{
  "id": 19106610,
  "title": "How to Refresh Laptop Drivers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/how-to-refresh-laptop-drivers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T06:36:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/how-to-refresh-laptop-drivers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Laptop drivers can become outdated or corrupted, causing issues like poor audio, sluggish performance, or hardware malfunctions. Regularly refreshing these drivers can improve your laptop's functionality. To refresh drivers, use the Device Manager, which enables you to manage, disable, enable, update, and reinstall hardware drivers. Here's how:\n\n1. Press the Windows key and X simultaneously.\n2. Choose Device Manager from the list that appears.\n3. Expand the hardware category with the driver you want to refresh.\n4. Right-click the device and select Disable device to restart its driver temporarily.\n5. After a few seconds, right-click the same device and choose Enable device.\n\nIf your drivers are outdated, use Device Manager to scan for updates. Right-click the device, select Update driver, and choose Search automatically for drivers. Windows will detect and install any available updates. Alternatively, perform updates through Windows Update. Press Windows + I to open Settings, select Windows Update, click Check for updates, and follow the on-screen instructions. Windows will find and install compatible drivers if any are available. To uninstall a problematic device, open Device Manager, locate the device, right-click it, and select Uninstall device. Confirm the action if prompted, then restart your laptop. Windows may automatically reinstall the correct driver after restarting. If not, download the appropriate driver from your laptop manufacturer's official website. Refresh the graphics driver using a keyboard shortcut if you encounter display issues. Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B simultaneously and wait for the screen to blink and revert to normal. This restarts the graphics driver and may resolve temporary glitches. Most laptop manufacturers provide updated drivers on their official support websites. To download these drivers, visit the manufacturer's website, search for your laptop model, navigate to the Drivers and Downloads section, select your Windows version (e.g., Windows 11), find the driver you wish to update, download the compatible version, and restart your laptop if necessary. To verify that your drivers are working correctly, open Device Manager, expand the relevant hardware category, look for any warning symbols beside your devices, right-click the device, select Properties, and check the Device status section under the General tab. If Windows reports that the device is working properly, it hasn't detected an active device error.",
  "summary": "Learning how to refresh laptop drivers is useful when your computer experiences problems such as poor sound quality, slow performance, network connection failures, or malfunctioning hardware. Drivers are software programs that allow Windows to communicate with hardware components such as the keyboard, graphics card, touchpad, speakers, and Wi-Fi adapter. Refreshing or updating these drivers can…",
  "key_points": [
    "Press Windows key and X to open Device Manager",
    "Right-click device, select Update driver to refresh",
    "Verify device status in Properties to confirm"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Proactive driver management through built-in Windows tools and manufacturer websites offers users a direct way to resolve hardware malfunctions and restore system performance without professional technical assistance.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}