To update GPU drivers in Windows 11, the first step is choosing the right tool: Windows Update for routine maintenance, the manufacturer’s official installer when you need a specific version, and Device Manager to install local files or roll back to an earlier driver. These are not three identical routes, even if they sometimes end up taking you to the same place.
The key is to check what you currently have installed and what you are trying to fix. Why chase the highest version number if your PC is working properly and you do not need any specific change? Here, compatibility matters more than the list of new features.
Check your GPU and start with Windows Update
Before downloading anything, right-click Start, open Device Manager and expand Display adapters. The installed graphics adapters will appear there; right-click the one you want to check, open Properties and go to the Driver tab, where you will find the current version. Make a note of it so you can compare it later.
Do not use the date as proof that the driver is outdated: according to Microsoft, that value is set by the vendor and may correspond to whatever date the vendor chooses. To verify a change, the version number is more useful than that apparent chronological clue.
Next, open Settings, go to Windows Update and select Check for updates. Windows already performs regular checks and may automatically download and install a newer driver when it finds a suitable one, but this manual search lets you see whether anything is available at that moment.
If no update appears, you can return to Device Manager, select the GPU and choose Update driver and Search automatically for drivers. If the tool suggests searching Windows Update, you have not discovered a secret repository: you will be sent back to the same source.
The fact that Windows does not offer the latest version from the manufacturer’s website does not necessarily mean something is wrong, because it uses compatibility information included in drivers to match them to each device. After updating, restart if prompted and check the Driver tab again. If the version has changed and everything works, you can stop here.
When to install NVIDIA, AMD or Intel drivers
A manual download makes sense when you are looking for a version the manufacturer has already released but Windows Update does not yet offer, for example to fix a documented issue or access a feature your current driver does not support. It is a targeted solution, not a mandatory maintenance ritual.
Go to the official NVIDIA, AMD or Intel website, depending on your GPU, and check that the package matches the exact model, the Windows version and its architecture. Microsoft recommends avoiding downloads from websites other than the manufacturer’s; with drivers, adding intermediaries offers no benefit.
Also read the release notes for the version you are about to install. With AMD, operating system compatibility may vary depending on the Radeon product, and installation requires administrator permissions. The conditions for an older package do not confirm those of a new one, however similar their names may be.
On a laptop, check the device manufacturer’s support page first, as a generic installer may not recognise its configuration. If the NVIDIA or AMD package does not detect the hardware or refuses to continue, that page is the next reference point, not an invitation to force the installation.
Run the appropriate installer, restart when prompted and verify the installed version in Device Manager. Then test the game, application or Windows update that prompted the change: confirming the number is useful, but checking that the problem is gone is what completes the process.
Install local files or roll back a driver
Device Manager becomes more relevant when you already have the driver files downloaded and extracted. Under Display adapters, right-click the GPU, select Update driver and then Browse my computer for drivers; point it to the folder containing the files so Windows can locate them.
It also allows you to undo a problematic update. If the issues started immediately after the change, open the GPU properties and look for Roll Back Driver on the Driver tab. This operation requires administrator permissions and depends on Windows keeping a previous version; if no copy is available, you will need to reinstall the earlier package from the manufacturer’s official website.
It is worth distinguishing these failures from a compatibility block. In 2024, Microsoft documented that certain NVIDIA drivers could cause loss of display when updating to Windows 11 24H2 or later, so it paused that update on affected devices. This is a historical case, not a warning that your computer is still blocked today.
If you see a notice saying the driver is not ready for that version of Windows and a newer one exists, update through Windows Update first. Microsoft indicated that, after installing a compatible driver, the system update should be offered again on the next check, without forcing it through other tools.
For that specific case, if Windows Update does not provide the fix, Microsoft documented an alternative: downloading the package from the Microsoft Update Catalog, extracting the CAB and installing it through the local search option. This is an exception aimed at that block, not the everyday method for keeping your GPU up to date.
