How to Roll Back a Driver in Windows 11

If a recent driver update is causing hardware malfunctions, system instability, or performance issues on your Windows 11 PC, restoring the previous working version is often the quickest fix. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough to safely roll back any device driver using the native Windows 11 Device Manager.

Steps to Roll Back a Driver in Windows 11

Open Device Manager: Right-click the Start button on your taskbar (or press Windows Key + X) and select Device Manager from the Power User menu.
Locate the Problematic Hardware: Browse through the hardware categories and click the arrow next to the relevant category to expand it (for example, Display adapters for graphics cards, or Network adapters for Wi-Fi/Ethernet).
Open Device Properties: Right-click the specific hardware component that is malfunctioning and select Properties.
Navigate to the Driver Tab: In the Properties window, click on the Driver tab located at the top.
Initiate the Rollback: Click the Roll Back Driver button.
Provide a Reason: A prompt will appear asking why you are rolling back. Select any reason from the list (such as “The previous version of the driver seemed more reliable”) and click Yes to confirm.
Restart Your PC: Windows will uninstall the current driver and reinstall the previous version. Once the process completes, restart your computer to apply the changes.

What to Do If “Roll Back Driver” Is Grayed Out

If the Roll Back Driver button is grayed out, it means Windows does not have a previous driver version saved on your system. To resolve this:

Download Previous Drivers Manually: Visit the official website of the hardware manufacturer (e.g., NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, or Realtek), search for your specific model, and manually download an older, stable driver package.
Use System Restore: If the driver was updated recently alongside a restore point, open System Restore from the Windows Search bar to revert your system to a state prior to the update.