How to Uninstall Drivers in Windows 11

Drivers are software that allow your computer to communicate with other devices. They can also be used for diagnostic and troubleshooting tasks. If you want to uninstall drivers, follow these steps:

The “how to uninstall driver updates in windows 10” is a guide that will help you remove drivers in Windows 10.

This post will teach you how to remove a driver for a particular piece of hardware in Windows 11, such as a keyboard, mouse, speaker, headphone, audio driver, printer driver, Bluetooth device, and so on.

Please be aware that removing a driver will result in the linked hardware ceasing to function. A driver is a computer application that instructs Windows on how to interact with specific hardware connected to your computer. The only reason a user would wish to remove a driver is if the hardware for which it was designed doesn’t perform as intended, if the driver was installed incorrectly, or if the driver is no longer required.

Uninstalling a device’s driver is a typical technique for resolving specific difficulties with the device. This is because removing a driver allows Windows to discover and install the best-matched driver for the device on the next Windows startup (or restart) or when you run Windows Update.

Please keep in mind that, although uncommon, there are certain devices for which Windows cannot automatically identify and locate drivers if the hardware is unusual. Whether that’s the case, check to see if you have a driver installation disc, such as a CD, or if you know where you can get the driver for that specific device.

How to use Device Manager in Windows 11 to remove a driver

Device Manager is a built-in tool in Windows 11 and most of its predecessors that allows users to manage device drivers. This utility lets you install, remove, update, or deactivate drivers for any device detected by Windows on your computer. If a device or piece of hardware is plugged in and connected to your computer, and Windows (or you) has successfully installed a driver for it, it will show up in the device manager, where you may remove it.

Follow the instructions below to remove a driver for a particular device.

1. Open “Device Manager” by searching for it in Start.

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2. In the Device Manager window, expand the device category to find the device whose driver you want to remove, then right-click the device whose driver you want to remove and choose Uninstall device. As an example, in the image below, I was deleting the driver for one of my keyboards.

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What comes next?

If you originally intended to delete a device’s driver in order to repair it, try restarting your computer and seeing if Windows can automatically identify and install the right driver for your device or hardware on the next startup. If Windows does not automatically install the driver on the next restart, try running Windows Update to have Windows check for the device and discover the appropriate driver.

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Alternatively, you can open Device Manager, and click Action > Scan for hardware changes to allow Windows to scan for any newly attached hardware which driver hasn’t been installed yet.

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If the driver you want to uninstall came installed with a software such as an audio driver software (Realtek, etc.), printer driver software, or graphics card driver utility software, you can look for the driver software in Settings > Apps > Apps & features, and uninstall it from there.

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This post demonstrates how to properly remove a driver for a certain hardware or device (e.g., audio, printer, Bluetooth, etc.) on Windows 11.

Nyau Wai Hoe’s last update was on March 10, 2022.

Windows 11 includes a feature that allows users to uninstall drivers from the command prompt. This is an easy way for users to get rid of old drivers without having to use third-party software. Reference: uninstall windows 11 from command prompt.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I completely uninstall a driver?

A: You can use the device manager to find and delete any relevant driver.

How do I uninstall audio drivers Windows 11?

A: To uninstall audio drivers, go to Device Manager and double-click the devices name. It should be a hardware related icon with an exclamation point in red on it.

How do I uninstall camera drivers Windows 11?

A: There are two ways to uninstall this. One is through the control panel and the other is by using a third party tool such as Driver Easy or Revo Uninstaller.

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