How to update USB drivers?

A universal serial bus (USB in layman's terms) is the most common type of computer port used to connect peripheral devices. You can use them to connect everything from keyboards, printers, and flash drives to gaming controllers. It's not uncommon to have multiple USB ports on laptops and desktops these days. 

A USB driver is what allows your connected device to talk to your computer via the port. If something happens to this connection, you could find a breakdown in communication which means something stops working. This can be puzzling and frustrating, especially when something worked fine the day before. Maybe the next day you sit down ready to surf the net, play a game, or catch up on emails and things are amiss. 

While there is always plenty that can go wrong with technology, drivers are often the culprits. In fact, recent analysis by Microsoft found that 70% of all blue screens and PC crashes are caused by device drivers. That means before you throw your keyboard or printer away, try updating the driver first because it may not be a fault with the device. If you have another computer you can test it on first, this is a good idea too. 

This isn't to say they don't cause their own issues because sometimes just plugging in a new device may mean you need to make USB driver updates. This may seem illogical or even unfair; after all, you've taken the time and spent the money to buy a new product, but the latest technology also requires the latest drivers. Take a deep breath because we're here to help. We're going to show you how to get the latest versions using Windows 10 and also using an updater tool. 

How to update USB drivers on Windows 10

There are a couple of ways that you can try and find newer versions and install them using Windows 10. The first is by updating the operating system and the next is by targeting that specific device driver in the Device Manager area. 

Make sure you're running the latest version of Windows 10

Microsoft is always trying to make life easier for users, which is why their operating systems are so widely used and popular. Anything that can save valuable time and reduce stress is usually a winner! When you update Windows 10, it will automatically look for drivers that need updating and graciously perform this task for you. Beware though. Not all drivers can always be found because there are so many being released on a daily basis so you can miss some this way. However, if you need to initiate a Windows 10 update here's how you do it. 

1. Navigate your way to the Windows start button and find "Settings"
2. Click on "Update & Security"
3. Go to "Windows Update" and click on "Check for updates" which will search for any updates and automatically start the process if it finds any

Using the Device Manager in Windows 10

If you find that you're already running the latest version of Windows 10 then you can try updating your USB driver directly.

1. Right-click on the "Start" menu and then select "Device Manager" from the list of options
2. Look for the category heading "Universal Serial Bus controllers" 
3. Expand the category and right-click on the device you want to update the driver for
4. Click on "Update driver" and a new pop-up dialog box will appear
5. Choose "Search automatically for updated driver software" and Windows will search for a newer version and show you what to do next if it's successful

You can also save yourself time by using a third-party updater tool. 

Why and how to use an updater tool

Messing around with fiddly drivers and updates isn't for everyone and we completely understand that. For that reason, we came up with our CCleaner Driver Updater tool. It works much faster than we ever could as humans and has the added benefit of finding all outdated drivers at once. That means it could help fix any driver issues with graphics cards, speakers, Bluetooth, etc. at the same time. 

Some of the amazing benefits our tool can provide are:

• Search and update more than 25 million drivers on its database 
• Help keep your computer free of glitches and running at its best
• Could improve all aspects of your computer that uses connected devices, which might mean better sound, speed, or visuals

This tool comes as part of our CCleaner Professional package so you'll get a whole host of other great features too. These will help sort, clean, clear, and optimize your PC, all with just a few clicks of a button. If this all sounds good so far, why not download it today? You can start using it right away and see what a difference it makes for yourself.