Recently, one of our regular readers asked us: “I am upgrading to a different graphics card. Should I clean uninstall the old graphics card driver? If so, how to do that?”

Although not always strictly necessary, it’s a good practice to clean uninstall your old graphics card driver when you’re switching to a different graphics card. For the uninitiated, performing a clean uninstall means totally uninstalling a driver.

Say, you’re upgrading from NVIDIA to AMD graphics card. In this instance, performing a clean uninstall of the old Intel graphics card driver is a smart move.

Performing a clean uninstall of your old graphics card driver may also be necessary if:

• You’re upgrading to a significantly newer version of a graphics card from the same manufacturer
• You’re repeatedly encountering issues related to your graphics card
• You’re facing error code 43 (which typically occurs when the installed graphics card isn’t working properly)

What does a clean uninstallation of a driver means?

Performing a clean uninstallation of a driver basically means removing all its traces from your PC.

How does this help? You may wonder.

Totally uninstalling your old NVIDIA (or any other device driver) helps remove any leftover files or potential conflicts from the old driver. This in turn ensures a fresh installation and optimal performance.

How to clean uninstall NVIDIA graphics card driver?

A clean uninstallation of the graphics driver is a multi-step process. Follow the instructions below in the order they appear.

Step 1 – Uninstall NVIDIA graphics driver using Device Manager

The Device Manager is a built-in utility in Windows computers that you can use to manage and configure hardware devices on your PC, including upgrading and uninstalling device drivers.

Here is what you need to do to uninstall a NVIDIA driver:

• Type devmgmt.msc in the Start Search bar

• Locate the Display adapters entry in the Device Manager window and expand it
• Right-click the NVIDIA GPU and click Uninstall device

• Tick the checkbox before Attempt to remove the driver for this device and then click Uninstall

• Wait until Windows complete the uninstallation process and then restart your PC

Step 2 – Remove NVIDIA software via Control Panel

The next step involves removing any remaining NVIDIA apps from the Control Panel.

• Type control panel in the Start Search bar and press Enter
• Click the Uninstall a program under Programs

• Locate the first NVIDIA software that you want to remove and then click Uninstall

• If prompted, grant administrative privileges and uninstall
• Now repeat the last two steps for the remaining NVIDIA apps that you wish to remove

Step 3 – Delete NVIDIA folders and files via File Explorer

Even after you’ve uninstalled NVIDIA drivers and apps, some files related to NVIDIA can remain on your hard drive. You can get rid of these files via File Explorer.

• Type file explorer in the Start Search bar and press Enter
• Go to the disk on which Windows is installed. Generally it is the :C drive
• Open Program Files
• Locate and right-click NVIDIA Corporation folder and then select Delete
• Return to :C drive
• Enter Program Files (x86)
• Locate and right-click NVIDIA Corporation folder and then select Delete
• Click the View menu, select the Show submenu, and then click Hidden items
• Go to ProgramData
• Locate and delete two NVIDIA folders
• In the address bar, paste the following address: C:\Users\%username%\AppData
• Delete NVIDIA folders from the Local, LocalLow, and Roaming folders

Step 4 – Remove NVIDIA Registry Keys

Now that you’ve deleted NVIDIA folders, you must remove its registry keys.

Follow these steps:

• Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box
• Type regedit and press Enter
• Now enter this address in the Search Bar: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software

• Right-click NVIDIA Corporation folder and click Delete

• Enter this address in the Search Bar: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
• Right-click NVIDIA folder and select Delete to remove it again

That’s it. Now you have clean uninstalled NVIDIA drivers and are ready to upgrade them. If you want, you may use a third-party tool to check if there are any remaining NVIDIA software and drivers present on your computer. However, using a third-party tool after you’ve performed the four steps listed above isn’t strictly necessary. What’s necessary is that you ensure you have the latest NVIDIA graphics drivers. This is because old drivers can cause performance-related issues, even frequent errors.

The best way to update NVIDIA graphics drivers (and other device drivers) is by using a reliable device update tool. We recommend Driver Updater because it is super-fast and accurate. Plus it has been around quite a few years and gets routinely updated.

Automatic driver update tools offer many benefits, the most important ones being:

• You can update device drivers automatically
• The software scans and updates all outdated or missing drivers at one go
• The tool picks the right drivers for your device and operating system, so you won’t have to worry about installing an incorrect driver by mistake
• Automatic driver updates are 100% safe

Driver Updater is one of the best driver update tools out there. Outbyte Driver Updater will give you access to a database of over 1 million drivers. It will regularly scan your PC, suggesting new driver versions to install. Driver Updater contains drivers for a variety of Windows devices. With just one click, you can update drivers in your system.

Step 1
Click here to Install and launch the app

Step 2
Scan all devices

Step 3
Install or update drivers automatically

 

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