Uninstalling drivers in Windows 10 and Windows 11 can help resolve hardware conflicts, free up resources, or prepare your system for new driver installations. Device Manager is the built-in Windows tool that makes this process simple and efficient. Follow the steps below to safely remove a driver from your system.
Precaution: Before uninstalling, consider creating a backup or system restore point to safeguard against issues.
Uninstalling Drivers in Windows Device Manager
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager, or you can access device manager using the keyboard shortcut Windows ⊞ + X keys.
- In the Device Manager window, click to expand the category that contains the driver you want to uninstall (e.g., Display adapters, Network adapters, Sound, video, and game controllers).
- Right-click the device and select Uninstall device.
- In the confirmation window that appears, check the option Delete the driver software for this device if available.
- Click Uninstall to confirm.
- Restart your PC to ensure the driver is fully removed and to allow the changes take effect.
Reinstalling Drivers
Windows may automatically install a generic driver during the next restart. If you need to reinstall a specific driver, you can download the latest driver from the device manufacturer’s website.