How to Check and Update Your Graphics Drivers Safely

Graphics driver updates fix real bugs and squeeze out real performance, but they're also one of the more common causes of a Windows PC suddenly developing display glitches, black screens, or crashes after "just a routine update." Neither extreme — updating blindly the moment a new version drops, or never updating at all out of fear — is the right default. A little bit of process turns this from a gamble into a low-risk maintenance task.

Finding Out What You Currently Have

Before updating anything, confirm what you're running:

1. Right-click the desktop, choose Display Settings, then "Advanced display" or "Display adapter properties" to see your GPU model.
2. Open Device Manager (right-click Start), expand Display adapters, right-click your GPU, choose Properties → Driver tab to see the exact driver version and date.
3. Alternatively, run dxdiag from the Run dialog (Windows key + R) — the Display tab shows GPU model, driver version, and date in one place, plus basic diagnostics.

Where to Get Drivers (and Where Not To)

Get graphics drivers only from the manufacturer directly — NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel — not from generic "driver updater" utilities that bundle unrelated software or claim to fix hundreds of outdated drivers at once. Manufacturer driver pages let you search by exact GPU model and get the specific, signed installer rather than a repackaged version.

• NVIDIA: GeForce Experience or the manual driver search on NVIDIA's own site lets you choose between a "Game Ready" driver, released alongside new game launches, or a "Studio" driver, prioritizing stability for creative and production apps over bleeding-edge game support.
• AMD: AMD Software (Adrenalin) handles both driver updates and GPU settings in one app, with an option to check for updates without auto-installing them.
• Intel: integrated graphics on laptops usually update through Windows Update or Intel's own Driver & Support Assistant, and on laptops it's often the laptop manufacturer's own driver package — not Intel's generic one — that's actually compatible, since laptop makers frequently customize the driver for their specific hardware.

The Safer Update Process

A few extra minutes of preparation avoids most of the trouble people run into:

1. Create a restore point first (search "Create a restore point" in Start) so you have an easy way back if the new driver misbehaves — see our guide on using Windows System Restore for the full process.
2. Read the release notes for the specific version before installing — manufacturers list known issues, and if your exact GPU model or use case is mentioned as problematic, it's reasonable to wait for the next release.
3. Do a clean install when using NVIDIA or AMD's installer, if the option is offered — this removes old driver files and settings that can conflict with the new version, rather than installing on top of the old one.
4. Update one component at a time. If you're also updating Windows itself, do them separately with a restart and a few minutes of normal use in between, so if something breaks you know which update caused it.

If a New Driver Breaks Something

Device Manager's Driver tab has a "Roll Back Driver" button that reverts to the previous version, but it's only available for a limited window after updating and only if Windows kept the old driver files. If that option is greyed out, use the restore point you created beforehand, or use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU), a widely used third-party tool that fully removes GPU drivers in Safe Mode before a clean reinstall — useful specifically because a botched driver update can leave conflicting files that a normal reinstall doesn't fully clear.

Signs You're Overdue for an Update

Outside of chasing every release, a few signals suggest it's actually worth checking: new games or apps failing to launch with GPU-related errors, visible stuttering or artifacts that weren't there before, or a driver more than a year or two old on a system that's otherwise been running fine. If none of those apply, checking every few months rather than constantly is a reasonable middle ground — enough to catch security fixes and meaningful performance gains without treating every point release as mandatory.

Graphics drivers sit closer to the hardware than most software you install, which is exactly why a cautious, one-step-at-a-time approach pays off — the update itself takes a few minutes, but the preparation is what keeps a routine update from turning into an afternoon of troubleshooting.