How to identify missing drivers with Windows Device Manager on Windows 11
How to identify missing or malfunctioning drivers with Windows Device Manager
To see which of your devices have a missing or malfunctioning driver:
- Step1: On your keyboard, press the
Windows logo key
andR
at the same time to invoke the Run box. - Step2: Type
devmgmt.msc
and clickOK
.
(There are other ways to open Device Manager; it changes depending on your version of Windows. But the above method works for all versions of Windows, including Windows 11, 10 and 7.)
- Step3: Expand a category (e.g. Display Adapters) to see the devices in that category. If you see a yellow triangle or question mark next to a device, Windows has detected that it has a missing or malfunctioning driver.
- Step4: If you see this yellow mark, you can try to
update
orreinstall
the driver.
Why you can’t rely on Windows to keep your drivers up-to-date
Windows comes with an inbuilt tool, called ‘Windows Update’, that’s supposed to automatically keep your drivers up to date. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well.
There are two reasons why…
Device manufacturers often take a long time to get their drivers into a Windows Update – It’s a time-consuming and difficult process. Sometimes they just miss the deadline and have to wait ‘til the next Windows Update, and sometimes they just give up altogether. In fact, for older devices, this is the norm.
Windows Update ignores driver updates it considers ‘optional’ – It categorizes driver updates as either ‘critical’, ‘automatic’ or ‘optional’, and it doesn’t usually concern itself with the ‘optional’ ones – even when they’re actually important. You can install them manually by going to the ‘Optional updates’ screen but, even then, as described above, you’re unlikely to get all the latest drivers.
What are drivers?
Drivers are like interpreters between Windows and your devices. For example, when Windows needs to display something on your monitor, it sends a command to your graphics card, and your graphics card then displays what Windows wants on your monitor.
But Windows and your graphics card don’t actually speak the same language. To understand each other, they need a translator. That translator is called a driver. It takes the Windows command and translates it into something your graphics card can understand. Your graphics card can then do as it’s told, and display the right thing on your monitor.
Similarly, if your graphics card needs to send some sort of response back to Windows, the driver translates the response into something Windows can understand.
In this example, what we’re talking about is a video driver, but your computer has many other drivers on it too – one for each device. Your speakers, your printer, your mouse, your USB hard drives, your network card, your keyboard and so on – they each have an associated driver.
And without all these drivers, none of your devices will work.
What happens if a driver is missing or outdated?
Every now and then, Microsoft will change the commands Windows sends to one of your devices (e.g. your network card). When this happens, the manufacturer of that device need to change the device driver too. They need to teach it the new Windows commands. Otherwise the drivers won’t be able to translate those commands for your devices, and your devices won’t work properly.
The same thing needs to happen when your device manufacturer changes the way your device talks, or the things it can do. They need to change the driver too. Otherwise Windows won’t be able to talk to the device, or take advantage of its new functionality, and your device won’t work properly.
Now when we say “your device won’t work properly”, sometimes this means simply that you miss out on new functionality or minor bug fixes. But it’s often a lot more serious than that. Your computer may even hang, crash or stop working completely. Remember, there’s a driver that controls your hard drive, for instance. If Windows can’t talk to your hard drive, it can’t access any of the data on your drive. Similarly, if Windows can’t talk to your network card, you won’t be able to access the internet, and if it can’t talk to your graphics card, you won’t be able to see anything on your monitor. These are just a few of the more serious issues outdated drivers can cause.
Why update your drivers in Windows 11, 10 & Windows 7?
Many computer issues are caused by outdated device drivers. Particularly in Windows 10/11.
So if your computer has slowed down, you should update your drivers. If it’s crashing or hanging, update your drivers. If you can’t connect to the internet, update your drivers. If your mouse, keyboard, monitor or speakers are acting up, update your drivers. In fact, no matter what your issue, there’s a good chance updating your drivers will fix it.
To understand why, you first have to understand what drivers actually are…
Try Driver Easy for free
If you want the certainty of knowing your device drivers are always up to date (and not just sometimes up to date, which is all you get from Windows Device Manager), and you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to continually update them manually, give the free version of Driver Easy a try.
The free version will identify all your outdated drivers, and allow you to download them all. But only one at a time and, once they’re downloaded, you have to manually install them using the standard Windows process. (To automatically update all your drivers with 1 click, you’ll need the Pro version of Driver Easy . Don’t worry, it comes with a 30-day, no-questions-asked, money back satisfaction guarantee.)
Also read:
- How to Repair a Damaged video file of Moto G24 using Video Repair Utility on Windows?
- How to sign .odt file document electronically
- How to Recover Deleted Photos, Videos & Music Files from iPhone 12 Pro Max | Stellar
- How to sign a PDF v1.7 document with digital signature app
- How To Transfer Data From iPhone 13 Pro To Other iPhone 14 devices? | Dr.fone
- How To Install the Latest iOS/iPadOS Beta Version on iPhone 7 Plus? | Dr.fone
- How to identify missing your drivers with Windows Device Manager in Windows 7
- How to restore wiped videos on Find X6
- How to Factory Reset iPhone SE and iPad Without Apple ID | Stellar
- How To Restore Missing Call Logs from Nokia C300
- How to recover deleted photos from Android Gallery without backup on Meizu 21
- How to recover deleted photos from Infinix Hot 40i.
