How to update a GPU driver

Game crashing, or a new release asking for a newer driver? A GPU driver is the software Windows uses to talk to the graphics card. Updating it replaces that software. The card stays the same piece of hardware. A new package can add a game the old one did not know, fix a crash, or show a menu line the game expects. It does not add memory, and it does not make a modest card into a faster one.

I play on a desktop RTX 5080 with an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, into a 1080p 240 Hz and a 1440p 155 Hz monitor. More on my RTX 5080 PC and the guides index. The rest of a slow scene is the frame-rate guide: one setting at a time, in the same moment.

Official packages (use one)

• NVIDIA App, Game Ready: NVIDIA’s App page calls the NVIDIA App the way to keep Game Ready and Studio drivers current. The NVIDIA App FAQ says to download drivers from the app or from GeForce.com. GeForce Experience is no longer supported once the NVIDIA App is installed.
• AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition: AMD’s updates FAQ checks for packages from System Settings, Manage Updates. The Auto-Detect and Install tool is the same installer if Adrenalin is not on the PC yet.
• Intel Graphics Software: Intel’s Graphics Software FAQ says that app is the current download path, and that Arc Control is end of life. Intel Driver & Support Assistant looks the card up for you. The Download Center is the same package if you pick the file yourself.

The short version: one official package, from the company that belongs on this PC. A newer file is not a higher frame rate.

What to check first

A GPU driver is the software Windows uses to talk to the graphics card. On a desktop, install the card maker's package. On a laptop, start with the laptop maker. It does not add frames the card cannot draw.

The computerNot sure yetA desktopA laptopThe cardNot sure yetNVIDIAAMDIntelWhy you are hereThe game already runsA game asks for a newer driverIt crashes, or a menu line is missing

Do this

Read the PC

A laptop starts on the maker's support page, because that package can include chassis switches a desktop download leaves out. A desktop starts with the company that made the card. Task Manager, Performance, GPU shows the name.

Read two facts before you download anything. First, whether this is a laptop. A laptop’s maker ships a package that can include switches the card maker’s desktop download leaves out. Second, the name on the card. Task Manager, under Performance, on the GPU line, shows it. A laptop often lists two names. The update is for the card the game is actually using.

If the game already runs, stop. A newer file is not a higher frame rate. Update when a game names a minimum driver, when the picture crashes in a scene that used to work, or when a menu line the game documents is missing and the card is one that line requires. A quiet evening before a ranked match is a bad time to swap a package that was already fine. I would not throw a new Game Ready at the 5080 the hour before I queue Zarya.

NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel each ship a current file on the day you open their page. That file changes. The test is the scene you cared about, not the integer on a forum post.

NVIDIA App, on a desktop

On a desktop NVIDIA card, use the NVIDIA App, once.

NVIDIA’s App FAQ describes the app as the way to get Game Ready and Studio drivers. Open the Drivers tab. Choose Game Ready if you are here for a game. Studio is the branch NVIDIA describes for creative apps. NVIDIA’s Studio FAQ and the how to install Studio Drivers note say you switch the preference with the three-dot menu in the top right. NVIDIA also says either branch can run games. Game Ready is the one they point at when a new game needs support on the day it comes out. You install one branch at a time.

The same package is on NVIDIA’s GeForce driver page if the app is missing. NVIDIA’s standalone-driver FAQ says yes, you can still download without the app. An older PC may still have GeForce Experience. The App FAQ says GeForce Experience will no longer be supported, and that you have to uninstall the NVIDIA App before you can go back to it. Do not install both and let them take turns replacing the package.

I use the NVIDIA App on my setup. I pick Game Ready when Overwatch or a Reflex line is the reason I opened the app. I don’t keep a second NVIDIA updater next to it.

If the first install fails, NVIDIA’s clean-install article is the official retry: close other apps, run the Game Ready installer as administrator, choose Custom (Advanced), enable Perform a clean installation, then reboot. That checkbox is NVIDIA’s wipe. Use it once. Skip third-party tools that boot the PC into a special mode, at least as a first step.

AMD Adrenalin, on a desktop

AMD’s package is AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

If Adrenalin is already installed, AMD’s updates FAQ is the path. Open AMD Software from the Start menu. Search System, open System Settings, then Manage Updates. That launches AMD Install Manager. Available packages show under available software. Click the download arrow. You can uncheck “Automatically keep AMD Software up to date” on that same screen if you do not want the app to pull a file on its own.

If Adrenalin is not installed, use the Auto-Detect and Install tool from AMD Drivers and Support. AMD’s own steps: run the downloaded file, let the installer detect the card, then pick a package. AMD labels those packages Recommended (certified, aimed at stability) and Optional (newest features and fixes). That is AMD’s wording, not a reason for me to crown one integer. AMD also offers Default, Minimal, and Driver Only install types. Default is the full Adrenalin set. Driver Only is the driver without the extra UI.

AMD’s install notes say the display can flicker while the package applies. That blink is the install, not a dead card. AMD’s install article also says to close other apps before setup.

My own card is NVIDIA, so the AMD steps above come straight from AMD’s pages.

Intel, and the Windows trail

Intel’s current app is Intel Graphics Software. Intel’s FAQ says it is installed with current Intel graphics drivers, and that it replaced Arc Control for new downloads. Arc Control is end of life. Intel Driver and Support Assistant is the checker that looks up the card. The Download Center is the same package if you would rather pick the file yourself.

Intel’s own Arc graphics download notes warn that a generic Intel driver overwrites a laptop maker’s customized package. Laptop owners should use the laptop maker’s driver first.

