This article shows you how to update the video card drivers (also called "graphics card") of a computer with a Windows 7 operating system. To check for a new update for the video card driver, you can use the system window "Device management". If no updates are detected using this tool, you can manually download the device management software or drivers directly from the manufacturer's website.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Use the Video Card Manufacturer's Website
Step 1. Determine which manufacturer of the video card you want to upgrade
To find out this information, you can use the "Device Manager" system window. If you haven't used the "Device Manager" window yet, or if you can't find your video card information, please follow these instructions:
- Access the menu Start and select the search bar;
- Type in device manager keywords, then choose the option Device management appeared in the hit list;
- Expand the "Display adapters" category by double clicking on the name;
- Make a note of the manufacturer and model name of the card you want to update.
Step 2. Visit the card manufacturer's website
The procedure to follow varies depending on the type of video card. The websites of the major manufacturers of computer video cards are listed below:
- NVIDIA -
- AMD -
- Alienware -
- If you don't know the website URL of your computer's video card manufacturer, search online using your graphics card brand and the keywords "website". A list of results will be displayed.
Step 3. Locate the "Download" or "Driver" section
In most cases, one of these two tabs or sections will be accessible directly from the main page of the site. However in some cases you may need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to locate the "Support" or "Support" (or similar) section which will contain the options indicated.
In order to have access to the section Download or Driver, you may need to open the page first Support or Support.
Step 4. Select your video card model
Click on the name that matches the video card model installed on your computer when prompted to select the card to search for.
In some cases there will simply be a text field where you will have to manually type in your graphics card model
Step 5. Check for an updated driver
After selecting or identifying the model of the video card you want to update, the list of all available software material will be displayed. Check for the latest driver version and see if it matches the one installed on your computer.
If you don't know which driver version is on your computer or if you can't find the date of the last update via Windows Update or the "Device Manager" window, try downloading and installing the file manually
Step 6. Download the updated driver installation file
If an update is available, select the link or button Download (or similar) placed next to the file name to download it to your computer.
- To start the download, you may need to press the button OK or choose the destination folder.
- In some rare cases, the internet browser may report that the new video card driver installation file is a virus or could potentially be harmful to your computer. If you are downloading the update directly from the graphics card manufacturer's website, you can ignore the warning.
Step 7. Install the new drivers
Access the folder where you downloaded the new driver installation file, double-click the corresponding icon and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
If the driver installation file is in ZIP format, you will need to extract the contents first. Select the file name with the right mouse button and choose the option Extract here…. At the end of the extraction procedure double-click the driver installation file icon.
Method 2 of 3: Use the Device Manager System Window
Step 1. Access the "Start" menu by clicking on the button
It features the Windows logo and is located in the lower left corner of the desktop. The menu panel will appear Start.
Step 2. Click on the search bar
It is located at the bottom of the menu Start Windows.
Step 3. Look for the "Device Manager" system program
Type the device manager keywords into the search bar.
Step 4. Click the Device Manager icon
It should have appeared at the top of the menu Start. The Windows "Device Manager" window will appear.
Step 5. Expand the "Video Cards" hardware category
If the name of at least one graphics card is not displayed under "Display adapters", located at the bottom of the "Device Manager" window, double-click the "Display adapters" category to view its contents.
Step 6. Select the name of your computer's video card with the right mouse button
A context menu will be displayed.
If your computer has multiple video cards, right-click the name of the one you want to update
Step 7. Choose the Update Driver… option
It is one of the items in the menu that appeared. A pop-up window will appear.
Step 8. Select the item Automatically search for an updated driver
It is displayed in the pop-up window that appears. Windows will search online for an updated version for the selected device.
Step 9. Follow the instructions that may appear on the screen
If there is an update for your video card, you will need to follow a wizard to select, confirm and install the updated drivers on your computer.
If a warning tells you that your video card is already using the latest driver or management software, this is most likely the case. However, if you want to carry out additional checks to verify that the video device software is really updated to the latest version available, choose one of these options: use the software supplied with the video card or use the manufacturer's website
Method 3 of 3: Use the Video Card Management Software
Step 1. Find out when to use this method
If your computer is equipped with a dedicated video card (separate from the one integrated into the motherboard) it is very likely that it is equipped with software for managing and configuring the various functions. Normally this type of program also offers the possibility to automatically update the card drivers.
If you have already tried using the "Device Manager" system window to update the card's drivers, but without success, trying to use the software that accompanies the device may give you a few more chances
Step 2. Determine which manufacturer of the video card you want to upgrade
To find out this information, you can use the "Device Manager" system window. If you haven't used the "Device Manager" window yet, or if you can't find your video card information, please follow these instructions:
- Access the menu Start and select the search bar;
- Type in device manager keywords, then choose the option Device management appeared in the hit list;
- Expand the "Display adapters" category by double clicking on the name;
- Make a note of the manufacturer and model name of the card you want to update.
Step 3. Search for the card control software inside the computer
Click on the menu search bar Start, then type the card manufacturer name or model number. A list of programs that match the searched criteria will be displayed.
- For example, if your computer is equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce video card, you will need to use the keywords nvidia or geforce to search.
- If using the manufacturer name doesn't get any results, try using the video card name.
Step 4. Start the graphics card control program
Click on the software icon that appeared in the menu results list Start. The window of the selected program should appear on the screen.
If you cannot find any programs related to the video card installed in your computer, you can try using the manufacturer's website to be able to download the updated version of the drivers
Step 5. Go to the Updates tab or section or Drivers of the program.
If the graphical interface uses the Italian language, please refer to the "Updates" or "Drivers" section. They are normally clearly visible within the toolbar at the top of the window, but the precise location may vary based on the type of software, so you may need to do a little search within the program window.
In some cases you will have to access the main menu of the software by clicking on the appropriate icon (for example ☰) in order to have access to the panel that contains the options Updates, Updates or Driver.
Step 6. Search for an updated driver
After opening the "Updates" or "Driver" page or tab, check for updates.
Step 7. Download and install the updated driver
If there is a new version of the video card drivers under consideration, press the button Download placed below or next to the driver name to download the installation file to your computer. Once the download is complete, the new driver will automatically be installed on your computer.
- In some cases you will have to start the installation manually by pressing the button Install, Install or similar (for example, the GeForce Experience software requires the user to press the button Express installation to start installing the new drivers).
- You may need to press the button to confirm the driver installation Yup when required.
