If Windows 11 installs buggy drivers or you prefer installing device drivers manually, I’ll show you how to prevent your system from automatically finding and installing the connected devices’ drivers.
Know This Before Disabling Auto-Installation of Device Drivers
Before you turn off automatic installation and updates of your device drivers, know that this comes at a cost. First, your connected devices won’t start working until you manually install the drivers. This means visiting your device manufacturer’s site, downloading the drivers, and then installing those drivers.
Second, since the process turns off automatic updates for your device drivers, you’ll have to keep an eye on those drivers and see when updates are available. You’ll then have to manually find and install the available driver updates.
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The Only Safe Way to Update Your Hardware Drivers on Windows
Want to update your computer’s hardware drivers? Get your driver updates from Windows Update or your device manufacturer’s website.
Make sure to create a system restore point before making the following changes. This makes it easier to undo the changes if something goes wrong.
Use Settings to Turn Off Auto Device Driver Installation
One way to prevent Windows 11 from automatically installing device drivers is by toggling an option in Settings. To do that, launch Settings by pressing Windows+i. From the left sidebar, choose “System.” On the right pane, at the bottom, select “About.”
Select “Device Specifications.” In the expanded section, choose “Advanced System Settings.”
On the open window, open the “Hardware” tab and choose “Device Installation Settings.”
On the window that opens, select “No (Your Device Might Not Work as Expected).” Then, click “Save Changes.”
In the future, you can re-enable auto-installation of device drivers by choosing “Yes (Recommended)” and clicking “Save Changes.”
Use Local Group Policy Editor to Prevent Automatic Device Driver Updates
Another way to tell Windows 11 not to deliver driver updates via Windows Update is by changing an option in Local Group Policy Editor. Note that you only have access to this utility if you’re running Windows 11’s Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition. If you’re on the Home edition, use one of the other methods.
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It’s a simple question—but how do you figure it out?
To begin, launch Run by pressing Windows+R. In the open box, type the following and select “OK” or press Enter:
gpedit.msc
On the window that opens, using the options in the left sidebar, navigate to the following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage Updates Offered From Windows Update
On the right pane, double-click the item that says “Do Not Include Drivers With Windows Updates.” At the top, choose “Enabled.” At the bottom, click “Apply” followed by “OK.”
In the future, to undo your change, choose “Not Configured” and select “Apply” followed by “OK.”
Use Registry Editor to Prevent Windows 11 From Automatically Installing Device Driver Updates
On Windows 11’s Home (and other editions), you can tweak a registry value to prevent your device drivers from being updated via Windows Update. Make sure to back up your registry before you make any changes to it.
To start, launch Run by pressing Windows+R. In the open box, type the following and select “OK” or press Enter:
regedit
In the User Account Control prompt, select “Yes.”
In Registry Editor, navigate to the following path. If you don’t see the last bit which is WindowsUpdate, right-click the bit before that which is “Windows” and choose New > Key. Type WindowsUpdate as the name and press Enter.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
On the right pane, right-click anywhere blank and choose New > DWORD (32-Bit) Value. Type ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate as the name and press Enter. Double-click the newly created item, select the “Value Data” field, type 1, and choose “OK.”
Close Registry Editor and reboot your Windows 11 PC. This brings your change into effect.
In the future, to undo your change, right-click the “ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate” item that you created and choose “Delete.” Alternatively, double-click the “ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate” item, select the “Value Data” field, type 0, and click “OK.” Make sure to restart your computer for the change to go into effect.
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When Do You Need to Update Your Drivers?
Talk to any tech person, read any forum, and at some point you’re sure to be told to update your drivers.
Tip: Roll Back a Faulty Updated Driver
If Windows 11 has already installed a faulty driver update, you can roll it back using a built-in feature. This allows you to go back to the previous driver version so that your devices continue to work as usual.
To do that, access Windows Search (press Windows+S), type Device Manager, and launch the utility. On the Device Manager window, expand the section for your specific device. Then, right-click your device and choose “Properties.”
On the Properties window, access the “Driver” tab. Here, click the “Roll Back Driver” button. If this button is grayed out, it means Windows hasn’t recently installed any update for this driver.
Choose the reason you’re uninstalling the selected driver and follow the on-screen prompts. When you’ve finished uninstalling the driver update, restart your machine.
And that’s how you stop Windows 11 from automatically installing and updating drivers for any of your connected devices. Just like that, you can also choose to install Windows 11 updates manually.
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