This article shows the quickest and easiest methods to update Windows 11 drivers for optimal and error-free computer performance.
Time and again, tech experts have stressed the importance of drivers in a computer system. The connected peripherals may malfunction or not deliver the best performance without the updated drivers. Therefore, this article guides you through the best ways to update drivers on Windows 11.
However, before we begin with Windows 11 driver’s update, let us throw some more light on the usefulness of updating drivers to make our goals clear.
Why Update Drivers on Windows 11
The following are the top reasons you should consider updating your Windows 11 drivers.
- Updated drivers ensure optimal computer performance
- Drivers updates help play high-end games smoothly
- It keeps issues like Blue Screen of Death away
Above, we looked at the core reasons that should motivate you to perform a driver update on Windows 11. Please, keep in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive and many other points are also addible.
After learning about the “why” of updating Windows 11 drivers, let us focus on the “how.” The next section provides a complete guide (containing multiple methods) to updating drivers on the newest Windows operating system.
(Quick and Easy) Methods to Update Drivers on Windows 11
Below we introduce you to various ways you can update Windows 11 drivers.
Method 1: Take the Device Manager’s help to update drivers
Device Manager on your computer is a utility that lets you download updated drivers and install them. You may follow the steps below to update the drivers on Windows 11 this way.
- Look for Device Manager using the search function and click on the first on-screen result.
- Click on the device category for which you want to update the drivers. As an example, here we are updating the Bluetooth driver.
- Right-click on the device needing a driver update and choose the tool to Update driver from the available options.
- Now, you have two options as described below.
Search automatically for drivers: If you choose this option, Windows searches for, downloads, and installs the necessary drivers automatically. Though, it may take significantly longer to do it.
Browse my computer for drivers: To use this option, you must have a driver file downloaded and saved on your computer (the next method discusses how to do this). If you have the driver installation file, you may choose this option to install the driver update on Windows 11.
- The next steps depend upon the option you selected in the previous step.
If you choose to Search automatically for drivers, wait until Windows finds, downloads, and installs the needed drivers.
In case you selected the option to Browse my computer for drivers, specify the driver file’s location, remember to include subfolders, and “Browse” for the file. After Windows displays a list of items to choose from, select the driver, click on “Next”, and comply with the on-screen prompts to finish the installation.
- Make sure to restart the computer after completing the above steps.
Method 2: Update drivers on Windows 11 through the device manufacturer’s website
Various device manufacturers, such as Lenovo, Dell, HP, etc., provide users with all the needed drivers on their official websites. You can go there to get the required Windows 11 driver’s update. Below are the necessary steps to do it.
Note: Here, we are taking HP as an example. However, the steps to update Windows 11 drivers are mostly the same across all device manufacturers.
- Travel to the official website of your device manufacturer.
- Go to the Support section. You will find it somewhere on the top as a separate tab or as part of some drop-down menu. In HP, it is available on the top menu bar itself.
- Find and select the Drivers option. In the case of HP, it is present in the drop-down menu of the Support tab.
- Now, choose the type of device for which you want a Windows 11 driver update (some manufacturers require this step, while others may not need it). In our case, we selected an HP laptop.
- Search for your computer’s model. We have an HP ENVY 14 Laptop.
- Select your OS (many manufacturers detect it automatically).
- Expand the category of drivers which you need to update on your Windows 11 computer. Here, we intend to update the Bluetooth driver.
- Click on the option to download the required driver’s installation file.
- Save the downloaded file.
- Now, you may use the Device Manager and use the “Browse my computer for drivers” option to install the driver update on Windows 11 as described in the previous method.
Method 3: Download and install the available operating system update
Updating the operating system is among the most followed practices to download and install the Windows 11 driver’s update. However, there is a chance of this method becoming unsuccessful if the required driver update is extremely recent. Still, you may take the following actions to test your luck this way.
- Launch the Settings panel using the Windows+I keyboard command.
- Pick the Windows Update option from the sidebar.
- Check for updates.
- Download Now the available update for Windows 11.
- Install Now the downloaded update on your device.
- After installing the update, restart your computer.
Method 4: Update drivers on Windows 11 automatically (Recommended)
Above, we described all the manual methods to get Windows 11 driver updates. As you also agree, they are quite complicated ways to download and install driver updates.
We recommend performing driver updates on Windows 11 automatically through a program called Bit Driver Updater to make things easy for you.
Bit Driver Updater installs all the necessary updates automatically with one mouse click. In addition to this, it provides you with many useful features, such as backup and restoration of drivers, an increase in the download speed of updated drivers, and a lot more.
Below is the download and installation link from where you can get this wonderful software.
After installing the Bit Driver Updater, it runs a thorough scan on your computer for a few seconds to display a list of outdated drivers.
Once you know what drivers need to be updated, you may Update All with a single click.
If you wish to update the driver for only a particular device, such as a printer, you may use the tool to Update Now.
However, experts always recommend updating all drivers for the computer to perform perfectly.
Drivers on Windows 11 Updated Successfully
This article discussed the best possible methods to update drivers on Windows 11. You may update the drivers manually or automatically as described above.
We suggest downloading and installing Windows 11 driver updates automatically with Bit Driver Updater since it is an easy and convenient option.
If you want more Windows 11 guides, troubleshooting tips, and other tech information, stay connected to Innovana Blog