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- How to Recover Deleted/Lost Drivers in Windows 10 – 3 Ways
By Alisa |
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If you removed or deleted drivers in Windows 10 by accident, you can try the 3 solutions to recover deleted drivers. To recover deleted files or lost files from Windows 10 computer, USB, external hard drive, etc. MiniTool Power Data Recovery helps you easily do it.
No matter the hardware drivers are deleted by accident or lost unexpectedly, you can try the 3 tips below to recover deleted/lost drivers in Windows 10.
Way 1. Roll Back the Driver
- Press Windows + X, and select Device Manager to open Device Manager in Windows 10.
- Expand the device category, and select the target device that doesn’t have driver.
- Double-click the target device to open its Properties window.
- Click Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver option to revert back to the previous installed version of the driver.
Way 2. Reinstall the Driver
- Follow the same operation in Way 1 to open Device Manager.
- Find and right-click the target device, and select Uninstall.
- Let the computer restart and it should install the default drivers in your computer.
In Device Manager window, you can also click Action -> Scan for hardware changes to scan and reinstall the deleted or lost drivers.
Alternatively, you can also go to the official website of the device or hardware and find the corresponding driver to download and install it on your computer.
Way 3. Restore the System
If the two ways above don’t help, then you may perform a System Restore for your Windows 10 computer. System Restore may be able to recover the deleted/lost drivers. (Related: What does System Restore do?)
Note: You can run System Restore only when you created system restore points. Before you run the System Restore, it’s highly advised you to use MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up your important files and OS. Check: Does System Restore delete files?
Check how to do the system restore below.
- Click Start menu, and type system restore.
- Click Create a restore point.
- Under System Protection tab, click System Restore button.
- Proceed to select a system restore point to restore your Windows computer to an earlier state.
Best Free Way to Recover Deleted/Lost Files
To recover mistakenly deleted files or lost files from Windows PC or laptop, you can use the free data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a program that lets you recover data from Windows computer, USB flash drive, memory card, SD card, external hard drive, solid state drive, etc.
It has an extremely intuitive interface and it is a 100% clean program. Download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your Windows 10 computer and check how to use it to recover deleted/lost files in simple steps below.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
- Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
- Select a device category from the left column.
- Choose the target drive or location in the right window.
- Click Scan button. Let the scan process finish.
- Check the list of scan results and find if there are any of your wanted files.
- Check needed files and click Save button to select a new destination path to store the recovered files.
Conclusion
To recover deleted or lost drivers in Windows 10, you can try the 3 ways. If you have better solutions, you can share with us.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Alisa is a professional English editor with 4-year experience. She loves writing and focuses on sharing detailed solutions and thoughts for computer problems, data recovery & backup, digital gadgets, tech news, etc. Through her articles, users can always easily get related problems solved and find what they want. In spare time, she likes basketball, badminton, tennis, cycling, running, and singing. She is very funny and energetic in life, and always brings friends lots of laughs.
One of the most frequently asked questions that we come across nowadays is, “How to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10?” Perhaps the main reason for this is the constantly increasing chance of encountering data loss.
It is a very serious matter and it won’t do you any good if you let it go on any longer. Nevertheless, that’s not the only thing you should be asking yourself. So before we head to the methods on how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10, let’s first discuss some of the things you have to know first about deleted drivers in Windows 10.
By the way, here is a similar article about restoring files after factory reset on Windows 10, if you just need it, you can click on it, hope it will solve your problem.
Before We Recover Deleted Drivers in Windows 10
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Part 1. What Happens to Deleted Drivers in Windows 10?Part 2. The Solution to Recover Deleted Drivers in Windows 10Part 2. Wrapping Up
Part 1. What Happens to Deleted Drivers in Windows 10?
Perhaps the main reason why people want to look for solutions on how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10 is the fact that they are afraid of what will happen to their PC. Fortunately, the effect of having deleted drivers in Windows 10 is not instantaneous. In addition, the severity of the effect depends on what program was deleted.
For one, other users tend to delete unnecessary drivers because they are in need of storage space. These drivers are often those that aren’t used and are useless to the user. This type of driver won’t affect your device too much to the point that you won’t even be able to notice a change.
