Technology

The Best Free Driver Updater Software of 2024: Download, Install, and Update Your Drivers for Free

With our curated list of the best free driver updater software of 2024, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to finding the perfect program to quickly locate, download, install, and update drivers for your computer. This will ensure your machine is running as smoothly and optimally as possible.

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6 May, 2024

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Using computers for extended periods without updating drivers can result in numerous issues, such as:printers refusing to print, network cards failing to connect to the Internet, computer mice lagging, keyboards acting erratically while typing, and a multitude of other problems. These issues are primarily caused by outdated device drivers or conflicts with newer versions of the Windows operating system, leading to instability. Therefore, it’s imperative to keep your drivers updated. In this article, FPT Shop will introduce you to the 9 best free driver installation software programs of 2024 that you shouldn’t miss.

Why is it important to update drivers?

Similar to updating software, updating drivers for Windows offers numerous benefits for your system, including:

Improved performance: Newer drivers are often optimized to work better with hardware, making your computer run faster, smoother, and more stably.
Access to new features: Along with new driver updates, device manufacturers also add new features that your hardware can provide.
Problem resolution: Outdated drivers can lead to various issues such as incorrect color display, unstable network connections, inoperative printers, and erratic keyboard behavior while typing. Updating drivers can help resolve these problems and enhance your overall computing experience.
Enhanced security: Just like software updates, new drivers also include security patches to protect your computer from malware and other threats.
Extended hardware lifespan: Updating drivers can extend the lifespan of your hardware by ensuring it operates at optimal performance levels.

Top 9 Free Driver Installation Software in 2024

1. Driver Booster

Driver Booster is the top-rated free driver installation software in 2024. While the software can sometimes be annoying due to advertisements, it’s compatible with all versions of Windows and makes updating drivers easier than ever.

Driver Booster automatically scans for outdated drivers and, with a database of over 6 million drivers (and millions more with the paid version) from over a thousand brands, you’re almost guaranteed to find what you need. Whenever new driver updates are available, they can be downloaded from within the program, saving you the hassle of manual downloads from each manufacturer’s website.

Additionally, Driver Booster features a built-in offline updater, while other useful features include: backing up, restoring, uninstalling, and ignoring drivers; exporting a list of drivers to a text file; using Game Boost to free up system resources; and viewing detailed system information.

2. Snappy Driver Installer

Snappy Driver Installer allows you to download multiple drivers simultaneously for various devices. Once downloaded, the program grants immediate access to install the updates, with or without an Internet connection.

In comparison to the other best free driver installation software in 2024 on this list, Snappy Driver Installer is quite basic, but its user interface is outdated. Driver downloads and installations are quick, and there are no advertisements, download speed limits, or restrictions on how many drivers you can install at once.

Note: There will be several application files in the folder after you download Snappy Driver Installer to your computer. Extract and use the SDIO_x64 file if you use 64-bit Windows, or the other file for the 32-bit version.

3. Driver Easy

Driver Easy is unique in that it can automatically check for outdated drivers on a schedule. This means you can set the software to scan daily, weekly, monthly, when your computer is idle, or even every time you first log into Windows.

Unlike the other best free driver installation software in 2024 on this list, Driver Easy downloads drivers from within the software without opening an external web browser. It also has an extensive database of over 8 million drivers for most hardware manufacturers.

Other notable features of Driver Easy include viewing hardware information and identifying the network driver you need if offline. However, additional features, such as automatic restore points, driver backups, and bulk updates, require a paid subscription.

4. DriversCloud

DriversCloud (formerly known as Ma-Config) is a free web service that helps locate detailed information about your system’s hardware and software, including outdated drivers. Compared to others on this list, DriversCloud offers a wealth of useful system information and is a worthwhile program if you’re looking for more than just driver details.

Once installed and opened, navigate to the menu Advanced detection > Online detection > Launch detection to identify all your computer components and associated drivers. Once the scan is complete, all results will open in your web browser. When you navigate to the drivers page, simply select See Recommended Downloads to download. It’s a single executable file that you can launch to install all the selected drivers from the website. However, there’s also a manual option where you download each driver update individually, but the installation process is then also manual.

5. Driver Talent

Driver Talent (formerly known as DriveTheLife) is a straightforward program that downloads drivers, saving you the time of searching the Internet for official download links. The application not only updates outdated or missing drivers but also repairs broken ones and backs up all the installed drivers on your system.

The program’s Peripheral Drivers section calls out printer and USB drivers, letting you know if they’re installed and functioning correctly. The size of the drivers, along with their release dates and version numbers, are also displayed before you initiate the download to verify that you’re getting the latest updates.

6. DriverHub

DriverHub downloads and installs drivers for your computer and has a dedicated feature for restoring them if something goes wrong. The program itself has a clean interface with only a few menu buttons. Within the settings are options to change the download directory and disable program update checks.

You can keep things simple and install whatever the program recommends, or you can expand anything on the list to see version numbers and install alternative drivers (i.e., newer drivers that aren’t the current version).

The Useful utilities section isn’t driver-related but includes some helpful links to Windows utilities, such as Disk Management and Task Manager. Other features in the program, such as a backup function and automatic updates, are limited unless you purchase a paid subscription.

7. Quick Driver Updater

Aside from offering similar features to many of the other best free driver installation software in 2024 on this list, Quick Driver Updater doesn’t have many unique features. In fact, it has a few more limitations than the other programs above.

However, Quick Driver Updater is straightforward to use, works quickly, downloads and installs drivers within the program, and may be a good way to find an extra update or two if one of the other applications on this list doesn’t catch everything. It also supports searching for installed and outdated drivers by keyword, adding drivers to an ignore list, and automatically checking for updates on a schedule (as often as daily).

8. DriverIdentifier

DriverIdentifier has a very simple approach to checking your drivers. Once you run a scan, the results open in your web browser, where you can download the drivers and install them manually once they’re on your computer. This is obviously not ideal and can even be more time-consuming.

Frequently asked questions

Using a computer with outdated drivers can cause various issues such as printers refusing to print, network cards not connecting to the internet, a laggy mouse, erratic keyboard behavior, and more. These problems are often due to outdated device drivers or conflicts with newer Windows versions, resulting in system instability.

Updating drivers offers several benefits, including improved performance, access to new features, problem resolution, enhanced security, and extended hardware lifespan. Newer drivers are optimized for better hardware compatibility, resulting in faster and more stable performance. Additionally, updating drivers can fix issues like incorrect color display and unstable network connections.

There are several excellent options, including Driver Booster, Snappy Driver Installer, Driver Easy, DriversCloud, Driver Talent, and more. Each program has unique features, but Driver Booster is the top-rated choice, compatible with all Windows versions, and offering a vast database of over 6 million drivers.

It is recommended to update your computer drivers regularly, especially when newer versions are released. You can use tools like Driver Easy to set automatic update schedules, ensuring your system always has the latest drivers, optimizing performance, and security.

Yes, some driver installation software, like Snappy Driver Installer, allows you to download and install multiple drivers simultaneously, saving time and effort.