Windows Update can offer a graphics driver, and it often trails the package the game was tested with. Device Manager’s Update driver button searches that same trail. Use it when the card maker’s page has nothing for this model. Do not use it as the way to get a Game Ready or Adrenalin release the week a game comes out.

On a laptop, the maker’s page is first

Open the laptop maker’s support page, enter the exact model, and install the graphics package that page lists. Then replay the scene. If the game still names a higher version than the one you just installed, the card maker’s package is the second step, not the first. Two packages stacked without that reason is how a laptop loses a switch the chassis needed.

NVIDIA still ships GeForce packages that install on notebook GPUs. NVIDIA’s own notebook driver notes say the OEM provides certified drivers for that specific notebook, and that you should check with the notebook maker for recommended updates. AMD’s Adrenalin release notes, including the current notebook section I opened, call the AMD.com notebook package a notebook reference graphics driver with limited support for system vendor specific features. AMD recommends OEM-provided drivers, and says to go back to the OEM file if the AMD.com package causes trouble. Intel, as above, says a generic download overwrites the OEM customization.

That is why I would start a Blade, or any other laptop, on the maker’s model page. Laptop cooling is the other half of a slow chassis: the charger, the vents, then a cap near refresh if the machine is cooking. A new driver does not open the intake.

A laptop often lists two GPUs in Task Manager. The update is for the chip the game is using. Pointing the game at High performance is in the frame-rate guide, under Settings, System, Display, Graphics. A second driver download does not move that choice.

A booster from a site that is not NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, or the laptop maker is not a second opinion. It is a different program. One official package is the update.

After the installer finishes

The screen can go black for a moment while Windows swaps the package. That blink is the install, not a dead card. Let it finish, and restart if the installer asks. Then open the same scene that failed, or the menu that was missing. The test is that scene. How to cap FPS and how to read the counter are the checks after the package is already in.

If the new package is worse, put the old one back before you try a third file.

In Device Manager, under Display adapters, open the card, then Properties, Driver, and Roll Back Driver, when Windows still has the previous package stored. That is the first undo.

The NVIDIA App FAQ says the app can roll back to previously installed drivers. NVIDIA also keeps older Game Ready files on the driver page. Use one of those official files. Do not hunt a random executable.

AMD’s Cleanup Utility is AMD’s tool when you need to remove a previous Adrenalin package before you install an older one. AMD’s legacy / downgrade note says to run that utility first, then install the older package. The utility can run in Safe Mode. AMD recommends Safe Mode for best results. It does not remove AMD chipset drivers. That utility is a downgrade tool. It is not the first install.

If the first NVIDIA install failed and you have not tried the official clean checkbox yet, use that once. Then stop. Three installers on the same afternoon are not a more current card.

What a driver update does not change

It does not add video memory. The card you have is the card you have. A scene that was already slow because the card is modest stays slow, unless the old package had a bug in that scene. The frame-rate work is still one heavy setting at a time. DLSS is an upscaler in a game that lists it. It is not a new driver by itself, though a missing DLSS line is one reason a game names a minimum package.

It does not change the monitor’s refresh rate. Windows still shows that rate under Settings, System, Display, Advanced display. How to set 144 Hz is that menu. An asterisk next to a Hertz means that rate is not available at the current resolution. It is not a driver version.

It does not choose which of two chips draws the game. If Task Manager lists a built-in chip and a separate card, the game can sit on the weak one.

It does not make a budget card into an RTX 5080. A budget gaming PC still spends its money on the card that draws the frames. The driver is the package that card already needed.

If one official package is installed, the scene you cared about is fixed or it is not, and you have stopped. A second installer, a booster, and a wipe on the same afternoon are not a more current card.

One official package, from the company that belongs on this PC. Replay the scene. A newer file is not a higher frame rate. More guides.

Common questions

How do I update my GPU driver?

Use your graphics card maker's app. NVIDIA users can update through the NVIDIA App, AMD users through Adrenalin, and Intel users through Intel Graphics Software; on a laptop, start with the laptop maker's driver.

Should I update my graphics driver?

Yes, when a game requires a newer version, when games start crashing, or when you're missing a feature. If everything runs fine, you don't need to update right away.

Is Windows Update enough for graphics drivers?

Usually not. Windows Update can install a driver, but it often lags behind, so get the latest version from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel for gaming.

How do I update a laptop GPU driver?

Go to your laptop maker's support page, enter your exact model and install the graphics driver listed there. Use NVIDIA's or AMD's driver only if a game still needs a newer version.

What should I do if a new GPU driver causes problems?

Roll back to your previous driver. You can do it in Device Manager or the NVIDIA App, and AMD's Cleanup Utility helps when installing an older Adrenalin version.

Does updating a GPU driver increase FPS?

Sometimes. A new driver can fix bugs or add optimizations for new games, but it won't turn a mid-range card into a high-end one.

How do I update NVIDIA drivers in the NVIDIA App?

Open the NVIDIA App, go to the Drivers tab and install the Game Ready driver. Don't keep GeForce Experience installed alongside the NVIDIA App.

What is the difference between Game Ready and Studio drivers?

Game Ready drivers are optimized for new game launches and patches, while Studio drivers are tested for creative apps. Both run games and creative software fine, so gamers should pick Game Ready.

Do I need DDU to update my GPU driver?

No. NVIDIA's installer has a 'Perform a clean installation' option under Custom, and AMD has its own Cleanup Utility. Save third-party tools for when nothing else works.