How to Roll Back NVIDIA Drivers in Windows 11/10

NVIDIA graphics drivers are responsible for helping Windows communicate properly with your NVIDIA graphics card. They can improve gaming performance, add support for new games, fix bugs, and introduce new features. However, a newly installed driver can sometimes cause unexpected problems, such as game crashes, screen flickering, graphical glitches, black screens, performance drops, or application compatibility issues.

If the problem started shortly after updating your NVIDIA driver, rolling back to the previous driver can be a useful troubleshooting step. Windows provides a Roll Back Driver option through Device Manager, and NVIDIA also documents this method for returning to a previous driver version.

Let’s learn the steps to roll back your NVIDIA Drivers on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

How to Roll Back NVIDIA Drivers in Windows 11/10

If a recent NVIDIA driver update caused a problem, you can roll it back through Device Manager. Open Device Manager, expand Display adapters, open your NVIDIA graphics card’s properties, select the Driver tab, choose Roll Back Driver, confirm the reason, and restart Windows. The rollback option is available only when Windows has a previous driver version that it can return to.

Let’s go through the process step by step.

Step 1: Open Device Manager

The first thing you need to do is open Device Manager. This is a Windows tool that lets you view and manage hardware devices and their drivers.

If you are using Windows 11 or Windows 10, right-click the Start button. A menu will appear. Look for Device Manager and select it.

You can also open it using Windows Search. Click the Search button on the taskbar and type Device Manager. When Device Manager appears in the search results, select it.

A new window containing a long list of hardware categories will open. Do not worry if the list looks complicated. For this procedure, you only need to find your graphics card.

You need administrator permissions to roll back a driver, so make sure you are using an account that has permission to make system changes.

Step 2: Expand Display Adapters

Inside Device Manager, look for the category called Display adapters.

The categories are arranged alphabetically, so you should find Display adapters relatively easily. You will see a small arrow next to it.

Click the arrow next to Display adapters to expand the category.

You should now see your graphics hardware listed underneath it. If your computer has an NVIDIA graphics card, its name will normally contain NVIDIA, followed by the GPU model.

For example, you might see a name such as NVIDIA GeForce RTX or another NVIDIA GeForce model.

Be careful not to select the wrong device if your computer has multiple graphics adapters. Some laptops have both an integrated graphics processor and a dedicated NVIDIA GPU. Make sure you select the NVIDIA graphics adapter whose driver you want to roll back.

Microsoft also recommends expanding Display adapters when troubleshooting display-driver problems.

Step 3: Open the NVIDIA Graphics Card Properties

Once you have found your NVIDIA graphics card, right-click its name.

A small context menu will appear. Select Properties.

A new window called something similar to NVIDIA GeForce Properties will open. This window contains information about your graphics card and several tabs for managing it.

At this point, do not select Uninstall Device or Update Driver. The option you need is located inside the Driver tab.

Step 4: Open the Driver Tab

At the top of the NVIDIA properties window, you will see several tabs.

Select the Driver tab.

You should now see information about the currently installed NVIDIA driver. Depending on your Windows version and driver, this can include the Driver Provider, Driver Date, Driver Version, and other information.

This is a useful place to check which driver is currently installed.

For example, if you recently updated your NVIDIA driver and immediately started experiencing crashes, you can compare the current driver information with the version you previously used if you have recorded it.

You should also see several buttons related to driver management.

Look for Roll Back Driver.

Step 5: Select Roll Back Driver

Click Roll Back Driver.

If the button is available, Windows has a previous driver package that it can use for the rollback. Microsoft states that the rollback option may be unavailable when Windows does not have a previous driver version available.

Windows may display a small window asking why you want to roll back the driver.

You may see reasons such as the previous driver being more reliable, the current driver not working properly, or the current driver causing problems.

Select the reason that most accurately describes your situation.

You do not need to worry about choosing an option that changes anything beyond the rollback process. Windows uses this information as part of the driver rollback process.

Step 6: Confirm the NVIDIA Driver Rollback

After selecting a reason, click Yes to confirm that you want to roll back the NVIDIA driver.

Windows will then replace the current NVIDIA driver with the previous driver package that is available on your computer.

The screen may temporarily flicker, go black for a moment, or change resolution while Windows switches the graphics driver. This can be normal during a display-driver change.

