Performance issues, configuration errors, hardware changes… There are many situations in which it is necessary to uninstall some of the drivers that we have installed on our PC. But it must be done correctly, to avoid new problems. In this post we are going to explain How to safely and effectively uninstall drivers in Windows 11.
The truth is that the decision to uninstall drivers can be very wise if what we want is to optimize and maintain the performance of the system. We explain everything in more detail in the following paragraphs:
When should you uninstall drivers in Windows 11?
This is a brief summary of the most common situations in which uninstalling drivers in Windows 11 can be convenient. In some of them, it is even necessary. These are:
Troubleshoot compatibility and performance issues
With the passage of time and successive updates to applications, it is quite common for some of the drivers to become outdated. This causes incompatibilities, errors such as "blue screen of death" or slower operation. In these cases, you must uninstall these drivers and replace them with others.
Avoid duplications
By default, Windows always keeps the old versions of some drivers. Although these do not interfere with the proper functioning of the system, they do take up disk space and, in certain cases, can complicate the process of installing new versions.
Preparing for hardware changes
A good reason to uninstall drivers in Windows 11 is to prepare your system for hardware changes (e.g. graphics cards or network adapters). This helps prevent potential conflicts with new devices or versions.
Improve system stability
Finally, it should be mentioned that uninstalling drivers in Windows 11 can be a great resource to recover system stability. It should not be forgotten that an incompatible or poorly optimized driver can be a highly destabilizing element.
Methods to uninstall Windows 11 drivers
We have compiled a selection of the most recommended methods to uninstall drivers easily and with all the security guarantees we need. Important: you must always restart your computer after uninstalling the driver. This way we can ensure that the changes will be applied correctly.
From Device Manager
First, let's see how to use the Device administrator to run the task of removing specific drivers in Windows 11. The steps we need to follow are as follows:
- To start, we right-click on the Start button and then select Device administrator.
- Then we look for the device which corresponds to the driver we want to uninstall.
- We right click on the chosen device and select the option "Uninstall device".
- Then we mark the option “Remove the driver software for this device” to delete all files associated with the driver.
- To finish, we click on "Uninstall".
Using the Control Panel
Although the above method is the first one we should use, in certain cases we have no choice but to run the uninstallation from the Control Panel. This is the case with NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers., which include additional software for advanced management. In these cases, proceed as follows:
- To start we go to Control Panel.
- There we select first «Programs» & AFTER "Programs and characteristics".
- Within this section we look for the management software for the controller in question.
- Finally, we select the program and click on "Uninstall". This action removes both the driver itself and any associated additional tools.
Via third-party uninstallation tools
Another way to perform this action is by using third party toolsThe great advantage of using them is that they perform a specific job and deep cleaning. In addition, most of them are free. We mention some of the most recommended ones:
- Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) It is a good option when it comes to completely removing graphics drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, among others. Download link: DDU.
- Driver Store Explorer It is ideal for removing drivers stored on the system (the problem we explained above). Download link: Driver Store Explorer.
Important: If we use this type of tools, it is advisable to always do so in safe mode.
The importance of backup
One last note. Whatever method we ultimately choose to uninstall Windows 11 drivers, we must take the precaution of making a backup of the driver we plan to remove. This is important, for example, in case we have doubts about compatibility. Here's how to do this:
- First we right click on the driver in the Device administrator.
- There we select the tab «Properties».
- Then we go to the tab "Controller".
- Finally, we click on «Copy driver» or we save the driver file.