Regularly updating your GPU's drivers is one of the best things you can do to maintain your GPU. From improving stability to enhancing performance and getting rid of bugs, it is also one of the best things you can do to maintain your PC. However, there are rare cases when you might want to uninstall the drivers.
For example, you may have corrupt drivers that could result in your GPU not sending any output to your monitor. It’s also possible to run into compatibility issues if you upgrade to a new graphics card without uninstalling the older GPU drivers. So, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you wipe every trace of the current Nvidia drivers from your PC.
Uninstall Nvidia drivers via Device Manager
You can uninstall your GPU drivers using the built-in Device Manager utility on Windows 11. Simply follow the steps below to do so.
- Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager.
- Click on the drop-down arrow next to Display adapters.
- Right-click on the driver with the same name as your GPU and choose Uninstall device.
- Click on Uninstall and wait for Windows to finish removing the driver.
If you have another GPU or an APU in your PC, you can also toggle the Attempt to remove the driver for this device box. However, enabling this option on a system with a single graphics card may result in a black screen/crash, so proceed with caution.
Remove Nvidia software via Control Panel
Next, you’ll also need to uninstall the remaining Nvidia apps and drivers from the Control Panel.
- Right-click on the Start button and select Run.
- Type the Control panel into the Search Bar and click on OK.
- Choose the Uninstall a program option under Programs.
- Select the Nvidia software you wish to remove and click on Uninstall/Change.
- Grant administrator privileges when prompted by Windows and click on Uninstall.
- Repeat the procedure for the remaining Nvidia programs.
Delete Nvidia files and folders via File Explorer
Like every other software, Nvidia drivers tend to have certain files and folders associated with them that can remain on your system even after you uninstall the drivers. We can use File Explorer on Windows to completely remove these folders.
- Right-click on the Start menu and choose File Explorer.
- Head to the disk where you installed Windows 11. For most users, this should be the :C drive.
- Open Program Files and delete the NVIDIA Corporation folder.
- Go back to the :C drive, enter Program Files (x86), and delete the NVIDIA Corporation folder again.
- Make the hidden folders visible by clicking View and enabling the Hidden items option under the Show submenu.
- Head to ProgramData and delete the two Nvidia folders.
- Open AppData by pasting its location into the address bar:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData
- Delete the NVIDIA folders from the Local, LocalLow, and Roaming folders.
Remove Nvidia registry keys using Regedit
Once you’ve removed the NVIDIA Corporation folders, it’s time to delete the registry keys associated with your Nvidia drivers. We’ll use the Regedit tool for this purpose.
- Right-click on Start and select Run.
- Type regedit and press OK.
- Enter the following address into the Search Bar:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software
- Right-click on the NVIDIA Corporation folder and choose Delete.
- Paste this address into the Search Bar, and delete the Nvidia folder once again.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
Uninstall the remaining Nvidia drivers and software using DDU
Finally, we’ll use a third-party application called Display Driver Uninstaller to eradicate every last trace of Nvidia drivers from your system. We saved this step for last, as you’ll need to restart your PC after uninstalling the GPU drivers using DDU.
- Download DDU from the official website and extract the folder once it has finished downloading.
- Run the DDU application and wait for it to finish extracting the files.
- Run DisplayDriverUninstaller.exe as an admin.
- Click on Select device type and pick GPU.
- Select Clean and restart.Alternatively, you can choose Clean and Shutdown if you want to replace your GPU next.
All Nvidia drivers should be uninstalled now!
Once you’ve restarted your PC, you’ll notice that the Display adapters section now shows Microsoft Basic Display Driver instead of your GPU name. So, now’s a good time to install the newest drivers from Nvidia’s website.
Remember that Nvidia provides two driver packages for most consumer graphics cards: Game Ready and Studio drivers. Depending on your needs, it may be better to pick one over the other. We have a comparison article you can consult if you’re not sure about choosing the ideal driver for your system.
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Should you use Nvidia's Game Ready or Studio drivers?
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