Complete Guide: How to Uninstall a Driver in Windows Drivers are the backbone of hardware and software communication in Windows. But sometimes, a faulty, outdated, or incompatible driver can cause instability, crashes, or hardware malfunctions. In these cases, uninstalling a driver is often the first step toward resolving the issue. In this video, we'll cover three proven methods to uninstall drivers in Windows: using Device Manager, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Before we begin, make sure sure you have these prerequisites covered: Sign in with Administrator privileges. Create a backup or system restore point. Have a replacement driver ready in case you need to reinstall. Make sure the device and its driver are not actively in use. How to Uninstall a Driver in Windows The simplest approach is via Device Manager. Press Win + X and select Device Manager. Expand the category of the driver you want to remove. for example, Display Adapters, Sound, Network Right-click the device and choose Uninstall device. In the dialog box, check Delete the driver software for this device if available. Click Uninstall, then restart your PC. Checking the “delete driver software” option ensures the driver package is also removed from the Windows Driver Store, so it won't reinstall automatically. For a deeper cleanup, especially when dealing with leftover or problematic drivers, you’ll want to use the pnputil command-line utility. Open an elevated command prompt by pressing Win + X and selecting Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). List all installed third-party drivers with: pnputil /enum-drivers Find the driver you want to remove and note its Published Name (for example, oem24.inf). Uninstall it by using this command: As a word of warning. deleting a driver is permanent and cannot be undone. Double-check the INF name before proceeding. PowerShell is best when you want to automate driver removal or include it in scripted workflows. It doesn't directly uninstall drivers on its own, but it can list them and run pnputil commands within the same session. Open Windows PowerShell (Admin). List third-party drivers with the following command: Identify the target driver by its DeviceName or Manufacturer. Run pnputil with the correct INF name to remove it. Since this method can involve more complex scripting, we've included full command examples in our blog for reference. Uninstalling a driver can be straightforward or advanced, depending on the tools you use. Device Manager works well for everyday cases, Command Prompt provides deeper control, and PowerShell lets you scale driver cleanup across systems. For more information, check out our official blog post on How to uninstall a driver in Windows Linked in the description below.