Software

How to update your drivers in Windows automatically

December 27, 2025

Keeping your Windows computer running smoothly often comes down to one simple but overlooked task: updating your device drivers. How to update your drivers in Windows automatically? Many users spend hours troubleshooting slow performance, crashes, internet issues, or hardware that suddenly stops working—without realizing that outdated or missing drivers are often the root cause.

In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn what drivers are, why updating them is essential, why Windows Update alone isn’t enough, and how to update your drivers automatically in Windows 11, 10, 8.1, and even Windows 7. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this article will help you understand drivers clearly and keep your PC in top condition.

How to update your drivers in Windows automatically 1

Why Updating Your Drivers Matters in Windows

Many computer problems—especially in Windows 10 and Windows 11—are directly linked to outdated drivers. Drivers are responsible for allowing Windows to communicate with your hardware, so when they’re outdated, incompatible, or missing, things can go wrong quickly.

You should consider updating your drivers if:

Your computer feels slower than usual
Windows crashes, freezes, or shows blue screen errors
Your internet connection drops or won’t connect
Your sound, keyboard, mouse, printer, or monitor isn’t working properly
Games stutter, graphics glitch, or performance drops
New Windows updates cause hardware issues

In reality, no matter what problem you’re facing, there’s a strong chance that updating your drivers can fix it—or prevent it from happening in the first place.

To understand why, let’s first break down what drivers actually are.

What Are Drivers?

Drivers are small but critical pieces of software that act as interpreters between Windows and your hardware devices.

Windows and hardware components—such as your graphics card, network adapter, printer, or speakers—don’t naturally understand each other. They speak different “languages.” A driver translates Windows commands into instructions your hardware can understand, and then sends responses back to Windows.

A Simple Example: Graphics Drivers

When Windows wants to display something on your screen:

Windows sends a command
The graphics driver translates that command
The graphics card executes it and displays the image

Without the driver, Windows and the graphics card can’t communicate correctly. The result? No display, poor resolution, screen flickering, or crashes.

Every Device Needs a Driver

Your computer uses drivers for nearly everything, including:

Graphics card (video driver)
Network adapter (Wi-Fi / Ethernet driver)
Sound card (audio driver)
Keyboard and mouse
USB ports and external drives
Printer and scanner
Bluetooth devices

Without drivers—or with outdated ones—these devices won’t function properly.

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What Happens If Drivers Are Missing or Outdated?

Drivers need to be updated whenever Windows or the hardware changes how it communicates.

Why Drivers Become Outdated

Microsoft updates Windows and changes system commands
Hardware manufacturers improve device features
Bugs and security vulnerabilities are discovered
New software and games require newer drivers

When this happens, device manufacturers must update their drivers so they remain compatible with Windows.

Problems Caused by Outdated Drivers

Sometimes the impact is minor—missing new features or small performance issues. But in many cases, outdated drivers can cause serious problems, such as:

System crashes or blue screen errors
Hardware not being detected
Internet connectivity failures
Audio or video not working
External devices randomly disconnecting
Complete system instability

For example:

If your hard drive driver fails, Windows can’t access your data
If your network driver fails, you lose internet access
If your graphics driver fails, your screen may go blank

In short, outdated drivers can cripple your system.

Why You Can’t Rely on Windows Update Alone

Windows includes a built-in tool called Windows Update, which is supposed to keep your system and drivers up to date. While it does help, it has major limitations.

1. Manufacturers Delay Driver Submissions

Hardware manufacturers must submit their drivers to Microsoft for inclusion in Windows Update. This process is:

Time-consuming
Technically demanding
Often skipped for older hardware

As a result, many drivers never make it into Windows Update—or arrive months late.

2. Optional Driver Updates Are Ignored

Windows categorizes drivers as:

Critical
Automatic
Optional

Most driver updates are marked as optional, meaning Windows won’t install them unless you manually look for them. Unfortunately, “optional” doesn’t mean “unimportant.” These updates often fix serious bugs and compatibility issues.

