Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Roll Back a Device Driver in Windows

Windows 11 and Windows 10 — return one device to the driver it used before the last update, and know what to do if the screen or the network goes with it
ApplicabilityWindows 11 and Windows 10, for one device at a time in Device Manager, where Windows has stored a previous driver for that device. Checked against Microsoft's documentation on 2026-07-29. A driver supplied by a device manufacturer's own installer program may need that manufacturer's own removal tool instead, and this page names that case rather than instructing it.
Task time39 min to 1 hr 40 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-07-29
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

Something worked yesterday, a driver updated, and now it does not. Windows keeps one previous driver for each device precisely for this situation, and Device Manager has a button that puts it back. This page walks that route, and it is honest about the two things that catch people out: Windows keeps only one previous driver, so this is a single undo rather than a history you can walk back through, and the button is greyed out whenever there is no stored previous driver to return to.

The real risk here is not the rollback failing. It is the rollback succeeding on the wrong device. Roll back a display driver and the screen can go dark; roll back a network driver and the machine loses its connection, along with your ability to download a replacement. So this page has you get the current driver saved somewhere first, and it tells you what safe mode is for before you need it rather than after. Written against Microsoft's documentation as it stood on 29 July 2026. Where Microsoft documents an alternative that this page does not instruct — forcing an older driver on from a list, or the programming interface behind the button — it is named and left alone.

Safety

NOTICE

FIND THE WINDOWS VERSION ON YOUR PC FIRST.
Menu names in Windows change with a Windows update. This page follows the Microsoft documentation for Windows 11 and Windows 10.

NOTICE

USE AN ACCOUNT WITH ADMINISTRATOR PERMISSION.
Windows refuses a driver rollback from a different account.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
Windows PCUse an account with administrator permission. Windows refuses a rollback without it.
Second device with an internet connectionGet a replacement driver on this device if the PC loses its network connection.
USB driveKeep the replacement driver on this drive before you start.
Pen and paperWrite the device name, the driver version and the driver date.

Find the Windows version

Estimated 1 min

Windows version and OS build on your PC
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THESE VALUES FROM SETTINGS, THEN SYSTEM, THEN ABOUT

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Open the Settings app on your PC.
    <1m
  2. Go to the About page in the Settings app.
    • Select System.
    • Select About.
    <1m
  3. Make a record of the version and the OS build.
    <1m

Identify the device and its driver

Estimated 5 min to 8 min

NOTEWrite these values before the change. They are the only record of the initial state.
Driver version and driver date for your device
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THESE VALUES FROM THE DRIVER TAB, AND CONSULT THE DEVICE MANUFACTURER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Type device manager in the search box on the taskbar.
    <1m
  2. Select Device Manager in the results.
    <1m
  3. Find the device with the fault in the list.
    • Select the arrow at a group to open that group.
    • Microsoft gives an exclamation point at a device with a fault.
    2m
  4. Right-click that device.
    <1m
  5. Select Properties.
    <1m
  6. Select the Driver tab.
    <1m
  7. Write the driver date, the driver version and the driver provider on paper.
    • These three values identify the driver that the PC uses now.
    • You need these values for a new installation of the same driver later.
    2m
  8. Write the full name of the device on the same paper.
    <1m

Prepare for a loss of the display or the network

Estimated 10 min to 27 min

NOTEA display driver and a network driver each carry a special risk. Prepare before you continue.
WARNING

GET A REPLACEMENT DRIVER ONTO A USB DRIVE BEFORE YOU CONTINUE.
A rollback of a network driver can remove the internet connection of this PC. Without that connection you cannot get a driver onto this PC.

  1. On a second device, open the support website of the device manufacturer.
    • The manufacturer of the device holds the drivers for that device.
    • Microsoft and the manufacturer make a Windows driver together.
    3m
  2. Get the newest driver for your device onto a USB drive.
    • This driver is the replacement if the rollback gives a worse result.
    • You cannot get a driver onto a PC with no network connection.
    5m
WARNING

READ THE SAFE MODE SECTION OF THIS PAGE BEFORE YOU CONTINUE.
A rollback of a display driver can make the screen dark at the next start. Safe mode starts Windows with basic drivers and gives you a display again.

