How to update drivers on Windows 10
Updating your drivers is like updating any of your software: essential for keeping your PC working. Drivers are software that connects your devices to your computer. Without this vital link, they couldn't talk to each other. That's why there are literally millions of drivers out there. Recent analysis by Microsoft found that 70% of all blue screens and PC crashes are caused by device drivers.
Every hardware manufacturer creates different drivers for each of their devices and the various operating systems they think users will want to use them with. As a share of the world's operating systems in use, Windows 10 is by far the largest.
Microsoft has long been successful and has even held the title of the world's most valuable company. Windows 10 is its most widely downloaded operating system so we are going to look at how to update drivers in Windows 10.
Windows 10 how to install drivers
There are two ways that you can install drivers in Windows 10: perform a system update or manually. However, these ways only come recommended if you're fairly technical. If you're looking for a quicker, easier and safer way, we recommend you use a tool like CCleaner which will update all outdated drivers in one go, and comes with a rollback function in case things go wrong.
Perform a system update
By performing a system update, Windows should be able to look for outdated drivers for you and update these.
As long as you have automatic updating selected, Windows 10 will run automatic checks to make sure you are on the latest version. However, in case you don't have this option set up or need to push forward a new update before your automatic scheduling kicks in, here's how:
- Go to your Windows start button and find "Settings"
- Choose "Update & Security"
- Go to "Windows Update" and click on "Check for updates" which will scan for any updates and start automatically (if one is available)
While the system update is a great option because it's largely automated, some drivers can be missed just because of the sheer volume of drivers that exist in the world and new ones are being added daily. If you perform a system update and one of your devices still isn't working or is playing up, you can try and manually update it.
How to update drivers Windows 10 manually
- Go to the taskbar and enter "Device Manager" in the search box
- Select "Device Manager"
- Click on the category you are interested in updating then right-click on the device you want to update
- Choose "Update Driver", then "Search automatically for updated driver software"
If Windows doesn't find a new driver you can look for one on the company's website that manufactured your device. You'll need to find the latest version and make sure the driver corresponds to Windows 10 (remember they have to create multiple drivers for each device to cover all operating systems). You will need to follow the instructions they provide, which usually involves downloading and installing the new device software, then restarting your machine. This can be very time consuming.
For a quicker and easier way, you could also choose to rely on a third-party driver updater tool like CCleaner which will install any new driver releases that a computer is missing and automatically update these in one go. This is a great option for saving time and for peace of mind.
CClenaer Professional comes packed with other tools such as Health Check and Software Updater to optimize your PC, keep it running smoothly and boost security by closing security holes in your software. You can try CCleaner for free for 14 days.
We're so sure you're going to love it that you don't even need to enter your card details. That way, if you don't want to continue your professional subscription after this time there's no obligation, you simply continue using CCleaner for free. In the meantime, you've managed to update your drivers and clean and speed up your PC using the great features available.