However, if you were to accidentally delete drivers that are necessary, then it would have an effect. However, the worst-case scenario for the deleted drivers is that the data for the program would be temporarily deleted. Plus, it would take time before the actual deletion occurs. Lastly, the driver would still be accessible from other programs such as the Device Manager.
Part 2. The Solution to Recover Deleted Drivers in Windows 10
For that reason, it is possible to learn how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10. With that said, let’s start with our very first solution and the one that we recommend the most.
Solution 1. Use Third-Party Software
There are tons of methods out there on how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10, but perhaps the best solution is by relying on software that was built especially for the purpose of fixing such issues. And that’s why we suggest using FoneDog Data Recovery.
FoneDog Data Recovery is software designed to help users recover the files that they’ve lost due to various reasons. It may be due to partition error, hardware failure, or a simple click of the delete button. Plus, it supports both Windows and Mac up to their latest versions. Thus, you can expect that it can recover deleted drivers from your Windows 10. Here’s how you can use it.
Step 1: Download and Install the Software
The app can be downloaded from the official website. Once that’s done, install the app by opening the downloaded setup file. Now just follow through with the installation process.
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Step 2: Choose Data Type & Storage Drive
Once you have installed the program, you should be able to open it. Upon launching the software, you should get an interface with the data type and storage drive. We suggest clicking on the Check all file types option to ensure the best scanning result. As for the storage drive, simply select the SYSTEM drive since it would be where the deleted driver originally was.
Step 3: Scan for Files
After finishing the configurations, click on the Scan button. This should start the scanning process. The software will execute Quick Scan by default. That means it would normally be quick, but at the end of the scan, you will be able to continue with Deep Scan to get more accurate results.
Step 4: Select Files to Recover
The scanning process will finish after a while. All you have to do in the meantime is wait. Regardless, you will be able to see a selection of items on the interface after the scan. These are files that you can recover. This will include the data for the deleted drivers. To select an item, click on their corresponding boxes. Once that’s done, click on the Recover button.
The recovery process will take a while, but you can be assured that it would be as accurate as it can be. Either way, this should help you recover the files that you need when learning how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10. If this isn’t right up your alley, then perhaps a simpler solution would suffice.
Solution 2. Roll Back Driver
There is such a feature that allows you to turn back time on your drivers. This function is called ‘Roll Back Driver’ and it is available to all versions of Windows, including Windows 10. It is often used when people want to learn how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10 that were part of the system for a long time.
Roll Back Driver When Mistakely Uninstall a Driver
If your driver was accidentally deleted, you can recover it by rolling back the driver. Here are the easy steps:
- Access the Device Manager. Press Win key + R, then type in «devmgmt. msc«.
- Select the deleted driver.
- Roll back your driver. Select Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver.
- Restart your computer.
Anyone can access this function by using the Device Manager. Either way, here are the steps that you’ll need to follow:
- Access the Device Manager.
Getting access to the Device Manager won’t be easy. First, you have to ensure that you possess administrators’ privileges. To do so, you have to login as an administrator when you first open the Windows 10 PC. After that, you can open the Device Manager by going to the Start menu then typing in “Device Manager”. Lastly, click on the first option that will show up. If you can’t do this, then perhaps it would be better to access it by pressing Win key + R to open the Run command. Then, type in ‘devmgmt. msc‘ on the Open field. Either way, you should now see the Device Manager window.
- Select the Driver.
On the Device Manager Window, there should be tons of folders displayed on the window. From this list, select and expand Disk drives. From there, you will see the drivers on your Windows 10, including the old and the hidden ones. Simply find the one that was deleted.
- Roll Back, Driver.
Now, right-click on it. This should open up several options, from which you should select Properties. You should be taken to the Properties window. From here, you will see five tabs. Go to the Driver tab. Now there should be options here as well. Click on the Roll Back Driver button. You might be asked a question about the reason for this action. Just select the appropriate one and confirm. Finally, restart your computer.
Once you do all this, you would’ve already learned how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10. The best part about this is that it is a built-in function on Windows 10, meaning there’s no reason for you to doubt this function. However, sometimes the Roll Back Driver button is greyed out. If that’s the case, then it might be better to rely on another option.