  1. Read the recovery section at the end of this page.
    • That section gives the route to safe mode.
    • Read it now, because a dark screen prevents a read later.
    2m

Roll the driver back

Estimated 6 min to 14 min

Previous drivers that Windows stores for each device
Manufacturer or standard verified
1 driver

Source: Functions that Simplify Driver Installation · tier 1 · accessed 2026-07-29

  1. Return to the Driver tab for your device.
    <1m
  2. Examine the button Roll Back Driver.
    <1m
  3. If that button is grey, stop this procedure.
    • A grey button shows that Windows holds no previous driver for this device.
    • Windows stores no previous driver after an unsuccessful installation.
    • Install the driver from your USB drive instead.
    <1m
NOTICE

WINDOWS KEEPS ONE PREVIOUS DRIVER FOR EACH DEVICE ONLY.
A second rollback of the same device is not possible. Windows also removes the replaced driver from the PC.

  1. Select Roll Back Driver.
    <1m
  2. At the question on the screen, give a reason and select Yes.
    • Windows asks for the reason for the rollback.
    <1m
NOTICE

CLOSE YOUR APPS AND SAVE YOUR WORK BEFORE THIS STEP.
Windows can ask for a restart at the end of a rollback.

  1. Wait until Windows completes the rollback.
    • The screen can go dark for some seconds during a display driver change.
    2m
  2. If Windows asks for a restart, restart the PC.
    2m

Do a check of the result

Estimated 4 min to 12 min

  1. Open Device Manager again.
    <1m
  2. Open the Driver tab for the same device.
    <1m
  3. Compare the driver version against the value on your paper.
    • A different value shows a successful rollback.
    <1m
  4. Do a test of the device.
    • Use the device for the task that showed the fault.
    2m

If the device does not work after the restart

Estimated 14 min to 38 min

  1. If the screen stays dark after the restart, start Windows in safe mode.
    • Safe mode starts Windows with a limited set of files and drivers.
    • Microsoft gives the path Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Startup Settings.
    • Then select Restart and select the safe mode option on the list.
    5m
  2. If you need an internet connection in safe mode, select the option with networking.
    • That option also loads the network drivers and the network services.
    1m
  3. In safe mode, install the driver from your USB drive.
    5m
  4. Restart the PC.
    • Windows starts in its usual mode after this restart.
    2m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

roll back a driver
Also called: rollback driver, go back to old driver, undo a driver update, revert driver, restore previous driver, downgrade driver
Roll Back Driver
Also called: roll back driver button, the rollback button, greyed out rollback button, roll back driver greyed out
Device Manager
Also called: device list, hardware list, devmgmt, where drivers are in windows
device driver
Also called: driver, hardware driver, graphics driver, display driver, network driver, wifi driver
safe mode
Also called: safemode, windows safe mode, safe mode with networking, start windows with basic drivers, black screen after driver update

When to use a professional

Stop if the PC has no display after a start in safe mode. Speak to the PC manufacturer.

Stop if an employer or a school controls your PC. A policy on a controlled PC can refuse a driver change. Speak to your IT administrator.

Stop if the device came with its own installer program from its manufacturer. That manufacturer gives its own removal tool for such a driver. Use that tool and not this page.

Stop before any change to a driver for a disk controller. A fault in that driver can prevent each start of Windows. Speak to the PC manufacturer.

This page gives one rollback for one device. Other routes to an older driver exist in the Microsoft documentation. This page does not instruct them.

Common questions

Why is the Roll Back Driver button greyed out?

Because Windows has no stored previous driver for that device to go back to. Microsoft's documentation is specific about when a backup driver gets stored: Windows sets a driver as the backup immediately after it installs successfully and Windows determines the device is working correctly. If the driver did not install cleanly, or the device did not work properly afterwards, no backup is set — which is a little cruel, because those are exactly the cases where you most want to undo it. The underlying function returns an error meaning no backup driver is set for the device, and the greyed-out button is that same condition shown in the interface. Your route then is a fresh install of a known-good driver from the device manufacturer.

Can I roll back more than once to get to an older driver?

No. Microsoft states that Windows maintains at most one backup driver package for a device, so this is a single undo and not a version history. There is a second consequence worth knowing: when the rollback replaces a driver that is not a built-in Windows driver and is not in use by any other device, Windows removes that replaced driver from the system entirely, on the assumption that you would only replace a driver if there were a problem with it. So the driver you are rolling away from may not be sitting there waiting if you change your mind. That is the reason this page has you write down the version and date before you touch anything.