Do not turn off your computer while Windows is performing the operation.

NVIDIA’s documented rollback procedure also uses the NVIDIA graphics device’s Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver path.

Step 7: Restart Your Windows PC

After the rollback has completed, restart your computer.

Restarting is important because Windows and applications need to load the previous graphics driver properly.

Select Start > Power > Restart in Windows 11 or Windows 10.

After your computer starts again, Windows should be using the previous NVIDIA driver.

Step 8: Check the NVIDIA Driver Version

After restarting, it is a good idea to verify that the rollback actually happened.

Open Device Manager again and expand Display adapters.

Right-click your NVIDIA graphics card and select Properties. Open the Driver tab.

Check the Driver Version and Driver Date.

If the rollback was successful, the installed driver information should correspond to the previous driver rather than the recently installed version.

You can also test the problem that originally caused you to roll back. For example, if a game started crashing after the latest NVIDIA update, launch the game and see whether the original issue still occurs.

Step 9: Test Your Graphics Card and Applications

Once Windows has restarted, spend a few minutes checking whether the problem has improved.

If you were experiencing game crashes, launch the affected game. If you had screen flickering, use the computer normally for a while and watch for the issue. If you experienced a performance drop, test the application or game where you noticed it.

Do not immediately assume that every graphics problem is caused by the NVIDIA driver. Display cables, Windows updates, game settings, overheating, hardware problems, and application-specific issues can also cause similar symptoms.

If the problem disappeared after the rollback, that is useful evidence that the newer driver may have been involved.

What to Do If Roll Back Driver Is Greyed Out

Sometimes you may open the NVIDIA Driver tab and discover that Roll Back Driver is greyed out or unavailable.

This does not necessarily mean that Device Manager is broken.

The rollback feature depends on Windows having a previous driver available. Microsoft specifically notes that if Roll Back Driver is unavailable, Windows does not have a previous driver to roll back to.

This can happen if the old driver package is no longer stored on the computer, if the current driver was installed in a way that removed the previous version, or after certain driver cleanup operations.

In this situation, you can manually install an older compatible NVIDIA driver instead. Before doing that, identify your exact NVIDIA GPU model and your Windows version, then obtain the appropriate older driver from NVIDIA or your computer manufacturer.

Another option is System Restore if you have a restore point from before the driver update. System Restore can return system files and settings to an earlier state without affecting personal files.

Faqs

Can I roll back NVIDIA drivers without uninstalling them?

Yes. If Windows still has the previous driver package, you can normally use Device Manager > Display adapters > NVIDIA GPU > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver. You do not need to manually uninstall the current driver first.

Why can’t I see the Roll Back Driver option?

The most common reason is that Windows does not have a previous driver available for the device. Microsoft states that the option is unavailable when there is no previous driver to return to.

Will rolling back the NVIDIA driver delete my personal files?

A normal driver rollback does not delete your documents, photos, videos, or other personal files. It changes the driver used by your NVIDIA graphics hardware.

Do I need to restart after rolling back an NVIDIA driver?

Yes. Restarting Windows allows the previous driver to load properly and gives you a clean opportunity to test whether the original problem has been resolved.

Can I roll back to any old NVIDIA driver?

The Roll Back Driver button normally returns you to the previous driver package that Windows has available. It is not a tool for choosing any NVIDIA driver version you want.

If you specifically need an older version that is not stored on your PC, you generally need to download and install that version manually from an appropriate NVIDIA driver source.

What if the older NVIDIA driver does not fix the problem?

If rolling back does not resolve the issue, the problem may have another cause. You can investigate Windows updates, game or application updates, display cables, graphics settings, overheating, or other hardware and software issues. Microsoft also recommends other display-driver troubleshooting methods when a rollback does not solve the problem.

Summary

Rolling back an NVIDIA driver can be a straightforward way to troubleshoot problems that appear after a recent graphics-driver update. In Windows 11 and Windows 10, the easiest method is to open Device Manager, expand Display adapters, open the NVIDIA graphics card’s Properties, select the Driver tab, choose Roll Back Driver, confirm the operation, and restart your PC.

The most important thing to remember is that Roll Back Driver may only be available when Windows has a previous driver package available. 

If the option is greyed out, you may need to consider manually installing an older compatible driver or using an available System Restore point instead.