How to fix Nvidia GeForce driver error not downloading/installing

Having trouble downloading graphics drivers using Nvidia GeForce Experience or its other tools? Have you tried installing the downloaded drivers and found that they do not follow your instructions? If so, you may not be able to use up the powerful graphics card you bought for hundreds of dollars from Nvidia. Why did this happen?

Discover why Nvidia drivers are not downloading or installing on your device and what you can do to fix it.

How to fix Nvidia driver not downloading error on Windows

There are two main reasons why Nvidia drivers won't download: The automatic download setting is disabled, or there's a problem with the Nvidia graphics software itself. Here are the steps you need to follow to fix it.

1. Enable automatic downloads in Nvidia GeForce Experience

To enable automatic downloads in Nvidia GeForce, follow the steps below:

1. Launch GeForce Experience by searching "GeForce Experience" in Windows Search.

2. In the upper right corner, click Settings (gear icon).

3. In the left sidebar, click the General tab.

4. Then, scroll to the bottom of the General settings page and check the Automatically download driver updates box and let me choose when to install .

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Close the Nvidia client and relaunch it afterwards. Then, select the driver tab on the main client screen and you'll see the latest update available for installation. If you don't see anything, click the Check For Updates box , which will download the latest update. If that doesn't help, move on to the next step.

2. Download the driver manually

If the above method does not work, you can download and install the driver manually. Here are the steps you need to follow.

1. Go to the Nvidia driver download page.

2. Choose the right product type, product line and product.

3. Next, select the appropriate operating system.

4. Select Game Ready Driver (GRD) from the Download Type drop-down menu .

5. Click the Search button when the correct options have been selected.

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6. Depending on the hardware, Nvidia will find the right driver.

7. Click the Download button.

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If Nvidia Experience or any other Nvidia client doesn't automatically download drivers, you can download them manually. But what if they don't install after downloading?

How to fix Nvidia driver not installing on Windows

Nvidia drivers that fail to install can be caused by interference from Windows security features or an anti-virus application that protects your device, using an outdated Nvidia GeForce client, downloading incompatible drivers (graphics card) your device does not support), have physical connection problems, or have outdated drivers in the operating system.

If the Nvidia software fails to install the driver, follow these steps.

1. Turn off antivirus protection

Windows Defender or third-party antivirus software helps us catch viruses before they wreak havoc on the device. However, there are times when they don't allow secure processes to execute because these tools see them as a threat.

First, you should make sure that anti-virus software or Windows Defender is not interfering with the driver installation process. Disabling them is the best way to do this. Not sure how to turn off Windows' built-in security? Check out TipsMake's guide on how to disable Windows Defender.

Also, if you are using any third-party antivirus, refer to the official instructions on the developer's website. After disabling them, try reinstalling the driver.

Reactivate Windows Defender or your anti-virus software after successfully installing the driver. Otherwise, you could put your device at risk.

2. Make sure Windows is up to date

Running an outdated Windows operating system can also interfere with driver installation, just as outdated GeForce Experience clients can cause problems. Therefore, make sure that there are no pending OS updates.

3. Eliminate compatibility issues

Your Nvidia driver may also fail to install if you are trying to install an incompatible driver. Each graphics card requires a different driver. As a result, the Nvidia client will give up if the driver you're trying to install doesn't match your hardware.

Therefore, you should carefully check the graphics card installed on your device, then manually download the driver corresponding to the hardware according to the manual driver download instructions. If you are confident that the driver is compatible with your hardware, move on to the next step.

4. Install the driver manually

If the Nvidia client cannot install the drivers, you can install them manually. To do that, follow the instructions listed above to download the driver manually. Once the driver has been downloaded, right-click the driver installer package and click Run as administrator .

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Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver manually.

5. Install an older driver version

Are you trying to install a newly released driver? Sometimes, newly released drivers have bugs that prevent them from being installed. If you're having this problem with a driver recently released by Nvidia, try installing an older version.

If the old version installs smoothly, the problem lies with the new driver. Nvidia forums can be a great place to confirm this as other users may also have the same problem. If so, wait for Nvidia to fix the problem. You can stick with the older version until then.

6. Reinstall GeForce Experience client

If none of the above fixes helped you install the driver, your last resort is to uninstall GeForce Experience or any other client you're using and reinstall it. This will certainly take time. However, it will save you from having to deal with this problem again in the future.

For a successful reinstall, uninstall your current uninstall and delete any junk files on the system. In some cases, the remains of some client files may remain in the following locations and need to be deleted manually:

C:Program FilesNVIDIA Corporation C:Program Files (x86)NVIDIA Corporation

Not being able to download and install newly released drivers can be very frustrating. If you follow the fixes in the list, you should be able to download and install the Nvidia driver easily. If the fixes don't work, you can use third-party tools to update your drivers.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 27 June 2023