How to Update Video Drivers in Windows 10
Windows 10 is the latest and greatest offering from Microsoft, and incorporates a new appearance, additional features, and many updates in software technology.
Along with these upgrades, some computer users may find that hardware devices no longer function in the same manner, or may not be supported at all. If you’ve recently updated
Video displays are often one of the casualties of system upgrades, with the multitude of graphics cards offered even by leading manufacturers not matching up with the new operating system.
Often the solution is simple – change your system settings or software parameters to sync with Windows 10, and you’re back in business.
This may not solve all your problems with video displays with WIN 10. It frequently calls for updates to the small programs that communicate between the operating system and your devices.
When To Update Your Video Drivers in Windows 10?
If you have an older graphics card or other video device, Windows 10 may not fully support it. Windows 10 users reported a number of issues including a “stretched” screen appearance with fuzzy or broken-looking pixels.
This can sometimes be resolved simply by changing your display settings from your Windows desktop, using the Advanced Settings option.
Other more extreme display problems include:
- Game programs don’t render properly on your display, but did before your Windows 10 installation or update
- Screen displays are slow, portions of the display don’t appear, or clarity suffers
- Lines appear on the monitor – either intermittently or constantly
- Games, streaming movies, or videos simply will not display properly
When symptoms such as these are prevalent on your computer, it’s likely time to update the Windows 10 video drivers.
Three Ways to Update Video Drivers in Windows 10
To update the drivers on your system, you have multiple options:
- Use Windows Update to get the updated versions of drivers for your system
- Access your video card manufacturer’s web site and search for a current Windows 10 driver to download and install
- Use an automated method or service to search your system for the drivers it needs, letting this process find and install your drivers
Updating your video drivers may not be a perfect science when taking the first two options. These processes may not result in finding the best or most current driver for your system. If you try one method without resolving your problem, try another of these approaches.
1. Using Windows Update
Windows 10 provides the functionality to update drivers. The benefit of using Windows Update is that you’re assured that any updates or drivers retrieved have been verified by Microsoft to be compatible with WIN 10.
To access updates through this method:
Open Settings > Click Update & Security > Click on Windows Update
On the Window Update screen, simply click the “Check for updates” option.
Windows Update will scan your system for the drivers and other updates that apply to your system, and download them.
The downside of this method is that not all manufacturers release new software or drivers through the Microsoft channel, so you may not find the updates that you’re looking for.
Another method of retrieving drivers from Microsoft is to access the Device Manager. You can get to Device Manager in a couple of ways:
Select Start > Search for and select Device Driver.
You will see a list of devices. You may need to expand a category to see the exact device whose driver you’re looking for. Right-click the device you want, and select the Update Driver option.
Note: in this screenshot, you would expand the sound, video, and game controllers icon, then right-click your video card.
You can also initiate the Device Manager by pressing the Windows key and R at the same time, which opens the Windows ‘Run’ box, and key the function “devmgmt.msc” and press enter.
Device Manager will open, the same as if you followed the above commands. Device Manager will then give you options for how you would like to search for your driver:
Your best bet is to let the system search automatically for the best driver. As with Windows Update, if device manager locates a suitable driver for your device, it will download and install automatically.
2. Download from Your Manufacturer’s Website
Another alternative in updating your video drivers in Windows 10 is to log into the website of your video card’s manufacturer. You can then search for their latest driver updates for your particular card and operating system.
This can sometimes require a little discovery, depending on the manufacturer, the number of devices they offer, and versions supported, as with this example from the popular NVIDIA website:
If you’re unable to identify your exact model or version, you can always try calling their technical support number or online chat, if available.
3. Use An Automated Solution
If you’re looking for a better, easier way to find the drivers you need, there are sophisticated programs that will do the job for you such as Driver Support.
Advantages to using such software to keep your system up-to-date include:
- Driver updates are automated
- Automation frees you from the manual efforts in finding the right drivers for your system
- One program does it all
- Scanning your system
- Finding the drivers
- Download
- Installation
- No more frustration searching for multiple vendors or websites
Putting technology to use for updating your drivers safely and securely saves time over trial-and-error update methods. Just download and install the software, and let it do the work for you.
Your Best Solution for Updating Your Video Drivers
Automated processes are your best option to keep your video drivers in Windows 10 current and functioning properly.
Driver Support is the easy and reliable method for scanning your system for the video drivers you need, downloading, and installing them automatically. Give DriverSupport | ONE a try today! to find out how to keep all your drivers updated and maximize performance from your system.
