Windows 11 Graphics Drivers: Update, Reinstall, Roll Back

Windows 11 graphics drivers decide how well your screen, games and video apps run, and most of the time Windows keeps them current without you noticing. When something goes wrong, or a new game wants a newer driver, you have a few clear options: Windows Update, Device Manager, or a download straight from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel or your PC maker. This guide covers all of them and shows how to undo a driver update that made things worse.

The steps apply to Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2, which share the same menus.

Find out which graphics hardware you have

Before downloading anything, confirm the exact GPU. Right-click Start, choose Device Manager and expand Display adapters. You will see one entry per graphics processor, for example an Intel or AMD integrated chip, an NVIDIA or AMD dedicated card, or both on a hybrid laptop.

For the installed driver version, right-click the adapter, choose Properties and open the Driver tab. Note the Driver Version and Driver Date; you will want them if you need to compare or roll back later. Task Manager’s Performance tab shows the same GPUs along with their current load.

Option 1: Windows Update and optional driver updates

Windows Update installs recommended drivers automatically, so a fresh Windows 11 install usually has a working graphics driver within minutes of going online. These drivers are tested for broad compatibility, which makes them a sensible default for office and home use.

Newer drivers are often offered as optional rather than automatic:

1. Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.
2. Select Advanced options, then Optional updates.
3. Expand Driver updates. If a display or graphics driver is listed, tick it and select Download & install.
4. Restart when asked.

The Optional updates page itself says these drivers are worth installing if you have a specific problem, and that automatic updates otherwise keep drivers current. There is no need to grab every one that appears.

Option 2: Update the driver in Device Manager

Device Manager can ask Windows to search for a better driver for one specific device:

1. Right-click Start and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Right-click your GPU and choose Update driver.
4. Select Search automatically for drivers. Windows installs any newer driver it finds.
5. If it reports that the best driver is already installed, you can follow the link to search on Windows Update, or move on to the maker’s site.

This method is quick, but it only finds drivers Microsoft has in its catalogue. It will not usually offer the very latest game-ready release.

Option 3: Download from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel or your PC maker

GPU makers publish new drivers on their own sites first, often with fixes and performance updates for recent games. Use the manufacturer’s site when a game asks for a newer driver, when you have just installed a new graphics card, or when Windows Update’s version has a known bug.

GPU	Where to get the driver
NVIDIA GeForce and RTX	NVIDIA driver downloads
AMD Radeon and Ryzen graphics	AMD drivers and support
Intel integrated and Arc	Intel Driver & Support Assistant
Laptops and branded desktops	The support page of your PC maker, searched by model or serial number

Laptops deserve extra care. Many hybrid-graphics models use drivers customised by the laptop maker, and a generic package can occasionally break brightness control, external display output or switching between GPUs. Check the laptop maker’s support page first. For brand-specific tips, see our guides to NVIDIA drivers, AMD drivers and Intel Arc drivers.

Only download drivers from these sources: Windows Update or the makers’ own websites. Third-party “driver updater” tools add risk without adding anything the makers do not already provide.

Roll back a driver that causes problems

If games started crashing, the screen began flickering, or you get a black screen after a driver update, go back to the previous version:

1. Right-click Start and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters, right-click the GPU and choose Properties.
3. Open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.
4. Pick a reason, select Yes, and restart if prompted.

Roll Back Driver needs administrator rights, and the button is greyed out when Windows has no earlier driver stored. In that case, download the older version you want from the GPU or PC maker and install it over the current one. If the screen is unusable, start in Safe Mode first; it uses a basic display driver so you can work in Device Manager.

Clean reinstall: uninstall and let Windows reinstall

When a driver seems corrupted, for example Device Manager shows a yellow warning icon or an error code such as Code 43, a reinstall often fixes it:

1. Download a fresh driver from the maker first, in case Windows cannot find one.
2. In Device Manager, right-click the GPU and choose Uninstall device.
3. If offered, tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then select Uninstall.
4. Restart the PC. Windows switches to a basic display driver and usually reinstalls a proper one automatically.
5. If it does not, run the installer you downloaded in step 1.

Expect a low resolution and some flicker between steps 2 and 5. That is normal while the basic driver is in use.

When the driver is not the problem

If a clean driver install does not help, look elsewhere. A loose or damaged cable, a monitor on the wrong input, or an incorrect refresh rate can all look like driver faults. Overheating can cause crashes under load. And repeated system crashes with a stop code are better handled with our blue screen guide, since a crash dump may name the actual driver at fault.

For the broader picture of display settings, GPU selection per app and black-screen recovery, head back to the Windows 11 graphics hub.

For drivers other than graphics, see update drivers in Windows 11.