Where Is An Extensive Library Of Device Drivers Stored In Windows 10?

Summary :

Where does Windows x store drivers? This post gives the Windows 10 driver location and introduces more than data about Windows x device drivers. Check the details beneath. For Windows users, yous can notice many useful reckoner tools from MiniTool Software, eastward.thou. MiniTool Power Information Recovery, MiniTool Sectionalization Sorcerer, MiniTool ShadowMaker, MiniTool Video Converter, etc.

How to find Windows 10 driver location? Detect answers in this postal service. You can also observe more tips and tricks about Windows ten drivers in this postal service.

Windows 10 Commuter Location

All Windows versions including Windows 10 store the drivers in the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers folder or C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore folder. You can observe all the hardware drivers of your Windows computer in these two folders.

Generally, the Drivers folder contains .sys files that are the device driver files used for various devices on your calculator. The DriverStore folder contains .inf files that are used for installing drivers when needed.

Tip: MiniTool Power Data Recovery – Easy and complimentary data recovery program for Windows lets you recover any deleted or lost files, photos, videos, drivers, etc. from PC, laptop, USB flash drive, memory card, external hard drive, USB, and more.

Gratuitous Download

More than Tips and Tricks about Windows 10 Drivers

Q1. How to backup and restore hardware drivers in Windows 10?

Y'all tin can copy the Windows ten driver folders, Drivers and DriverStore folder, to another location like an external hard drive, USB flash drive, etc. to back up them. When needed, you tin can copy them back to your estimator to restore drivers in Windows 10. The folder size may be large. You can also only re-create the Windows x driver cache binder FileRepository under DriverStore to a backup location in case y'all need to reinstall the commuter in the future.

Q2. How to reinstall drivers in Windows 10?

To reinstall the drivers, yous can open Device Manager in Windows 10, right-click the target device, select Update Driver, and select the location that contains the driver files to browse and install. You can select i of the two Windows 10 driver location folders, Drivers or DriverStore, or just the System32 folder to tell Device Manager to wait for the corresponding driver. Remember to check the "include subfolders" option.

Q3. How Windows 10 selects the driver for a device?

When you connect a device to your computer, Windows operating arrangement needs to observe the all-time matching device driver to install to brand the device start operating. After the driver is installed, Windows 10 will download any matching commuter packages from Windows Update and put them in the driver store. And so Windows will search for the driver packages that were preloaded in the post-obit Windows registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DevicePath. If it finds a meliorate matching commuter parcel, it volition supercede the driver that is previously installed.

Q4. How to check for driver updates Windows 10?

As for how to properly update device drivers in Windows 10, 1 fashion is to update device drivers through Windows Update.

Printing Windows + I to open Windows Settings.
Click Update & Security and click Windows Update.
Click Check for updates button.
And so click View optional updates button.
Click Commuter updates pick.
Select the commuter you want to update, and click Download and install button to automatically download and install the newer commuter on your PC.

Some other fashion to update drivers via Device Manager.

Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
Find the target device yous want to update its commuter.
Right-click the device and select Update driver.
Click Browse my compute for drivers option.
Click Browse button to select the Windows x driver location folder that contains the driver files like C:\Windows\System32\Drivers or C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore. Click OK.
Click Include subfolders option, and click Next button to start installing the newer commuter.

Q5. How to check device commuter versions on Windows ten?

Still, go to Device Managing director window.
Right-click the target device and select Properties.
Click Commuter tab and check the Commuter Version of the device.

Related: How to cheque Nvidia commuter version in Window 10.

Q6. How to find what files are used for a specific driver?

Now we know that Windows x driver location is C:\Windows\System32\Drivers or C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore. If you want to know what files are used by each driver on Windows ten, you lot can follow the instructions below.

Printing Windows + X and select Device Director.
Observe the target hardware device, right-click information technology and select Properties.
Click Commuter tab in the device backdrop window.
Click Driver Details push button, and you lot tin can bank check the driver-related files list with the full file path.

Q7. Where to download drivers for Windows 10?

Windows computers and related devices like printers, scanners, Realtek audio, graphics card, WiFi, Bluetooth, Nvidia need fresh drivers to perform ameliorate.

To download Windows 10 drivers, y'all tin can perform a full Windows Update or manually update the commuter in Device Manager. The guides are included in Q4. Of cause, you can also go to your estimator manufacturer's website or the device/hardware official website to download the device drivers.

Q8. Tin can you recover deleted/lost drivers in Windows 10?

You can try to apply a professional person costless data recovery program to recover deleted or lost drivers on Windows ten.

MiniTool Ability Data Recovery is peak recommended. You can use MiniTool Ability Data Recovery to easily recover whatever deleted or lost files, folders, photos, videos, etc. from Windows computer, external difficult bulldoze, USB wink drive, retentivity menu, SSD, and more.

Download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your Windows computer to recover whatsoever information from any information loss situations. Check how to utilise information technology to recover missing or deleted drivers on Windows 10 below.

Free Download

Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery. Click This PC in the left column.
Select C drive in the correct window and click Scan button. Alternatively, y'all tin can too double-click Select Folder under Specific Location to select the Windows 10 driver location (C:\Windows\System32\Drivers, or, C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore binder) to scan.
After finishing the scan, y'all can check the scan result to find needed Windows 10 driver files and folders, check them and click Save button to salve the driver files to a new location.

Later recovering the deleted/lost Windows ten drivers, yous tin copy them to the original driver location in Windows 10 and reinstall the drivers if needed.

Click to tweet

Decision

In conclusion, Windows 10 commuter location is C:\Windows\System32\Drivers or C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore. This postal service likewise introduces how to download, reinstall, update drivers in Windows x, how to check commuter versions, how to backup and restore drivers in Windows x, etc. hope it helps.

If y'all are interested in more MiniTool Software products, delight visit its official website. Contact [e-mail protected] if you meet problems with using MiniTool software.

Windows 10 Driver Location FAQ

Where are Windows 10 drivers stored?

You lot tin can find the current collection of your Windows 10 drivers by going to C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore and C:\Windows\System32\Drivers.

Does Windows 10 notice drivers automatically?

Windows x volition automatically download and install drivers for your devices when yous commencement connect the devices to your computer. Microsoft has many drivers in their library, just some drivers maybe non always the latest version, and some of them may be non found. Therefore, if the device is non working ordinarily, yous may need to manually update or reinstall the device driver.

How do I know which drivers need updating?

If y'all connect a device to your computer but it can't work well, and then its driver may be outdated. You lot can as well click Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update -> Check for updates to bank check for any updates for your PC incl. driver updates. Then you can compare the new updated version and your current version of the driver to encounter if the driver needs updating.

Does reinstalling Windows delete drivers?