Frequently Asked Questions about Intel® Graphics Drivers
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What is a graphics driver?
A driver is software written for a specific operating system (OS). The OS uses the driver to communicate with a specific hardware device. Intel develops graphics drivers so that Windows* operating systems can communicate with specific Intel® graphics devices.
Intel has generic versions of the Intel® Graphics Drivers available but recommends using drivers from your computer manufacturer. The computer manufacturer can offer customized versions of the Intel Graphics Drivers for your particular computer model.
Can I use an Intel® Graphics Driver?
Intel Graphics Drivers support specific Intel® Processor graphics or integrated graphics. To check whether your computer is using Intel graphics, use the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant.
What is my graphics driver version?
What do the numbers in my graphics driver version mean?
See Understanding the Intel Graphics Driver version numbering.
What are Graphics Profiles?
Graphics Profiles are configuration settings the user can make for Display Profiles and Video Profiles. See How To Use Intel Graphics Profiles.
- Display Profiles control monitor configuration, resolution, and refresh rate
- Video Profiles control coloration, image scaling, and gamut mapping
In older versions of the Intel Graphics Drivers, there's a more primitive function to manipulate display settings known as Graphics Schemes.
| Note | Some Display Profile or Graphic Scheme features might not be available. The system manufacturer can disable features, or the user might have limited rights to the system. |
Driver versions and updates
Do I have the latest Intel Graphics Driver?
To see if your computer is using the latest driver, use the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant. This utility detects the graphics product, identifies the current installed driver version, and advises if a newer driver is available for download.
| Note | If this utility detects a customized computer manufacturer driver, see solutions and workarounds. |
Should I update the graphics driver?
You don't need to update your graphics driver if you're not experiencing a graphics-related problem with your computer.
Reasons for updating your graphics driver:
- To resolve graphics-related problems. Examples: visual corruption when playing a new game, Windows gives a graphics driver error.
- Your computer manufacturer recommends a graphics update.
- As advised by an Intel customer support agent.
How do I know if a new graphics driver is available?
Use one of the following methods:
- Use the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant.
This online utility detects the graphics product of your computer, identifies the current installed driver version, and advises if a newer driver is available.
| Note | If this utility detects a customized computer manufacturer driver, see solutions and workarounds. |
How do I get the latest graphics driver?
To get the latest graphics driver, use the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant. This online utility detects the graphics product of your computer, identifies the current installed driver version, and advises if a newer driver is available for download. If this utility detects a customized computer manufacturer graphics driver, check for more customized computer information.
| Note | If you're using a Linux* operating system, see availability of Intel® Graphics Drivers for Linux* OS. |
Installation and troubleshooting
How do I install the graphics driver?
If you downloaded the .exe version of the Intel Graphics Driver, double-click the .exe file to start the driver installation.
If you downloaded the .zip version, extract the .zip file and then double-click the SETUP.EXE file to start the driver installation. An alternate method is to follow the instructions in the readme text file of the driver for a manual Have-Disk installation.
| Note | See the error solution document if you receive this error message, or similar message: The driver being installed isn't validated for this computer. |
How do I revert to a previous driver?
If the driver you installed doesn't work properly, or you simply want to go back to a previous driver, perform the following steps:
- Open Device Manager, click Start > Control Panel > Device Manager.
- Expand Display Adapters.
- Double-click on your Intel display device.
- Select the Driver tab.
- Click Roll Back Driver.
Your driver is now restored to the version it was previously using.
| Note | If the option to roll back driver is grayed-out, one of the following applies:
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What if I have the latest driver but still see the problem?
See the Intel Graphics support site or use the search feature on the Intel website.
The next step in finding a solution or workaround for your question or issue is to use the Search box located on the Intel website.
| Note | Interactive support by Intel technical support agents is only available for the latest generations of graphics products. Agent support isn't available for some older graphics products. |
| Related topics |
| Uninstalling the Intel® Graphics Driver and Intel® Display/HDMI Audio Driver |
| How to use Intel® Graphics Profiles |
| Solutions to graphics errors reported by Microsoft |