Solution 3. System Restore
System Restore is another method used to restore deleted drivers in any version of Windows. Just like the Roll Back Driver, it is a built-in function. The main difference between the two, however, is that System Restore will attempt to turn back time on not only on the selected driver but the whole system altogether.
There are two parts to using System Restores, the first part where you create the restore point, and the second part where you use that restore point. Let’s start with the steps:
- Enable System Restore.
First of all, you have to do the same thing you did before, login as an administrator. This will be the first step every time you access a built-in function. After that, you should be able to create a Restore Point. To do this, go to the Start menu again and type in “Create a restore point”. Lastly, select the first option.
- Create Restore Point.
A window should show up with tons of options and tabs. By default, you will be on the System Protection tab, but if not, then you should head there manually. Here, you should see a Create… button at the bottom. Click on this button. You will then be prompted to write a description about that restore point as a reminder. Once you’re finished, click on Create. This should create the restore point automatically for you.
- Execute System Restore.
Once you have the restore point, you will be able to do System Restore. To do this, again on the System Protection tab, click on the System Restore… You will then be taken to another window. Proceed by clicking Next. The restore point you created should be located here. Select that restore point and click on Next again followed by Finish. Once that’s done, the system will restore itself automatically and return drivers back to normal.
That sums up everything you need to know about System Restore to learn how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10. The only downside to this is that the whole system will return to a point in time. This means that the files you once had may be lost. Either way, you should be careful when using this function.
Solution 4. Windows Update
Just like System Restore, enabling the Windows Update would also change the whole system altogether. This would be an effective way for how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10 because sometimes, drivers aren’t compatible with the operating system, resulting in automatic deletion. There are two ways to use Windows Update.
- Automatic Windows Update.
On your keyboard, press the Win key + R to open the Run dialog box. Here, type in ‘services. msc’ then press Enter. The Services window should open with tons of items. Click anywhere inside the list then type in “Windows Update”. This should automatically show you the Windows Update service. Now right-click on this and select Properties. On the Startup type dropdown menu, select Automatic if it’s not yet selected. This should enable Automatic Windows Update.
- Manual Windows Update.
Go to the Start menu by clicking the Win key on your keyboard. On Windows 10, there should be a Settings menu represented by a gear icon. Click on this option. On the Settings menu, select Update & Security followed by Windows Update. You might be prompted to enter your administrator credentials. Once you enter these, click on Continue. Then, select Check for updates. This should automatically give you a list of updatable drivers. Select the driver you want to recover then click on Install.
This might take some time, but it would definitely be worth your time. While System Restore and Windows Update is similar, there are differences. Perhaps the main difference is that Windows Update will upgrade the operating system, adding files and programs, while System Restore would turn back time, possibly removing files and programs. Either way, let’s head to our last option.
Solution 5. Automatic Recovery
Whenever experts encounter a problem with their drivers, they rely on Automatic Recovery. This function is not exactly something you use directly. It is a feature that allows uninstalled drivers to be reinstalled automatically, but with the latest version. This would mean that you won’t have to recover the drive. However, if it didn’t work initially, then you should follow these steps:
- Access Device Manager.
Access the Device Manager in any way you want just like we did on Solution 2. It should either be through the Run or the Start menu.
- Recover Driver.
Once you’re on the Device Manager, expand the Disk drives directory again, like before. Then, right-click on the drive that you want to recover, then click on Uninstall. After the uninstallation, restart your computer. The system should automatically recognize that the driver was uninstalled and will conduct Automatic Recovery.
This is one way on how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10. This is perhaps the easiest one there is since you won’t be doing the recovery yourself. Either way, these are the five solutions we have for recovering deleted drivers.
People Also ReadWill System Restore Recover Deleted Files
Part 2. Wrapping Up
Drivers are crucial for keeping up with your computer. This is especially true with Windows 10, now that the drivers needed to keep it running has become more numerous. Thus, it is important to have backups plans for when you encounter problems.
This is precisely why you learned how to recover deleted drivers in Windows 10. Regardless of whether you experienced it or not, it should occur to you that drivers are just that important. With that said, be more careful when handling drivers, especially those that are essentials.
Reading Time: 5 minutesHaving the newest drivers is often crucial to make your devices, like a sound card, act normally. But, if you are experiencing problems, deleting drivers can seem like a good idea. Truth is, this often brings unintended consequences and does more harm than good if you aren’t sure what you are doing.
