On Windows 11, a device driver is an essential component that allows the system to detect and control the hardware installed on the computer.
Although the system does a good job setting up the required drivers for your computer configuration, you may need to uninstall them manually because they are causing problems or you no longer need them.
Whatever the case, Windows 11 includes at least three ways to remove drivers from your computer using Settings, Control Panel, and Device Manager.
This guide will teach you how to remove device drivers from Windows 11.
- Uninstall drivers on Windows 11
- Uninstall drivers on Windows 11 with Control Panel
- Uninstall drivers on Windows 11 with Device Manager
Uninstall drivers on Windows 11
To uninstall a device driver on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on Apps.
Click the Apps & features tab.
Select the driver, click the menu (three-dotted) button on the right side, and select the Uninstall option to remove the driver from Windows 11.
Click the Uninstall option.
Once you complete the steps, the device will be removed from the computer. However, depending on the uninstaller instructions, the computer may keep some driver components.
Uninstall drivers on Windows 11 with Control Panel
To remove a driver through Control Panel on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Control Panel.
Under the “Programs” section, click the Uninstall a program option.
Select the driver package.
Click the Uninstall button.
Click the Yes button to remove the driver.
After you complete the steps, the driver will no longer be available on Windows 11. Similar to using the Settings app, the computer may keep some components depending on the uninstaller instructions.
Uninstall drivers on Windows 11 with Device Manager
To uninstall a driver with Device Manager, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
Expand the category with the device driver to remove.
Right-click the device and select the Uninstall device option.
(Optional) Check the Delete the driver software for this device option (if applicable).
Quick note: If you don’t check this option, the system will uninstall the device, but it’ll keep the driver files if you need to reinstall it. However, removing and downloading it again is best if the driver has problems.
Click the Uninstall button.
Once you complete the steps, the driver will be entirely removed from the computer.
Although these instructions will work in most cases, some devices may need to be uninstalled differently, such as the case of a printer.
If you are dealing with a problem after an update, instead of deleting the driver, you may want to try to roll back to the previous version to see if that fixes the issue.
In the case that you recently installed a driver update and Windows 11 no longer boots correctly, you can use these instructions to uninstall the driver from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
Finally, when you want to remove a graphic driver from Nvidia or AMD completely, it’s best to use the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDR) tool.
