Drivers are short pieces of code or programs that are correctly named because they practically drive your computer’s performance. Your PC is a collection of two major types of components: – Hardware & Software. However, did you know that both the Hardware and Software speak different languages and cannot understand each other? That is where you need a translator to help bridge the communication gap between them and drive the process of computing. These translators are called Drivers and now that you know what they are, you must have automatically realized how important it is to keep them updated. This article focuses on how to update drivers on Windows 11 PC.
How to Update Drivers in Windows 11
Believe it or not, there are four different methods to update drivers on your Windows 11 PC. Now while each method is guaranteed to provide 100% success, the time, and effort consumed in each method vary and hence this results in different preferences of the users. We have listed all methods below with the steps and it is up to you to decide which method you would prefer to choose to update drivers in Windows 11.
Method 1: Windows Update
The first method to update drivers for a Windows 11 PC is to check your windows 11 update feature. Microsoft releases and pushes updates to all its Windows 11 users. These updates can consist of Security Updates, Patches, New features, and Driver Updates. Here are the steps to initiate windows 11 upgrade.
Step 1: Press Windows + I keys to open the Settings window.
Step 2: Next, click on Windows Update in the left panel.
Step 3: Now click on Advanced Options on the right side of the Settings window.
Step 4: Further, click on Optional Updates for Driver updates.
Step 5: Select the driver updates you wish to carry out by placing a checkmark in the box preceding the update name.
Step 6: Click on the Download & Install button on the right side of the Settings window and wait until the process completes.
Step 7: Reboot your PC after the update process completes.
Note: Windows Update is a free tool that has been provided by Microsoft and it focuses on all types of updates. Any driver update designed by a third-party manufacturer will be first released on the OEM website and will take time to reach the users through Windows Updates. Hence, this method does have the limitation of getting delayed updates.
Method 2: Device Manager
The Device Manager is a Windows 11 features that examines all of your system’s devices and looks for drivers on Microsoft servers. This software is free to use and allows you to download and update drivers quickly and easily. The following are the steps to update all your driver using Device Manager:
Step 1: To open the Run Box, use Windows + R on your keyboard.
Step 2: In the text field, type “devmgmt.msc” and press the OK button.
Step 3: A list of your system’s drivers will appear in the Device Manager window.
Step 4: Any driver issues including updates will be marked by a yellow exclamation mark.
Step 5: Make a right-click on the driver you wish to fix or update and choose Update Driver from the context menu.
Step 6: Follow the on-screen prompts, and Device Manager will locate and install the most recent and appropriate driver from Microsoft servers.
Note: The Device Manager is a tool dedicated to drivers and does not contain other non-driver-related updates. However, the source for receiving driver updates is the same as Windows Updates i.e. Microsoft Servers. This method works perfectly fine but users are delayed in getting updates as third-party driver updates released by OEM are first thoroughly scanned and tested before they are loaded on the Microsoft Servers.
Method 3: OEM Website
Original Equipment Manufacturers or OEM are third-party manufacturers other than Microsoft that design and develop hardware for Windows Operating System. It is the responsibility of the OEM to provide suitable drivers for their hardware to the users. All third-party manufacturers maintain a website of their own that contains all the versions of the drivers of their hardware. These driver files can be downloaded and installed for free by all those wishing to update drivers in their system.
It is important to identify the make and model of your hardware and also navigate to the authentic OEM website to download the appropriate drivers. There are generally two issues that occur while trying to download updated drivers from the OEM website and they are: – Fake Websites and Wrong Model Number. Many threat actors have set up fake websites that resemble the authentic OEM websites and some users have fallen into this trap downloading malware instead of the update driver. The second issue occurs when users download the wrong drivers of a product similar to theirs and this does not allow the users to unleash the full potential of their hardware.
Method 4: Driver Updater Software
Smart Driver Care is a driver utility tool that can fix your system’s outdated, missing, and corrupt drivers quickly and effectively. This utility can scan your drivers and hardware, search the internet for the most up-to-date drivers, and install them on your PC with only a few clicks.
This method is automated and does not necessitate any technical expertise or knowledge of the hardware manufacturer or model. Smart Driver Care is safe to use, and anyone can use it to update drivers quickly and easily. The ways for updating your drivers with Smart Driver Care in your system are as follows:
Step 1: Download and install Smart Driver Care from the following download button.
Step 2: Then, from the desktop shortcut, launch the program.
Step 3: Select Scan Now to begin the scanning process.
Step 4: A list of driver errors will appear on your screen. Click the Update Driver link next to it to update the driver.
Using Smart Driver Care eliminates the shortcoming of all the other methods as it downloads and stores all the latest driver updates on its servers as soon as they are released. Also, the users do not have to identify the official OEM website or worry about the model and make of the hardware installed in their PC. Smart Driver does all that for you and installs the latest and most compatible drivers on your PC which are malware-free.
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The Final Word on How to Update Drivers in Windows 11
By now you must have realized how important it is to update drivers on Windows 11 PC and are familiar with the four methods that can help you accomplish this. The choice of method is always yours but if you ask us then we recommend using Smart Driver Care because this app can scan and fix all driver issues including updates with a few clicks of your mouse. And the best thing, you need not worry about the model name and number or fake drivers.
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