How to update Nvidia drivers

(Prototype credit: Nvidia)

If you own an Nvidia GPU, count yourself lucky — they're pretty scarce these days! Nonetheless, owning an Nvidia GeForce GTX or RTX graphics carte du jour is just half the battle.

If you want your games to run at the best possible settings, you lot'll need to keep the device's drivers up to engagement. Nvidia releases new commuter software frequently, and these updates can mean the difference between a game that runs well, and a game that runs spectacularly well.

Thankfully, updating Nvidia drivers is extremely simple, provided you have the correct software. Once you download the Nvidia GeForce Feel software, merely two clicks stand up between you and having up-to-date drivers. In that location are other, more complicated ways to update your drivers, but y'all more often than not don't have to worry about them, unless yous come across technical difficulties somewhere forth the fashion.

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Read on to learn how to update your Nvidia drivers. Then, you can go back to your game — which may look and run better than earlier.

How to update Nvidia drivers

ane. Download the Nvidia GeForce Experience software

While at that place are other means to get Nvidia drivers (Windows Update, Device Manager, scouring Nvidia'due south website), for most users, the GeForce Feel software represents the fastest and simplest method.

Without going into exhaustive detail, GeForce Experience offers new drivers before Windows does, and also optimizes your games afterward. You lot can also choose betwixt game- and studio-optimized drivers, depending on whether you're a gamer or a graphic designer.

Nvidia GeForce how-to — (Paradigm credit: Future)

To become the software, visit the Nvidia GeForce Feel website, click Download Now and install the plan. This part of the process is pretty foolproof.

ii. Cheque for updates

Fair warning: When y'all first launch the GeForce Experience software, you'll need to gear up an Nvidia account to utilize all of its features. This isn't actually worth a total walkthrough, though; if y'all've always set up an online account before, the steps hither are similar.

Simply be sure to follow all the standard safety protocols hither: don't reuse erstwhile passwords, do activate 2FA, and then along. (Bank check out our guide on how to create strong passwords.)

From there, you'll desire to navigate to the Drivers tab and select Bank check for updates. If yous've had the program open for a few minutes, it may have already checked for a driver automatically. Either way, if at that place's a new commuter available, you'll see a green Download push.

iii. Select your driver type (optional)

If y'all bought your Nvidia GPU primarily for gaming, you're adept to become. However, if y'all're a graphic designer, yous'll have to become through one boosted step. Instead of installing the default driver, you'll want to click on the three vertical periods side by side to the Check for updates box.

Here, yous'll exist able to select between a Game-prepare driver and a Studio driver. The erstwhile is geared toward gaming; the latter is geared toward creative apps. You tin can have only i installed at a time, simply you tin switch back and forth as needed.

4. Download and install your driver

One time you lot have your driver selected, all yous have to do is click Download. The drivers are usually a few hundred megabytes, so depending on your connexion, this role of the process shouldn't take long.

Installation is too quite simple, although you lot exercise have to brand one choice along the manner. Express Installation installs any Nvidia deems useful, including extra software that you may or may non desire (sound drivers, PhysX features, etc.). Custom Installation lets you pick and choose what you desire.

Express Installation is a good choice for most people, provided that storage space isn't at a premium on your computer. But if you become with the Custom selection, you can always reinstall optional features later, then at that place's no real downside at that place, either.

That's all you take to do. The Nvidia GeForce Feel software volition take care of the rest. Then long as y'all boot upwards the software and cheque for new updates once every few weeks or so, your GPU should run at tiptop performance for a long hereafter.

Alternate driver update methods

As mentioned, the Nvidia GeForce Experience software isn't the only fashion to update your Nvidia drivers. You tin also practise so through Windows Update or Device Manager, although Windows doesn't annals new updates until weeks later on Nvidia puts them out initially.

If you lot're having problem installing a new driver, yet, your best pick is to utilize Nvidia's website direct. Here, y'all can use a series of dropdown menus to select your GPU, then download and install the driver update direct.

The methodology here is pretty self-explanatory, but exist sure to run dxdiag if y'all're unsure of which GPU you have. (Type "dxdiag" into the Windows search bar and run the program that pops upward. Your GPU information will be under the Brandish tab.)

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Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'due south Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you lot tin find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.