How to Install Video Drivers

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

A driver is a piece of computer software that allows the central processing unit (CPU) of your computer to communicate with an installed component, like a printer or a video card. Video drivers are typically specific to an operating system. Windows XP will probably use a different driver for the same card than Windows Vista or Windows 7. Drivers can sometimes become corrupted or outdated, so the ability to install a driver is a useful skill to have. Simply moving the new video card driver file into the location of the old one will not work, but the process of installing the driver is not difficult.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Automatic Driver Update in Windows

1
Browse to the Device Manager.
- In Windows 7 or Vista, click Start and type "Device Manager" in the search box.
- In Windows XP, right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and choose "Device Manager" from the popup window.
2
Click on the plus sign beside "Display adapters" and then right-click on the video card driver displayed.

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3
Choose "Update Driver Software" from the popup window.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Manually Update in Windows

1
Visit the manufacturer's website for your video card driver.
2
Search the "Downloads" or "Drivers" section for your video card's model.
3
Download the executable file for your operating system to your desktop and then double-click the icon to run it.
4
Follow the prompts on the video card driver installer.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Automatic Driver Update on a Mac

1
Search for a Mac operating system (OS) update.
- Any video card driver updates for your system will be included in the OS update.
- Click the picture of the Apple on your desktop.
2
Select "Software Update" from the popup menu.
- Follow the prompts and reboot as necessary.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Update Manually on a Mac

1
Visit the Apple driver downloads page at www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/drivers and sort the view alphabetically.
2
Click the download link next to the video card driver you need and allow the driver to save to your computer.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I download drivers for other video cards if I already have two?

Denneisk

Top Answerer

Yes, although the other drivers won't do anything useful and would take up space.
Question

How to unpartition a hard drive in Windows 8?

Community Answer

Open Windows 8 or 8.1 Disk Management by pressing "Windows + R" and typing "diskmgmt.msc". In the pop-up window, right click on a partition and select "Shrink Volume". In the pop-up window, enter the amount of space to shrink. Click "Shrink" and you can get an unallocated space. Then right click again and click on Add Volume.