Dell Drivers: Quick Answers and Resource Guide

Summary: This article provides quick answers to common questions about Dell drivers. For detailed guides, we have dedicated pages to help you with specific driver tasks.

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Instructions

Quick Links to Driver Help

We've organized our driver information into easy-to-follow guides. Here's where to find what you need:

Need to Download or Install Drivers?

Visit our How to Update Drivers on My Dell Computer page for step-by-step instructions on:

  • Using SupportAssist to update drivers automatically
  • Downloading drivers from the Dell website
  • Using Dell Command Update for business computers
  • Frequently asked questions about Dell drivers

Can't Find a Driver on Dell's Website?

Check our How to Download Drivers That Are Unavailable on Dell Support Website page to learn about:

  • Using Windows Update to get drivers
  • Finding drivers for third-party devices
  • Getting drivers for Linux, Ubuntu, or ChromeOS
  • Understanding native drivers

Having Problems After a Driver Update?

Our How to Roll Back a Driver on Dell Windows Computers guide shows you how to:

  • Restore a previous driver version in Windows
  • Fix issues caused by new drivers
  • Use Device Manager to manage drivers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is a driver?

A driver is a small but important piece of software that helps your operating system talk to hardware devices like your printer, sound card, or wireless adapter. Without the right drivers, your devices might not work properly.

Q: Why should I update my drivers?

Keeping your drivers up to date helps your computer run smoothly and safely. Updates can improve performance, fix problems, add new features, and protect your computer with the latest security fixes.

Q: When should I update drivers?

You should update drivers when:

  • You're having issues with a specific device like Wi-Fi, sound, or video
  • You've just reinstalled your operating system
  • You've reset your computer to factory settings
  • Dell lists an update as urgent or recommended

If your computer is working fine and the update isn't marked as urgent or recommended, you might not need to update right away.

Q: How often does Dell release driver updates?

Dell releases driver updates monthly, alternating between functional updates and security updates. Functional updates come in odd months (January, March, May, July, September, November), while security updates arrive in even months (February, April, June, August, October, December).

Updates typically appear on Dell.com/support on the second Tuesday of each month.

Q: Where can I find drivers for my Dell printer?

For Dell printers, you can find drivers at Dell.com/support/drivers. If you have a printer from another company, you'll need to visit that company's website to download their drivers.

Learn more in our article: Dell Printer Uninstalling, Downloading and Installing Printer Drivers, Software, Manuals, and Firmware.

Q: What are the different driver categories?

Drivers are organized into categories on the Dell website to help you find what you need:

  • BIOS - Updates the basic software that starts your computer
  • Chipset - Essential drivers that should be installed first (after BIOS)
  • Audio - Drivers for sound and microphone
  • Video - Drivers for your graphics card or display
  • Network - Drivers for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
  • Applications - Dell utilities and software
  • System Utilities - Important updates for your operating system

For a complete explanation of all categories, visit our How to Update Drivers page.

Q: What does driver importance mean?

When you see drivers listed on Dell's website, they're marked with different levels of importance:

  • Critical - Install these right away. They fix important problems and may include security updates.
  • Recommended - Install these during your regular update schedule to keep your computer healthy.
  • Optional - Review these to see if they apply to your specific computer setup.

Q: What is SupportAssist?

SupportAssist is Dell's free tool that makes keeping your computer updated simple. It automatically scans your computer, finds available driver updates, and installs them for you. SupportAssist comes preinstalled on most Dell computers.

To learn how to use SupportAssist, visit our How to Update Drivers page.

Q: What is Dell Command Update?

Dell Command Update is a tool designed for business computers like OptiPlex, Latitude, and Precision systems. It works like SupportAssist but includes additional features that IT professionals need to manage multiple computers.

For detailed instructions, see our How to Update Drivers page.

Q: How can I get notifications about new drivers?

You can sign up for email notifications through Support Notifications. This service lets you know when new drivers are available for your Dell products. Visit the Support Notifications page and sign in to your Dell account to create or manage your driver subscriptions.

Learn more: Support Notifications: Overview and Common Questions

Q: What is Device Manager?

Device Manager is a Windows tool that shows all the hardware connected to your computer. You can use it to:

  • Check if a device is working properly
  • Update or roll back drivers
  • See details about your hardware
  • Enable or disable devices

To open Device Manager:

  1. Press the Windows key + R.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.

Q: Why am I not seeing all the drivers for my computer?

If you entered your Service Tag, you'll only see drivers for parts that came with your computer from the factory. To see all available drivers for your computer model, turn off the "Show downloads for only THIS PC" toggle on the drivers page.

Q: How do I know if I'm using 32-bit or 64-bit Windows?

For Windows 11 or Windows 10:

  1. Press the Windows key + X.
  2. Select System.
  3. Look for "System type" to see if you have 32-bit or 64-bit.

Q: Can I download drivers from other websites?

Important: Always download Dell drivers from Dell website. Downloading drivers from unknown websites or using third-party driver tools can:

  • Make your computer unstable
  • Cause your computer to crash
  • In rare cases, infect your computer with malware

For third-party devices (like non-Dell branded printers, cameras and more), download drivers from that device manufacturer's official website only.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: A device isn't working after I updated its driver

Sometimes a new driver can cause unexpected problems. You can roll back to the previous driver version to fix this. Visit our How to Roll Back a Driver on Dell Windows Computers page for step-by-step instructions.

Problem: I see "Unknown Device" in Device Manager

When you see "Unknown Device," it means Windows doesn't have the right driver installed. Here's what to do:

  1. Try running Windows Update first
  2. If that doesn't work, download the driver from Dell.com/support
  3. For third-party devices, get the driver from the device manufacturer's website

For more help, see our How to Download Drivers That Are Unavailable on Dell Support Website page.

Problem: A device has a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager

A yellow exclamation mark means Windows found a problem with the device. Try these steps:

  1. Press Windows key + R.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
  3. Right-click the device with the exclamation mark.
  4. Select Uninstall.
  5. Check the box "Delete the driver software for this device" if you see it.
  6. Click OK and restart your computer.

Windows will try to reinstall the driver automatically. If the problem continues, download the latest driver from Dell.com/support.

Problem: A device has a red X in Device Manager

A red X means the device is disabled or Windows can't communicate with it. To fix this:

  1. Press Windows key + R.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
  3. Right-click the device and select Properties.
  4. Under "Device Usage," select "Use this device (enabled)."
  5. If that doesn't help, try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver.

For detailed steps, visit our How to Update Drivers page.

Problem: I'm getting an error about minimum requirements

This error usually appears when installing graphics drivers and can happen if:

  • You're installing the wrong driver for your computer
  • The driver doesn't match your Windows version (32-bit vs 64-bit)

To fix this:

  1. Make sure you selected the correct driver for your computer model
  2. Check that you're downloading the driver that matches your Windows version
  3. Restart your computer and try installing again

Need More Help?

For complete, step-by-step guides on working with Dell drivers, visit these dedicated pages:

 

Affected Products

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Article Properties
Article Number: 000123347
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 27 Jan 2026
Version:  39
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