How to See if Your Drivers are Up to Date

Are you unsure about whether your drivers are up to date or not? You can lose access to your data and information if you do not update your drivers. Keeping your computer drivers updated is essential for smooth performance, security, and compatibility with the latest applications. It prevents errors, crashes, and hardware malfunctions. 

If you want to see the status of your drivers, we will provide you with expert guidance. You can see the version of drivers through Windows update utility, device manager, official website, third-party tools, or using command lines. 

In this blog, we will explain each method one by one so you can stay alert about your driver updates.

Why Updating Drivers is Important

If you want your PC to work without any delays and give a fast response, then you must keep a check on whether your drivers are updated or not. Keeping your drivers updated ensures your computer works smoothly. Here’s why it matters:

• Improved hardware problems
• Enable Communication
• Enhance audio and video quality.
• Better Experience in gaming
• Boost performance
• Fix errors, bugs, and crashes.
• Enhance security
• Solve compatibility conflicts
• Faster connectivity

How to Check the Versions of Drivers on Windows 10/11 and Update Them?

There are various methods you can use to check the versions of your drivers in Windows 10/11, as well as ensure that your drivers are up-to-date. The methods include:

• Utilize Windows updates
• Through the Device Manager
• Through the Manufacturer`s site
• Use a Third-party Tool.
• Check using the Command Line Tools. 

Method 01:Utilize Windows updates.

One of the simplest methods to check that your drivers are up to date is through Windows 10/11. The Windows update automatically provides certified drivers for updation.

Step 01: Open settings

• Click on the start menu, open settings.

Step 02:Click on update and security

Select update security in Windows 10 or Windows updates for Windows 11.

Step 03: Click on Check for updates and install

• Click on check for updates and install any updates that are available.

Method 02: Through Device Manager

Device Manager is the most common method to check whether drivers are updated or not. The steps are given:

Step 01:Choose device Manager and find the device.

• Press Windows, search for and select Device Manager.
• Find the device, e.g, display adapters option, network adapters for wi-fi.

Step 02: Right-click and choose Properties

• The next step is to right-click on the device and choose properties.

Step 04: Go to the driver Tab and see the Version

• Go to the driver tab, where you can see your driver version and date.

This method helps you check the driver version and compare it with the manufacturer`s website.

Method 03: Check through the Manufacturer’s websites (Manually )

If you want to check for updated drivers manually ,then visit your device`s manufacturer’s official site.

 For Example

• NVIDIA and AMD for graphics drivers
• Realtek for audio  or sound drivers 
• Intel for chipset or network drivers
• HP, Dell, Logitech, and ASUS support pages.
• Steps  to check updated drivers manually:
• Identify your device model.
• Visit your manufacturer’s support site.
• Search for your device.
• Download and install the latest drivers.
• This ensures that you are not using outdated drivers.​

Method 04: Use the Third-Party Tools driver.

You can use a third-party tool to download the latest versions for your device, and it will notify you when updates are available. But only use trusted tools, i.e, Driver Booster, Driver Easy, Snappy Driver Installer, to prevent malicious attacks.

• Popular and trusted driver updater tools are:

Driver booster

Driver Booster is software developed by IObit .It is used to update outdated drivers to the latest version with minimal effort and make your PC free from driver problems.The features of Driver booster are : 

• It scans your system for outdated drivers.
• Provides one-click updates and provides customized security features for our system.
• Include a backup /restore option before updating.

Driver easy

Driver Easy is another software used to treat outdated drivers. It first tells you about outdated drivers, then downloads them. The features of Driver Easy are:

• It automatically detects missing or outdated audio drivers.
• Helps you download and install updates directly
• It has both free and paid versions.

Snappy driver installer (SDI)

Snappy Driver Installer is a portable Windows tool used to update drivers. You can also use it offline to install drivers. The features of Snappy Driver Installer are : 

• It is completely free and open-source software.
• It is a portable tool, so no installation is needed.
• It allows offline driver installation and updates all kinds of drivers.
• Good for technicians and advanced users.

Method 05: Check Using Command-line Tools

You can also check the version date or version by using command-line tools.

Using the command prompt:

• Open the command prompt as administrator.
• Type: driverquery
• This will list all drivers with their version and date.

Using PowerShell command :

• Open PowerShell as administrator
• Run the following  command:  
•  Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver |select DeviceName, manufacturer, Driverversion, DriverDate

How to Check the Status of Drivers in Windows 7

There are several methods to check the status of drivers in Windows 07. Updating the drivers helps your system perform without any distortion. All the methods are safe to apply and help to update all drivers. All the methods are given below : 

Method 01: Open Device Manager using Windows key+R

• Press Windows key + R, type devmgmt.msc press Enter. Then open the device manager.
• Find the hard device (display adapters,sound, etc.)
• Right-click the device, select properties.
• Go to the driver Tab,where you can check the driver version or driver date.
• Choose to search automatically for updated driver software.

Method 02:windows update

• Open the control panel, then Windows Update.
• Click check for updates.
• If there are driver updates ,they'll appear under optional updates.

Method 03: From the Manufacturer`s site

• Open the official page of HP, Dell, Intel, Lenovo, etc.
• Identify your device model.
• Visit your manufacturer`s support site.
• Search for your device.
• Download and install the latest drivers.
• Compare the version driver date with the listed drivers in Device Manager. If the version number on your computer is the same or newer than on the manufacturer’s page, then your drivers are updated.

Check the Driver Version in macOS

You can check the version of drivers in macOS by simply using these methods;

• System Information 
• Using Terminals 

 Method 01: Using System Information

• To check the version of drivers in Mac, you need to click on the Apple menu ,select About This Mac,click on System Report,then click on the Hardware category, which will show the version of drivers. Steps are :
• Step 01: Tap on the Apple menu and select About This Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and select About this Mac.

• Step 02: Click on the system report

The next step is to click on More info, then System report

• Step 03: Click on Hardware and see the version

In the left sidebar, choose the hardware category (graphics, displays,w i-fi). This will show the details, including the driver version. 

•  Method 02: Using Terminal
• Open Terminal
• Type the following command: Kextstat.
• Press enter. You will see the kernel extensions (drivers ) with their versions.

 Check Drivers Versions in Linux

You can also check your driver versions in the Linux list by running the following commands.

Run the following commands to see the versions of drivers.

            Type 1smod,This list out all the loaded kernel modules.

• To check the version of  graphics or  network card, run ;

            Write a 1spci command and run it .

• For checking the version of the Network driver

              Write the ethool -i etho command and run it.

• For checking the version of the Nvidia drivers

           Run the nvidia-smi. It shows the installed NVIDIA driver version.

Signs Your Drivers Might be Outdated

If your system crashes, slows down, or is not working as expected, then outdated drivers might be a reason for these problems. The following signs show that your drivers are outdated. 

• Appearance of a blue or green screen panel.
• Flickering or blurry screen
• Frequently disconnect or weak signals
• Poor Gaming Experience or distorted images.
• Audio issues or no sound
• The printer webcam, or USB device, is not working.

Conclusions

Keep your drivers updated to run your PC properly. Whether you are using Windows 10/11 , Linux, or Mac, updation is crucial . In our blog, we  provided different methods that can enable you to see the version of your drivers so that you can be aware whether your drivers are updated or not. If drivers are outdated, then update them to prevent errors and boost your PC's processing power .