Driver updater tools do just what you're probably thinking — they help you update some or all of the device drivers installed in Windows for your computer's hardware.
These free driver updater programs make it easy to keep your drivers updated. Use one, and you won't need to deal with Device Manager so much, nor will you need to go find the right driver from your hardware maker yourself.
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You absolutely do not have to use free driver updater software to update drivers, and be sure to never, ever pay for one! These programs are for your convenience only. See How Do I Update Drivers in Windows? for steps on manually updating hardware drivers, a process you're more than capable of doing, trust me.
Driver Booster
What We Like
Downloads drivers from within the program
Creates a restore point before updating drivers
Scans for outdated drivers on a schedule
No limit on driver downloads and updates
What We Don't Like
An internet connection is needed to scan for driver updates
Always shows an 'activate now' button to get the pro version
Tries to install another program during setup
Driver Booster is the best free driver updater program. It's compatible with all versions of Windows and makes updating drivers simple.
Driver Booster can be scheduled to automatically find outdated drivers. When new updates are found, you can easily start downloading them from inside the Driver Booster program so you don't need to go out to an internet browser to grab them.
Before you install a driver, you can see how the new driver version compares with the currently installed driver, which is helpful.
I like that Driver Booster creates a restore point before installing a driver in the event something goes wrong with the installation.
There's an option in the settings to install drivers in the background, which hides installation wizards and other popup messages. This is handy so you don't have to click through so many windows when installing new drivers.
Driver Booster works in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
DriverPack Solution
What We Like
Lets you install outdated drivers even when offline
Downloads are performed quickly
Drivers can be installed without any prompts or user input
What We Don't Like
Doesn't support scheduled scans
The program is often sluggish
Drivers can't be hidden so as to avoid seeing them in scans
DriverPack Solution has a user interface that's easier to use than most of the others on this list. There are only a few buttons and definitely no confusing screens or options.
This program supports bulk downloads and automated installs so that you don't have to click through any installation wizards.
When you first open DriverPack Solution, you can choose to download and install all of the drivers automatically or to manually choose for yourself which ones you want to update.
There's also some basic system information included in DriverPack Solution, as well as a software downloader that can install some recommended programs to your computer.
DriverPack Solution supports Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Snappy Driver Installer
What We Like
Has no advertisements
Completely portable (no install necessary)
Downloads drivers from within the software
Supports offline driver installations
What We Don't Like
Scan schedules are not supported
The program isn't as easy to use as similar software
Snappy Driver Installer is another freeware driver updater tool that's a bit like DriverPack Solution, listed above.
You can download multiple drivers at once for many different types of devices. After they're downloaded, the program gives you immediate access to install the updates...with or without an internet connection.
Snappy Driver Installer is super easy to use and doesn't even need to be installed. This means you can use something like an external hard drive to transport and install the downloaded drivers to any other computer.
Snapper Driver Installer also has zero advertisements, doesn't limit download speeds, and can install as many drivers as you need, without any limitations.
This program works with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
Driver Talent
What We Like
Installs really quickly
You don't have to download drivers manually — they download from inside the software
The program is easy to use
Drivers get backed up before each installation or uninstallation
What We Don't Like
Setup might try to install an unrelated program
Bulk downloading is not supported (you have to download each driver one by one)
The schedule for scanning for outdated drivers can't be customized
Driver Talent (previously called DriveTheLife) is a very easy to use driver updater program that lets you download device drivers through a program so you don't have to search the internet for official download links.
This application not only can update outdated and missing drivers but also fix corrupted ones and back up all your installed drivers for you.
The size of a driver as well as its release date and version number are displayed for you before you download it so you can be sure you're getting what you're after.
An alternative version is available that includes network drivers and works offline, which is perfect if you need to install drivers but don't have the proper network driver installed.
There's also a feature within Driver Talent that lets you pre-download all the drivers necessary for the computer so that you can easily reinstall them should you reinstall the OS later.
While using Driver Talent, I noticed the program itself installed on my computer in less than five seconds, and most of the driver updates downloaded really quickly, which was nice.
Driver Talent can be installed in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Please be aware that some antivirus engines identify Driver Talent as malicious. You can see the results here. However, the overwhelming results show that it's clean, so proceed with caution.
DriversCloud
What We Like
Lets you install beta driver updates
Has the option to show only WHQL certified driver updates
Shows lots of detail on the drivers
What We Don't Like
Drivers have to be downloaded manually
Doesn't support bulk downloads or updates
DriversCloud (previously called Ma-Config) is a free web service that finds detailed information about your hardware and software, including outdated drivers.
This works by downloading a program that allows a web browser to gather information from your computer.
From the website, you can find categories such as BSOD Analysis, My Drivers, Autorun, Network Configuration, and other areas you can browse through.
When you need to update a driver, you can see the full information on what the new driver details are versus the currently installed driver. You can see the version number, manufacturer, INF file name and date, and hardware ID.
Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and Windows 2000 users can install DriversCloud.
DriverIdentifier
What We Like
Works offline without a connection to the internet
You can use it as a portable program
It's really easy to understand and use
Includes helpful information about the drivers
What We Don't Like
Drivers have to be downloaded manually from your web browser
Won't check for outdated drivers on a schedule
You have to make a [free] user account before you can download drivers
DriverIdentifier is an extremely simple, yet very useful free driver updater program.