Today, we will show you how to safely restore your drivers through a series of effective methods. These solutions work in various scenarios, whether we are talking about accidental deletion or an installed driver that suddenly stopped working.
How to Return the Previous Version of the Driver?
If new drivers are giving you problems, the first thing you’ll want to try is Microsoft’s built-in roll-back function. This is a completely safe feature that deletes current and installs previous drivers. You can activate it by following these steps.
- Press Windows + X and choose Device Manager.
- Browse through and double-click on the problematic device.
- In Properties, go to Driver > Roll Back Driver. Depending on the driver, the whole process can take up to 10 minutes.
Sometimes, there are no previous drivers available for a given device. In that case, you’ll want to consider other solutions we’ve listed below.
How to Reinstall a Driver on Windows 10
If your device suddenly starts behaving unusually, removing and reinstalling your drivers usually does the trick. This is another easy method that can be done in a few minutes.
- Right-click on the Start menu and select Device Manager.
- Find the device that you wish to update.
- Right-click on it and select Uninstall device.
- Restart Computer. When your PC boots, Windows should automatically locate the problematic device and reinstall the newest driver.
How to Recover a Deleted Driver
If you’ve noticed that you’ve lost both the driver package and driver files, you still have some options to explore. Here are 3 ways in which you can recover your drivers.
Option A: System Restore
System Restore allows you to take snapshots of your computer’s state, which are called restore points. Once created, you can access them at any time to revert unwanted changes. This feature can be used to restore deleted drivers as well. All you need to do is follow these 4 steps.
- Right-click on the Windows icon and choose Search.
- Type in System Restore and open Create a restore point.
- Go to System Protection > System Restore.
- Choose a restore point to which you wish to revert your Windows. Click Next and Finish to confirm your decision and roll back the changes.
While being incredibly useful, System Restore isn’t a perfect all-in-one solution. For one, it will only work if you have previously created at least 1 restore point. More importantly, System Restore will remove every program and file that has been installed after the latest “snapshot”. At some point, this will cause more problems than it solves.
Option B: Download and reinstall
If you still can’t locate your driver, or it simply isn’t working, you can try downloading them directly from the manufacturer’s website. To do this, you will first have to find out the model of your hardware. All you need to do is…
- Open Search via the Start menu.
- Type in System Information.
- Go to Components and look for your device. Let’s say that you have accidentally deleted the audio driver on Windows 10. By simply looking at the names of your devices you can easily find new drivers on the web and download them.
Option C: Use Data Recovery Software
If you are unable to find the deleted driver online, you can still look for its installation files on your PC. This can be conveniently done with a help of a good recovery app. One of the best options that we’ve found is Disk Drill. It is powerful, has a user-friendly interface, and supports all file formats that are associated with drivers.
We’ve had a lot of success with it, specifically in recovering deleted temp files. You can try it for free and bring back up to 500 MB of data, which will be enough for this scenario. Here is how you can restore drivers on Windows 10 with Disk Drill.
- Download & Install the App.
- Open Disk Drill. Select C drive, as this is the default location where the drivers are stored (C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore).
- Pick All Recovery Methods and click on Search for Lost Data. This gives the best results, as Disk Drill will use all of its 4 scanning modes for recovering your drivers. Since it’s very thorough, it might take an hour or two till the scan is completed.
- Review Found Items. Disk Drill will probably find hundreds of gigabytes of files, which could overwhelm you. Luckily, you can use the search bar in the corner to quickly navigate through the results. Right next to your drivers, you can see Recovery chances. This is a new feature that separates the files into 3 categories: low, average, and high.
- Restore Driver Installation Files. Mark the boxes right next to your drivers and click on Recover in the bottom left corner. Choose the location where you wish to save your files to initiate the recovery.
- Install the Driver. Right-click on the restored file and select Install. Simply follow the installation wizard to update your device with the latest driver.
FAQ
This depends on when you’ve created a restore point. If you’ve set it up before installing new drivers, they will roll back to the previous version.
You can do this by utilizing the rollback feature. First, open Search by right-clicking on the Start icon. Type in Device Manager and open it. Under Display Adapters, double click on your device to open the Properties. Switch to the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.