What happens if the screen goes black after rolling back a display driver?

This is the scenario worth preparing for rather than reacting to, which is why the preparation section comes before the rollback on this page. The recovery route is safe mode, which Microsoft describes as starting Windows in a basic state using a limited set of files and drivers — that basic display driver is what gets you a picture back. You reach it through the recovery environment: Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Startup Settings, then Restart, and pick the safe mode entry from the list that appears. Once you are in, install the driver you saved to the USB stick beforehand, then restart normally. If you did not save one beforehand, this is the point where you find out why that step was there.

What if it was the network driver and I have no internet now?

Then you cannot download the fix on the machine that needs it, which is the trap. Two ways out. If you took this page's advice and put a replacement driver on a USB stick first, install that. If you did not, Microsoft's Safe Mode with Networking option loads the network drivers and services needed to reach the internet and other machines on your network, so booting into that variant may get you online long enough to fetch a driver. Failing both, you need a second computer and a USB stick. Get the driver from the device manufacturer's own support site rather than a driver-download site.

Do I need to be an administrator?

Yes, and Windows will not negotiate. Microsoft's documentation for the rollback function lists access denied as a standard failure, noting that Windows requires the caller to have administrator privileges to roll back a driver package. On a personal machine you will usually just clear a prompt. On a managed work or school laptop you may have no rights over drivers at all, and policy can block the change outright. That is an IT administrator conversation, not something to work around.

Is rolling back the same as installing an older driver manually?

No, and the difference matters. A rollback restores the specific driver package Windows itself stored as the backup for that device, which is the exact thing that was working before. Manually forcing an older driver from a list is a different operation, and Microsoft attaches an explicit caution to forcing driver installation: it can result in replacing a more compatible or newer driver package with a less compatible or older one. Windows normally only installs a driver if it is a better match for the device, and forcing bypasses that judgement. If the rollback button is available, prefer it. This page deliberately does not instruct the forced-install route.

Should I roll back a driver to fix a blue screen?

It is a reasonable move when the timing lines up, and Microsoft's own troubleshooting guidance for stop code errors points that way: it advises removing or updating recently added device drivers or system services, and identifying what changed in the system configuration. So if the crashes started right after a specific driver updated, that driver is a fair suspect. The caution is not to guess from the stop code alone — read the code first, note whether the stop screen named a driver file, and then decide. A rollback aimed at the wrong device costs you a working driver and tells you nothing.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1Functions that Simplify Driver InstallationMicrosoft · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  2. Tier 1DiRollbackDriver function (newdev.h)Microsoft · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  3. Tier 1Windows startup settingsMicrosoft · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  4. Tier 1Bug checks (stop code errors)Microsoft · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  5. Tier 1Windows 11 release informationMicrosoft · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  6. Tier 1Windows 10 release informationMicrosoft · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29

  1. v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. Built entirely from Microsoft's own documentation, read on 2026-07-29: 'Functions that Simplify Driver Installation' and the DiRollbackDriver reference page on learn.microsoft.com, read through the Microsoft Learn MCP connector, plus the support article served at the start-your-pc-in-safe-mode URL for the safe mode recovery route. The behavioural facts on this page — that Windows maintains at most one backup driver package per device, that a backup is only set when a driver installs successfully and the device then works correctly, that administrator permission is required, that a restart may be required, and that the replaced driver is removed from the system when it is not an inbox driver and not in use elsewhere — all come from Microsoft's driver installation documentation, which describes the programming interface behind the Device Manager button and states that the function performs the same operation as clicking Roll Back Driver on the Driver page. That interface itself is named in the boundary and never instructed. Two hazards are placed against the specific destructive outcomes of this procedure rather than against the procedure in general: loss of the network connection before the step that begins preparation, and loss of the display before the step that commits, both at WARNING because either can leave the reader unable to repair the machine from the machine. The procedure was verified against Microsoft's documentation, not executed on a machine, and this record says so rather than claiming a test result. The verified specification carries spec_key null: this drafting session was not permitted to write data/specs.json, so the registry entry must be added when the record is merged.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

The comment system is not connected yet. Comments are stored in GitHub Discussions through Giscus, outside this site, so that a redeploy cannot destroy them.