Battlefield 6 just dropped, and gamers are no doubt updating their graphics card drivers to get the best performance. While I also update my graphics drivers every few months, I can’t recall the last time I did the same for any other hardware in my PC. When I saw a discussion on Reddit about whether using a third-party driver update software is a good idea, I figured it was still apt to reiterate the long-standing rule to never use them.

That’s it. That’s the whole point of this article. But to know why, please read on.

What are drivers for?

They aren't chauffeurs

Drivers are files that tell the operating system how to interact with hardware. Without them, Windows wouldn't know what to do when it encounters a new network or graphics card. Given their importance, Windows comes bundled with a set of default drivers that work with most consumer hardware. This ensures that new components will at least be recognized and work when they’re plugged in. After the initial setup, they can be manually replaced with a newer version.

Newer drivers often contain performance and security patches that keep the system running at its best. Updating drivers manually, however, is an often fragmented process—at least on Windows 11. Unless the hardware manufacturer provides management software, drivers won’t cry out when they’re getting too old.

Monitoring the drivers' age in Windows requires the user to sift through Windows Device Manager and check them one by one. Given the tedium, it’s understandable that users would want a convenient, centralized way to update all their drivers, like using driver update utilities.

Please don’t use a driver update utility

Especially not paying for them

Here’s the thing: Windows 11 already does a good job of keeping all the drivers up to date. It silently runs as part of Windows Update and doesn’t demand a subscription fee. Although its drivers are often months behind the latest releases, I’ve rarely had components fail because of them (to the best of my knowledge, anyway). Some components may require manual updates, like legacy and specialized hardware that needs specific driver versions (like my ancient drawing tablet), but for those, I just look for them on their manufacturers' websites. As a side note, I'd imagine I'll need to do this more frequently now that Microsoft has announced that it will be deleting some legacy driver distributions from Windows Update.

And in consumer PCs, drivers rarely need updating unless it's to fix a major issue or a security patch. In the four years that I’ve had my desktop, I think I’ve only manually updated my wireless card driver once to fix its sporadic Bluetooth connectivity. I also update my graphics driver every few months to keep Lightroom’s hardware acceleration running smoothly, but I’m confident that it would still be fine even if I slowed down my update pace. The rules, of course, differ in enterprise, but sysadmins who manage devices for entire organizations are probably more capable of keeping their own machines healthy.

The redundancy of driver update utilities is well-known, so much so that many of them have been labeled as Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). Loaded with enough ads to make the Super Bowl jealous and flashing obnoxious warnings about performance degradations, most of them are designed to scare users into paying pricey subscription fees. Worse, some of them don't even perform their promised functions, such was the case for Advanced Driver Updater, essentially an ad masquerading as a tool. I've also read anecdotal reports that driver update utilities have been used to deliver malware, although I couldn't find any recent reports on such incidents.

So is there any point to these driver update utilities? In almost all cases, no. Besides wasting storage space, driver update utilities can actually introduce system instabilities by installing the wrong drivers, essentially creating problems where there were none. To be fair, Windows Update is also guilty of this, but it stands a better chance since its drivers are submitted by vendors and approved by Microsoft.

Stick with updaters from OEMs

Some first-party optimizers can be helpful

When uncertain, I steer clear of driver update utilities and just let Windows Update do its thing. But if you do need more frequent updates, most device and hardware manufacturers have their own updaters that are tailor-made for your device. For example, Lenovo Vantage keeps tabs on all of my ThinkPad’s drivers and firmware, and even lets me limit charging to preserve its battery’s integrity. It also has a portal to purchase parts for repair. Although I have to put up with its in-app promotions for Lenovo’s premium service, it has never splashed popup ads in my face, and uninstalling is painless and straightforward. Many other device manufacturers have their own comparable solutions, like Dell Update, HP Support Assistant, Nvidia App, AMD Radeon Software, just to name a few. The downside is that with so many available, they too can clog up the system, so I'd install them on a per-need basis.

I may be preaching to the choir here, and I honestly hope I am. Most XDA readers are likely already tech-savvy enough to avoid these types of software. Moreover, the conversation around driver update utilities has (thankfully) cooled in recent years. Despite this, they are still around, and I feel like it's also important to protect loved ones from wasting their money, hence why I think this point is worth reiterating.