Computer drivers, which are more commonly known as “drivers,” are an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to a properly working device. After all, without drives, the computer would not be able to communicate with outside gadgets like keyboard, printers, disk drives, and other imperative equipment essential to your computer and activities. That being said, it’s important for you to know how to install drivers on Windows 10 devices, so you’re not left behind.
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Why Do You Need Drivers?
To put it simply, the computer is but a shell of technology and information just waiting to be explored. But if you can’t use a mouse or keyboard, the computer becomes somewhat worthless as you can’t navigate through or use it. To ensure that you can actually use your computer for school, gaming, work, or other purposes, you need to have drivers.
Drivers are what allow outside products to be used hand-in-hand with computers. Drivers can be found on a variety of different must-have pieces of equipment such as keyboards and mice, as well as extras we might need like printers and speakers. Some drivers install automatically, but even so, they may not be the most up-to-date version.
Thankfully, drivers are typically fairly easy to download, but sometimes Windows 10 has a problem communicating with the driver and other ways to installation must take place.
How to Install Drivers on Windows 10
Whether your driver just needs an update, or you need to download it, we’re going to give you four simple solutions to your Windows 10 driver problems.
1. Install Using Windows Update
The first and easiest step you should take is to try updating Windows 10. To make sure all of your drivers are working properly, all you need to do is click Start, select Settings, and use the Update and Recovery option. From there, Windows will automatically scan your device to make sure everything is up-to-date and working fine.
If the computer notices that something needs to be updated, it should do it automatically. If not, all you need to do is hit the “update” option and Windows will work promptly to update your driver. Most of the time, you shouldn’t need to reboot after an update, but if the computer asks for a restart, do so in order to finish the updating of your driver.
2. Install Manually Using Device Manager
If you notice that your device did not update using the Windows Update, you can always opt to try and download the driver manually. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. If you want to learn how to install drivers on Windows 10 manually, all you need to do is the following:
- Press the Windows key and X at the same time. Select the device manager.
- Once the device manager has popped up, find the driver (or device) in question that you are trying to install.
- Right click the driver and hit “update”.
- Two options will then pop up. First and foremost you can try the “Search automatically for updated driver” option, where Windows will scan the computer in search of the device and try to install on its own. However, if this is taking too much time, try option two which is “Browse my computer for driver software”. With this, you will be able to look through your devices, and if you see the device in question, click it and install it manually.
- Click next and the installation should be complete.
3. Troubleshoot Compatibility
If the Windows Update didn’t work and neither did a manual installation, you still have another option when it comes to installing driver software on your Windows 10 and that is by using the troubleshoot compatibility option.
You will need to begin by finding your driver software on your computer. Most of the time, it will come from a thumb drive or CD, so the driver can be found in the File Explorer.
Once you have found your device, you will need to right click and select the ‘Troubleshoot Compatibility” option. A new window will appear with a variety of different questions to help and find a solution to the compatibility problem.
Some of the comments you can choose from include the following:
- The program worked on an earlier version of Windows.
- The program opens but does not display properly.
- The program requires additional permissions.
- I don’t see my problem listed.
Select whichever problem is right for your device issue, then hit the ‘Next’ option. Depending on what you answered above, there may be additional questions before finding a solution.
If Windows is able to find a solution to your problem, you will be prompted to answer additional questions before the actual installation and update takes place. From there, you can continue through the installation until the device is ready and able to work on your Windows 10 device.
4. Refer to the Manufacturer’s Website
When all else fails, you still have the final option to try and fix your driver problem: the manufacturer’s website.
On the manufacturer’s website, you can find a multitude of handy and helpful information. One piece of information that may be of use to you is the driver download section where you can pick and choose from a variety of drivers that you may need for your computer.
Once you have found the specific driver software you need, simply download it onto your computer and it should work fine. Make sure to check and see if these drivers or driver software programs need to be updated after you have downloaded and installed them. This will keep them working perfectly on your Windows 10.
Conclusion
Drivers are essential for products to work with Windows 10 devices. Without them, we would struggle to find a computer worthwhile.
If you’re struggling with a driver on your computer, just remember to start with a Windows Update, and if that doesn’t work, you have other options such as manually downloading, troubleshooting, or downloading directly from the manufacturer’s website. If all else fails, contact the manufacturer, and they can help you find, download, and install the proper driver for your device.