If this option is grayed out, your PC either lost the data of previous drivers, or they weren’t installed.
Use the Search function in the Start menu and open up Device Manager. Find the device that you wish to update, right-click and select Update Driver. Select Search automatically for drivers, unless you’ve already downloaded them on your computer.
As you can see, restoring drivers on Windows 10 is quite easy. This is also true in more general cases, such as recovering data from a formatted hard disk. We have a lot of useful articles that will help you save both, time and money.
Missing or accidentally deleted drivers can cause random errors to pop up on your computer. These errors could also cause unexpected system crashes. If you have accidentally deleted some drivers, you should not worry, as there are ways to recover them easily. In this post, we will be looking at ways to recover and restore deleted drivers.
The common reasons behind drivers going missing from the system are –
- Accidental deletion
- Device formatting
Methods to Recover Accidentally Deleted Driver Files
In this section, we will discuss some quick and simple methods you can use to easily restore deleted drivers from your Windows 11/10 computer.
Method 1: Download Drivers from the Official Website
This is the simplest method to restore the device driver missing from your computer. Identify the component that is malfunctioning, go to the manufacturer’s website and download the executable driver file. Here are the steps to do so –
- Press WINDOWS + R and type msinfo32. Press Enter.
- In the System Information window, expand all the entries and locate the problematic component.
- Look for the device name in the right pane and note it down.
- Search for it in the web browser and download the driver from the manufacturer’s website.
- Once downloaded, install it and follow the steps as prompted by the installer.
Method 2: Restore the System to the Previous State
System restore is a Microsoft Windows utility that automatically creates a restore point every day by taking a snapshot of the system files and registry keys. It then saves these snapshots as restore points.
Sometimes, data corruption or malware infections could damage and corrupt system files including device drivers. This could cause random errors to pop up on your screen and can even crash your system, in some instances. In such a way, you can use a system restore to restore your PC to the previous state where everything was running smoothly.
Note – While the System Restore restores the previously saved settings, it can also remove apps that were installed after the restore point got created. It will not remove your personal data and files. However, if you are unsure about proceeding with it, you can take a complete backup of your data and files on an external storage drive or cloud.
Once you have taken a complete backup of your files and data, carefully follow the steps as mentioned below –
- Press WINDOWS + R, type rstrui.exe and hit Enter.
- In the System Restore window, click on Next.
- In the next window, select the version you wish to restore and click on Next.
- Carefully, read all the details in the next window and then click on Finish.
Doing so will restart the system and Windows will load the selected restore point and restore itself to it. This process will take some time, so do not interrupt it. Always use a UPS to avoid unexpected power cuts. Any interruption during this process could corrupt the Windows, which could cause severe data loss.
Method 3: Use Data Recovery Software to get the Driver Executable Files Back
When you download a driver from its official website, it gets downloaded in the form of an executable or .exe file. You need to run this .exe file to install the driver. However, sometimes, in the midst of a file deletion spree, we can accidentally delete important driver .exe files.
Deleting important files triggers an automatic response that makes us scan through every folder and backup copies. If even after scanning through all the folders, you are still not able to find your lost .exe files, only a powerful data recovery tool can bring them back. Try it yourself today!
Stellar Data Recovery is one such software that can easily restore important files, deleted drivers & much more, helping you get your system back on track. It can recover any type of data or file lost due to formatting, accidental deletion, corruption, etc.
The Bottom Line
Device drivers are vital to our computer for smooth and seamless functionality. However, missing or accidentally deleted drivers can cause random errors causing hindrance during our work.
From discussing various methods for recovering deleted drivers to using a powerful data recovery tool, we touched everything above that will help you recover your deleted drivers on Windows. Let us know your thought in the comment section below.
FAQs
Is there a way to recover deleted drivers on Windows 11?
If you accidentally deleted device drivers from your computer, you can recover them easily using the System Restore utility of Windows OS. Launch Run, type rstrui.exe, and follow the instructions as prompted by the wizard.
How do I reinstall malfunctioning drivers?
You can go to the Device Manager and uninstall malfunctioning drivers. Then restart your computer. Windows will attempt to reinstall updated drivers on the system. You can also download the latest driver from the device manufacturer’s website.
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