You can scan for drivers if you don't have an internet connection, which is super nice if your network card driver isn't working. When the scan is complete, DriverIdentifier will have you save the list of drivers to an HTML file.
Just open the file on a computer that does have an internet connection so the DriverIdentifier website can cross-reference the results with their databases. Drivers that need updating will have an Update link next to them.
There's also a portable version of DriverIdentifier available.
Automatic Driver Downloads
DriverIdentifier finds Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP drivers.
Free Driver Scout
What We Like
Can be configured to update drivers automatically
Multiple drivers can be downloaded in bulk
Supports scheduled outdated driver scans
Automatic Driver Download Xp-c230
What We Don't Like
Other driver updaters find more outdated drivers
Setup might try to install other programs
An update hasn't been released for the software in a long time
Free Driver Scout is an amazing driver updater because it provides true automatic updating.
This means the program will automatically scan for any required updates, automatically download the updates, and then automatically install them, without requiring any input from you, which can't be said for any other program in this list.
Device drivers can be excluded from a scan with Free Driver Scout so they don’t show up as needing an update in the future.
Another great feature in Free Driver Scout is the ability to back up and restore drivers. The program lets you back up some or all of your drivers and then easily restore them again if you need to.
Also included in Free Driver Scout is an extremely helpful tool called the OS Migration Tool. You would run this tool if you’re going to install a different Windows operating system to your computer. It will find the device drivers for the new OS and save them to a custom location, like a flash drive. Then, when you have the other Windows operating system installed, you can use the same tool to restore those OS-specific drivers so you don’t have to worry about finding the device drivers again.
I tested Driver Scout v1.0 in Windows 10 but it also works with Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Driver Easy
What We Like
Scheduling is supported to check for driver updates automatically
Can be used at home and at work
Driver scans are quick
Downloads driver updates directly from within the software
What We Don't Like
Drivers download slowly
Updates have to be installed manually
Doesn't support bulk downloads
Some features are available only after payment
Driver Easy is another program used to find updates for drivers in Windows. You can schedule a scan to check for outdated drivers and prompt you to download an update. A scan can be scheduled daily, weekly, monthly, when your PC is idle, or even every time you log on to Windows.
I like that Driver Easy can download drivers from inside the program without the need to open an external web browser.
There are additional features included in Driver Easy as well, like viewing hardware information and scanning for driver updates when you don't have an internet connection.
Driver Easy can be used in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Device Doctor
What We Like
Drivers get downloaded from inside the application
Outdated drivers are checked when the computer goes idle
The program is simple to understand
Can be used as a portable program
What We Don't Like
Limits driver downloads to one per day
A driver's version number and date isn't shown to verify that the update is newer than the current one
Won't automatically update the driver after the download
Doesn't make restore points before updating drivers
Shows ads
Device Doctor is a really simple and easy to use driver update program. It can be downloaded as a regular program or as a portable one that doesn't need to be installed.
You can schedule scans to check for outdated drivers and then when an update is found, you'll be taken to a website to manually download it.
Because you have to download updates outside of Device Doctor, you may sometimes need to unzip driver files before using them. You can do that with a file unzip tool like the one included in Windows or a third-party tool like 7-Zip.
Device Doctor is limited to downloading just one driver per day. It's designed to find drivers for Windows XP up through Windows 10.
DriverHub
What We Like
Really clean, easy-to-understand interface
Downloads drivers automatically after you click the install button
Bulk downloading is supported
Supports an easy and an advanced mode depending on how you want to use the program
What We Don't Like
You might be asked to install another program during setup
The DriverHub driver updater is really easy to use because it download and installs the drivers for you and has a whole section of the program dedicated to recovery should something go wrong.
The program itself has a clean interface with only a few menu buttons. In the settings are some options for changing the download folder and disabling program update checks.
You can keep things simple and install whatever DriverHub recommends, or you can go into Advanced Mode to pick which drivers to get, to see version numbers, and to install alternate drivers (i.e., a newer driver but not the current version).
The Useful programs section of DriverHub isn't driver related but does include some helpful links to Windows utilities, like Disk Management, Task Manager, power supply settings, display settings, and more.
The DriverHub website says it will work in Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.
DriverMax
What We Like
No prompts when updating drivers (they install automatically)
Can optionally install only signed drivers
Drivers are downloaded from inside the program
Also lets you back up all your device drivers
What We Don't Like
Identified as a potentially unwanted program (PuP) by some antivirus tools
Doesn't always find the right driver
Limits driver downloads to two per day and 10 per month
Only one driver can be downloaded at one time (no bulk download option)
DriverMax is a free Windows program that can update outdated drivers. Unfortunately, it's limited in a few areas.
In addition to updating old drivers, DriverMax can back up some or all of the currently installed drivers, restore backed up drivers, roll back drivers, and identify unknown hardware.
I found that DriverMax discovered a significantly higher number of outdated drivers than every other program from this list did. I checked the version numbers against the currently installed drivers and they all seemed to be valid updates.
DriverMax finds drivers for Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Although DriverMax limits the number of downloads you can perform per day and per month, you can still check for outdated drivers; you're just limited when it comes to downloading the drivers. We talk more in the review about why this isn't as bad of a limit as it might sound.