How to Check Device Drivers on Your Computer

Device drivers are the invisible glue between your operating system and your hardware. When they're working, you never think about them. When they're not, things get frustrating fast — a printer that won't respond, a graphics card that keeps crashing, a USB device your PC refuses to recognize. Knowing how to check your drivers is one of the most practical skills any Windows or Mac user can develop.

What Is a Device Driver, Exactly?

A device driver is a small piece of software that tells your operating system how to communicate with a specific piece of hardware — your GPU, network adapter, keyboard, audio card, or any connected peripheral. Without the right driver, the OS and the hardware are essentially speaking different languages.

Drivers can become problematic for several reasons:

• They're outdated and no longer compatible with a newer OS version
• They were corrupted during an update or system crash
• They're missing entirely, usually after a fresh Windows install
• A new driver update introduced a bug that wasn't present before

Checking your drivers means verifying which version is installed, whether it's functioning correctly, and whether an update is available.

How to Check Device Drivers on Windows

Using Device Manager

Device Manager is the primary built-in tool for viewing and managing drivers on Windows. Here's how to access it:

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager
2. Alternatively, press Windows + X and choose Device Manager from the menu
3. You can also search "Device Manager" in the Start menu search bar

Once open, you'll see a categorized list of all hardware components recognized by your system — display adapters, network adapters, sound controllers, and more.

What to look for:

• A yellow triangle with an exclamation mark next to a device means there's a driver problem
• A red X indicates a disabled device
• A device listed under "Unknown devices" usually means the driver is missing entirely

To check the specific driver version on any device:

1. Right-click the device → select Properties
2. Click the Driver tab
3. You'll see the driver version, provider, and date

The driver date is particularly useful. A driver from several years ago on a modern OS may be the source of your issue.

Using Windows Update

Windows Update occasionally pushes driver updates alongside system patches. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Advanced Options → Optional Updates to see if driver updates are pending. These aren't always the newest versions available, but they're Microsoft-tested for compatibility.

Using the Command Line (Advanced)

For users comfortable with the terminal, the command:

driverquery 

entered into Command Prompt (run as administrator) generates a full list of installed drivers, their type, and link date. Adding /fo csv > drivers.csv exports the output as a spreadsheet for easier review.

How to Check Device Drivers on macOS 🖥️

macOS handles drivers differently — Apple calls them kernel extensions (kexts) or, in newer versions, System Extensions. Apple tightly controls which drivers are approved, so driver problems are less common but do occur, particularly with third-party peripherals.

To review system extensions:

1. Click the Apple menu → System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions)
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security → Extensions (the path varies by macOS version)

For a more detailed view:

1. Hold Option and click the Apple menu
2. Select System Information
3. Under Software, look for Extensions — this lists loaded kernel extensions with version numbers

If a USB or Bluetooth device isn't working on Mac, the issue often isn't a driver in the traditional sense — it may be a missing app, a compatibility issue with a newer macOS version, or a permission setting blocking the extension from loading.

Key Factors That Affect What You Find

Not every driver check looks the same, and the action you should take after checking depends on several variables:

Should You Update a Driver You Find?

This is where the answer stops being universal. The general principle: if something is broken or performing poorly, check and update the relevant driver. If everything is working, updating drivers carries some risk — a new driver version can introduce new bugs, and rolling back requires you to know which version was stable.

GPU drivers (especially from NVIDIA and AMD) are updated frequently and can meaningfully affect gaming performance and display stability. Chipset and network adapter drivers matter for system stability and connectivity. Audio drivers are common culprits behind sound issues after Windows updates.

For users who've just built a PC or done a clean Windows install, checking Device Manager for any unknown devices or warning icons is always the right first step. A fresh install often lacks drivers for network adapters or chipsets — and ironically, that can make downloading the correct drivers difficult without another connected device.

For everyday users who haven't changed their hardware recently and aren't experiencing any problems, the driver situation on their machine may already be perfectly fine — even if the versions aren't the latest available. Whether it's worth the disruption to update depends entirely on what they're trying to solve. 🔧