How to Fix Drivers in Windows 11
Dealing with drivers on Windows 11 can seem a bit of a headache, but once you get stuck into it, it’s usually not as bad as it looks. The main thing is to make sure your hardware and the OS are having a good yarn. If they’re not, that’s when you start running into all sorts of annoying glitches. Usually, you’ll use Device Manager or sometimes head straight to the manufacturer’s site for the latest drivers — ’cause some drivers just like to throw a wobbly.
Once you get the hang of it, troubleshooting drivers becomes a bit of a game of patience and logic. Usually, a couple of reboots do the trick. So, let’s crack on with it.
Fixing Drivers on Windows 11
Open Device Manager
First up, get into Device Manager. It’s like a quick peek under the hood to see what’s running and if it’s all sweet. You can do it a few ways:
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager
- Press Win + X and click on Device Manager
- Or just hit the Search icon, type in
Device Manager, and press Enter
It’s also tucked away in Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager, if you’re keen on the classic Control Panel vibe.
Find the Problem Device
Now, have a gander for devices with warning signs. Those yellow triangles with exclamation marks? They’re like the flashing “something’s a bit off” signal. Sometimes it’s a minor hiccup, not a full-blown meltdown, but it’s a good place to start. The tricky part is, the culprit might not always be obvious straight away.
Update the Driver
Spot a dodgy device? Right-click on it and select Update driver. Think of this as giving your hardware a fresh set of instructions. If you let Windows handle it, it’ll hunt for updates online. To speed things along, you can:
- Right-click the device in Device Manager
- Choose Update driver
- Then select Search automatically for updated driver software
If Windows finds something new, it’ll install it without you having to lift a finger. If not, you might need to do some manual digging.
Reinstall the Driver
If updating doesn’t get the job done, next up is uninstalling and then reinstalling the driver. Right-click the device again, but this time pick Uninstall device. When you restart, Windows usually takes care of reinstalling it for you. Sometimes, this clears out any old rubbish that’s clogging up your driver. For a manual reinstall:
- Restart your PC after uninstalling
- Head to Settings > Windows Update & Security > Advanced options
- Click on Optional updates and see if there are any driver updates hanging around
Download Drivers Manually from the Manufacturer’s Website
If all else fails and you’re still battling driver issues, it’s worth heading directly to the device maker’s support page. Sometimes, they’ve got better solutions than what Windows serves up. Check out:
- Manufacturer’s support site
.exeinstaller files you can download and run- For NVIDIA gfx cards, there’s NVIDIA Driver Downloads. Printers? Have a look at HP or Canon’s support pages.
Installing the latest drivers usually sorts things out. If you’re keen on digging deeper, some driver files might be in C:\Drivers\ if you downloaded them directly.
Extra Tips and Commands
Before poking around with drivers, it’s a good idea to set a system restore point — it can save you a lot of grief:
- Open Control Panel
- Go to System and Security > System > System Protection
- Click Create to make a restore point
If you want to run quick scans via command line, just open PowerShell as admin and type:
devmgmt.msc
This opens Device Manager in admin mode. For a hardware rescan, try:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process
Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly | Where-Object { $_.Status -ne "OK" }
More advanced troubleshooting? There’s a built-in Hardware Troubleshooter that can help out:
msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic
- Open Device Manager
- Find devices with warning signs
- Try updating the driver or manually downloading if needed
- If things are really stuffed, consider a reinstall
Fixing drivers is all about understanding how everything connects and taking the right steps, not just clicking buttons and hoping for the best. It might take a few goes and a restart or two, but the end result is a smoother-running machine. Been there, done that on plenty of setups — works a treat!