Even if you manually check optional updates, you’re still unlikely to get every driver you need.

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How to Update Your Drivers in Windows

There are two main ways to update drivers:

Manually
Automatically

Let’s explore both approaches.

Method 1: Updating Drivers Manually

Manual driver updates involve finding, downloading, and installing each driver yourself.

Steps Involved

Identify your hardware devices
Visit each manufacturer’s website
Locate the correct driver for your exact model
Ensure compatibility with your Windows version (11, 10, 8.1, or 7)
Download and install the driver
Repeat for every device

Downsides of Manual Updates

Time-consuming
Easy to download the wrong driver
Risk of installing incompatible or unstable drivers
Requires technical knowledge
Difficult to keep track of future updates

Manual updates may work for advanced users, but for most people, this approach is frustrating and risky.

Method 2: Updating Drivers Automatically (Recommended)

If you don’t want to spend hours hunting down drivers—or you’re not comfortable dealing with technical details—automatic driver update tools are the safest and easiest solution.

Why Automatic Driver Updates Are Better

Detect missing, outdated, or mismatched drivers instantly
Download the correct driver versions automatically
Install all updates with one click
Reduce system crashes and hardware conflicts
Save time and effort

One widely used solution is Driver Easy Pro.

How to Update Your Drivers Automatically with Driver Easy

Driver Easy is designed to make driver updates effortless for users of Windows 11, 10, 8.1, and 7.

Key Features of Driver Easy

Automatically detects outdated, missing, or incorrect drivers
Updates all drivers with one click
Uses only genuine drivers from hardware manufacturers
All drivers are tested and certified
Offline scanning for computers without internet
Safe restore feature to roll back drivers if needed

Simple Steps to Update Drivers Automatically

Install Driver Easy
Run a scan to detect driver issues
Click “Update All”
Let the software handle everything

That’s it. No searching, no guesswork, no risk.

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What Makes Certified Drivers Important?

Not all drivers are created equal. Poorly tested drivers can cause instability or even damage your system.

Microsoft-Certified Drivers

Many hardware manufacturers submit their drivers to Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). If a driver passes, it’s certified as stable and compatible with Windows.

Additional Testing by Driver Easy

Driver Easy goes a step further:

Uses drivers directly from manufacturers
Tests drivers internally for safety and stability
Even re-tests Microsoft-certified drivers to catch issues

This double-layer testing ensures maximum reliability.

Offline Driver Updates: When You Have No Internet

One of the most frustrating problems is losing internet access due to a broken network driver. Driver Easy solves this with offline scanning.

How Offline Scan Works

Scan your PC without internet
Save the scan results
Download the correct network driver on another computer
Transfer and install it on the affected PC

This feature is invaluable when your system can’t connect online.

Safe Restore: Roll Back with Confidence

Even with certified drivers, things don’t always go as planned. That’s why having a rollback option is essential.

Driver Easy allows you to:

Restore previous driver versions
Undo updates safely
Recover from unexpected issues

This gives you peace of mind when updating critical components.

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Why Millions of Users Trust Driver Easy

More than 3 million users worldwide rely on Driver Easy to keep their computers running smoothly. It’s developed by Easeware Technology Limited, a company that has been refining the software since 2009.

Their goal is simple: make driver management easy, safe, and accessible for everyone—not just tech experts.

Final Thoughts: Keep Your Drivers Updated, Keep Your PC Healthy

Drivers are the backbone of your Windows system. Without them—or with outdated ones—your computer simply can’t function properly.

Updating your drivers can:

Improve performance
Fix crashes and freezes
Restore internet connectivity
Resolve hardware malfunctions
Prevent future problems

While Windows Update helps a little, it’s not enough on its own. For a complete, reliable solution, automatic driver updates are the smartest choice—especially for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, and 7 users.

By keeping your drivers up to date, you’re not just fixing problems—you’re preventing them.

Your computer will thank you.