Driver updates for most hardware devices in Windows are automatically downloaded and installed through Windows Update. Windows Update updates drivers for various hardware including network adapters, printers, scanners, and video cards.

Windows can automatically download recommended drivers for the hardware and devices connected to a system by using Windows Update. Using the latest updated drivers makes sure all the hardware and devices work properly. Drivers. A driver is software that allows a Windows device to communicate with hardware devices.

You can check Windows Update any time to see if it's found updated drivers for your hardware, especially if you recently installed a new device. Then, you can install the updated drivers. Here's how:

Find out how to install the latest driver for your printer. If you recently upgraded Windows, your printer driver might need to be reinstalled.

To fix this issue, follow the instructions in the article Add or install a printer in Windows instead of using the manufacturer's installer. If the printer manufacturer has different guidance, follow the guidance from the printer manufacturer. An example ARM PC is Copilot+ PCs.

Automatically update Windows 10, Windows 11, and Surface drivers and firmware. After following the preparation steps, see Update Windows to learn how to check for updates and install them. Or select the Check for Windows updates button below to open Windows Update in Settings.

You can’t install Windows updates this way. You can’t download and install Surface updates manually on Surface Pro or Surface Pro 2. If you’re still having trouble installing updates, you may need to restore or reset your Surface .

If you don’t see any Wi-Fi networks listed when you’re setting up your device and see an error message, you might need to reinstall Wi-Fi network adapter drivers. Here’s how: On a different device, download the necessary Wi-Fi network adapter drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

Check which version of DirectX is installed. The DxDiag tool reports detailed information about the DirectX components and drivers installed on your system and can be used.

When you try to install a device driver on a computer that is running an x64-based version of Microsoft Windows, you may receive the following error message: The specified location does not contain a compatible software driver for your device.