Windows 11 · Windows
Reinstall an NVIDIA graphics driver in Windows 11
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
Download the driver for the exact GPU and Windows version from NVIDIA, uninstall the current display adapter only when troubleshooting requires it, restart, and install the downloaded package.
Confirm the symptom and protect the current Windows state
Record the Windows build, affected app or device, exact message, and the last change before the symptom began. Save open work, keep installers and recovery credentials, and create a current backup or restore point when the supported recovery may change apps, drivers, partitions, or system files. Test one supported change at a time so a useful result can be attributed and reversed.
Start with the supported check
Identify the exact NVIDIA GPU, then download its current Windows driver from NVIDIA's official driver page.
Apply the current setting
Create a restore point and close graphics-intensive apps.
Test the result
If an ordinary update failed, uninstall the NVIDIA display adapter in Device Manager and restart Windows.
Escalate safely
Run the NVIDIA installer, choose the appropriate Game Ready or Studio driver, restart if requested, and confirm display settings afterward.
Verify the intended result before broader recovery
Repeat the exact task described by “Reinstall an NVIDIA graphics driver in Windows 11” with a harmless test. Confirm the affected app, account, device, file or setting now matches the Answer, then recheck it after one fresh session or restart when that is part of the supported workflow. Keep the original data and recorded starting state until the result is stable; if only one component still fails, keep further recovery limited to that component.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- If the NVIDIA driver remains unstable, record the GPU and driver version, use the official package for that exact GPU, and choose clean installation only when NVIDIA documents it for the symptom. Roll back through supported controls rather than using driver-cleaner utilities by default.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform update.