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How to Reset Graphics Driver

14 min

A graphics driver is a vital component of your computer that helps control and manage your graphics card. The graphics driver ensures that the graphics card works smoothly and efficiently with the rest of your computer’s hardware. However, at times, graphics drivers can become corrupted, outdated, or just stop working altogether, causing a wide range of issues such as graphical glitches, freezes, or system crashes. In such scenarios, resetting or reinstalling the graphics driver can often resolve the issue. In this article, we will be discussing how to reset or reinstall your graphics driver on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

How to Reset Your Graphics Driver

Resetting your graphics driver can often fix issues related to graphical glitches, freezes, and crashes. Here are some methods to reset your graphics driver on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Method 1: Roll Back the Driver

Rolling back your graphics driver to the previous version can be a simple and effective way to reset it. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Right-click on the Start button and select “Device Manager” from the context menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Properties.”
  4. Go to the “Driver” tab and click on the “Roll Back Driver” button.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Note: If the “Roll Back Driver” option is grayed out or unavailable, it means that you cannot roll back to the previous version of the driver.

Method 2: Uninstall and Reinstall the Driver

If rolling back the driver does not work, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Right-click on the Start button and select “Device Manager” from the context menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Uninstall Device.”
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the driver.
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. Download the latest version of the graphics driver from the manufacturer’s website.
  7. Install the driver and restart your computer again.

Method 3: Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU)

If the above methods do not work, you can try using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). DDU is a third-party tool that can help you completely uninstall the graphics driver and remove any leftover files or registry entries.

  1. Download DDU from the official website.
  2. Extract the files to a folder.
  3. Restart your computer in Safe Mode.
  4. Run DDU and select “Clean and Restart.”
  5. Wait for the process to complete, and your computer will restart.
  6. Download the latest version of the graphics driver from the manufacturer’s website.
  7. Install the driver and restart your computer again.

How to Reset Graphics Driver Windows 10

If you’re experiencing issues with your graphics driver on Windows 10, resetting it can often solve the problem. Here are the steps you can take to reset your graphics driver on Windows 10.

Method 1: Roll Back the Driver

Rolling back your graphics driver to the previous version is one of the easiest and most common methods to reset it on Windows 10. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Properties.”
  4. Go to the “Driver” tab and click on the “Roll Back Driver” button.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

If the “Roll Back Driver” option is grayed out or unavailable, it means that you cannot roll back to the previous version of the driver.

Method 2: Uninstall and Reinstall the Driver

If rolling back the driver does not work, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Uninstall Device.”
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the driver.
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. Download the latest version of the graphics driver from the manufacturer’s website.
  7. Install the driver and restart your computer again.

Method 3: Use System Restore

If the above methods do not work, you can try using System Restore to restore your system to a previous point in time before the graphics driver issue occurred. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type “rstrui” and press Enter to open System Restore.
  3. Click on “Next” and select a restore point that predates the graphics driver issue.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Method 4: Use Driver Verifier

If you suspect that the issue is caused by a faulty driver, you can use Driver Verifier to help identify the problem. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Properties.”
  4. Go to the “Driver” tab and click on “Driver Details.”
  5. Note down the driver files’ names and locations.
  6. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
  7. Type “verifier” and press Enter to open Driver Verifier.
  8. Select “Create custom settings” and click on “Next.”
  9. Select “Select individual settings from a full list” and click on “Next.”
  10. Select “Driver Verifier Manager” and click on “Next.”
  11. Click on “Add Provider” and enter the names and locations of the driver files you noted down earlier.
  12. Click on “Finish” and then “Next.”
  13. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
  14. Restart your computer.

How to Reset Graphics Driver Windows 11

If you’re using Windows 11 and experiencing graphics driver issues, resetting it can often solve the problem. Here are the steps you can take to reset your graphics driver on Windows 11.

Method 1: Roll Back the Driver

Rolling back your graphics driver to the previous version is one of the easiest and most common methods to reset it on Windows 11. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Properties.”
  4. Go to the “Driver” tab and click on the “Roll Back Driver” button.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

If the “Roll Back Driver” option is grayed out or unavailable, it means that you cannot roll back to the previous version of the driver.

Method 2: Uninstall and Reinstall the Driver

If rolling back the driver does not work, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Uninstall Device.”
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the driver.
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. Download the latest version of the graphics driver from the manufacturer’s website.
  7. Install the driver and restart your computer again.

Method 3: Use System Restore

If the above methods do not work, you can try using System Restore to restore your system to a previous point in time before the graphics driver issue occurred. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type “rstrui” and press Enter to open System Restore.
  3. Click on “Next” and select a restore point that predates the graphics driver issue.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Method 4: Use Driver Verifier

If you suspect that the issue is caused by a faulty driver, you can use Driver Verifier to help identify the problem. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Properties.”
  4. Go to the “Driver” tab and click on “Driver Details.”
  5. Note down the driver files’ names and locations.
  6. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” from the menu.
  7. Type “verifier” and press Enter to open Driver Verifier.
  8. Select “Create custom settings” and click on “Next.”
  9. Select “Select individual settings from a full list” and click on “Next.”
  10. Select “Driver Verifier Manager” and click on “Next.”
  11. Click on “Add Provider” and enter the names and locations of the driver files you noted down earlier.
  12. Click on “Finish” and then “Next.”
  13. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
  14. Restart your computer.

How to reinstall your graphics driver on Windows 11

If you have tried resetting your graphics driver on Windows 11, but the problem persists, it may be time to reinstall the driver. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Uninstall the Current Graphics Driver

The first step is to uninstall the current graphics driver from your computer. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Uninstall Device.”
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the driver.

Step 2: Download the Latest Graphics Driver

After uninstalling the driver, you need to download the latest version of the graphics driver from the manufacturer’s website. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Go to the manufacturer’s website and navigate to the support or downloads section.
  2. Enter the model number of your graphics card and select the appropriate operating system (in this case, Windows 11).
  3. Download the latest version of the driver and save it to a convenient location on your computer.

Step 3: Install the New Graphics Driver

Now that you have downloaded the latest version of the graphics driver, you need to install it on your computer. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Double-click on the downloaded file to start the installation process.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver.
  3. Once the installation is complete, restart your computer.

Step 4: Verify the Graphics Driver Installation

To verify that the new graphics driver is installed correctly, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Locate and expand the “Display Adapters” section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select “Properties.”
  4. Go to the “Driver” tab and check the driver version and date.

If the driver version and date match the latest version you downloaded, then the driver has been installed correctly.

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