where you update the Intel graphics driver in windows 11. Search intel, then open the Intel Driver & Support Assistant app to begin the process.
  1. The Intel Driver & Support Assistant app will open the Intel page, where you can download available driver updates for your computer. Click Download all.

    Alternatively, click the Download button beside the graphics driver if you just want to download the updated driver for your Windows 11 Intel graphics card.

    The download may take a while to complete.
  1. If you receive a warning similar to the one shown in the screenshot, do not install the Intel driver.
    Otherwise, when the driver download is completed click Install all.

    You’ll receive a prompt to install the selected driver updates. Follow the installation wizard to install the Windows 11 graphics driver update.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Do I Check My Graphics Driver In Windows 11?

To check the graphics drivers installed in Windows 11, right-click the Windows Start menu and select Device Manager. Then, when Device Manager opens, locate the Display adapters category and expand it.

All installed graphics drivers will be listed under the Display adapters category.

2. How Do I Update My NVIDIA Graphics Driver?

To update your NVIDIA graphics driver, first install the NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Then, log into the app with your NVIDIA account.

Finally, download the latest NVIDIA graphics driver for your computer and perform the update.

3. Why Is My Computer Not Using My Dedicated Graphics Card?

If your computer has an integrated and a dedicated graphics card, by default, your computer is set to auto-select a GPU.

To get your computer to use the dedicated graphics card, configure it in the GOU software.

As an example, if your computer uses an Intel integrated GPU and a NVIDIA dedicated GPU, open the NVIDIA Control Panel. Then, on the left pane, expand 3D Settings and click Manage 3D settings.

Finally, on the right pane, select the NVIDIA dedicated GPU in the Preferred graphics processor drop-down.

4. Can A Laptop have 2 Graphics Cards?

Yes, a laptop have 2 graphics cards. A processor normally have a built-in graphics card – called “integrated” graphics card.

However, in the instance where a laptop needs to perform intensive graphics tasks like gaming, or video editing, manufacturers may also include a high-end graphics card – known as “dedicated” graphics card.

In this instance a computer will have the graphics card integrated into the processor. At the same it, it has the “dedicated” graphics card.

5. How Do I Make NVIDIA Graphics Card Default In Windows 11?

To make NVIDIA graphics card default in Windows 11, open the NVIDIA Control Panel app. Then, on the left pane of the app, expand 3D Settings, them click Manage 3D settings.

Finally, on the right-pane, select select the high-performance NVIDIA processor in the Preferred graphics processor drop-down. See the screenshot below.

Conclusion

It is a good security practice to update drivers and software in your Windows 11. However, sometimes, you may want to update the graphics card in your Windowsw 11 PC just to get the latest features.

No matter the reason you want to update the graphics card in your PC, you can do that in one of 3 ways. The recommended method is to use the Windows 11 built-in tool called Device Manager.

However, if device manager does not find an updated graphics driver, you may want to try 3rd party apps. For example, if your GPU is manufactured by Intel, you may be able to update using Intel Driver & Support Assistant.

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About the Author

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Victor Ashiedu

Victor is the founder of InfoPress Media, publishers of Ilifeguides and Itechguides. With 20+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, his expertise spans Windows, Linux, and DevOps. Explore his contributions on Itechguides.com for insightful how-to guides and product reviews.

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