- How to recover old call logs from your Vivo V29 Pro?
- How to restore wiped videos on Tecno Phantom V Flip
- How to Downgrade iPhone 13 Pro Max without Losing Anything? | Dr.fone
- How to restore wiped videos on Redmi 13C 5G
- How to recover old messages from your GT 10 Pro
- How to Rescue Lost Contacts from Samsung Galaxy S24+?
- How to play an MP4 on Galaxy M14 5G?
- How to retrieve lost files from Honor Play 8T?
- How to retrieve erased messages from Honor X8b
- How To Install the Latest iOS Beta Version on iPhone XR? | Dr.fone
- How To Recover Data From Lost or Stolen iPhone 6 In Easy Steps | Stellar
- How to Recover Deleted Photos from Android Gallery App on A78
- How to recover deleted contacts from Oppo Find X6.
- How to Rescue Lost Messages from Samsung Galaxy A05s
- How To Restore Missing Contacts Files from HTC U23 Pro.
- How to Retrieve deleted photos on Honor 90 GT
- How To Restore Missing Call Logs from Infinix Hot 40i
- How to recover data from dead iPhone 14 Pro | Stellar
- How to recover old music from your Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G
- How to identify some outdated your hardware drivers with Windows Device Manager in Windows 11
- How to rescue lost call logs from Oppo A79 5G
- How to Rescue Lost Videos from Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
- How to play HEVC H.265 video on Samsung ?
- How to recover deleted photos on Tecno Spark 10C
- 5 Easy Ways to Copy Contacts from Poco M6 Pro 4G to iPhone 14 and 15 | Dr.fone
- How to recover deleted photos from Sony Xperia 5 V.
- How to recover old videos from your Realme 12 Pro 5G
- How to Rescue Lost Videos from Samsung Galaxy M14 5G
- How To Reset Your iPhone 15? | Dr.fone
- How to recover data from dead iPhone X | Stellar
- How to restore wiped call history on Motorola Moto G04?
- How to insert sign in jpg
- How to Fix Microsoft Excel 2021 Error Code 0x800A03EC? | Stellar
- How to recover deleted photos on Sony Xperia 1 V
- How to recover old videos from your Oppo Reno 10 5G
- How to Repair corrupt MP4 and MOV files of Honor Play 8T using Video Repair Utility on Windows?
- Easy steps to recover deleted pictures from Lava Yuva 3 Pro.
- In 2024, How To Pause Life360 Location Sharing For Apple iPhone 11 | Dr.fone
- Updated Simplify Your Design The Best Aspect Ratio Calculation Tools for 2024
- How to Fix Unfortunately, Contacts Has Stopped Error on Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | Dr.fone
- Will the iPogo Get You Banned and How to Solve It On Sony Xperia 1 V | Dr.fone
- Easily Unlock Your Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G Device SIM
- 8 Solutions to Solve YouTube App Crashing on Poco X6 | Dr.fone
- How to Transfer Data from OnePlus Nord 3 5G to Any iOS Devices | Dr.fone
- Ways to trade pokemon go from far away On Apple iPhone 15? | Dr.fone
- Ways To Find Unlocking Codes For Nokia C02 Phones
- New Top 20 Slideshow Makers for Win/Mac/Online Review for 2024
- Does Life360 Notify When You Log Out On Oppo A56s 5G? | Dr.fone
- How to Bypass Google FRP Lock on Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (2023) Devices
- Methods to Change GPS Location On Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G | Dr.fone
- 15 Best Strongest Pokémon To Use in Pokémon GO PvP Leagues For Huawei P60 | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Is Fake GPS Location Spoofer a Good Choice On Realme 12 Pro 5G? | Dr.fone
- In 2024, How To Bypass the Required Apple Store Verification For Apple iPhone 6s
- In 2024, Guide to Mirror Your Lava Storm 5G to Other Android devices | Dr.fone
- Top 4 SIM Location Trackers To Easily Find Your Lost Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition Device
- In 2024, Process of Screen Sharing Xiaomi 13T to PC- Detailed Steps | Dr.fone
- The way to recover deleted pictures on Play 40C without backup.
- 4 Methods to Turn off Life 360 On Itel A05s without Anyone Knowing | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Hassle-Free Ways to Remove FRP Lock on Vivo Y100twith/without a PC
- Complete Tutorial to Use GPS Joystick to Fake GPS Location On Itel A70 | Dr.fone
- Updated Merge Videos Without a Trace 7 Best Options
- In 2024, Unlocking Made Easy The Best 10 Apps for Unlocking Your Motorola G24 Power Device
- In 2024, The Ultimate Guide to Bypassing iCloud Activation Lock from iPhone 13 Pro Max
- In 2024, Hassle-Free Ways to Remove FRP Lock on Tecno Spark 10 5G Phones with/without a PC
- What To Do When Infinix Hot 40i Has Black Screen of Death? | Dr.fone
- Title: How to identify missing drivers with Windows Device Manager on Windows 11
- Author: Nova
- Created at : 2024-05-19 18:32:12
- Updated at : 2024-05-21 02:34:23
- Link: https://blog-min.techidaily.com/how-to-identify-missing-drivers-with-windows-device-manager-on-windows-11-by-drivereasy-guide/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.