How to disable automatic driver install on Windows 11

To disable automatic driver installation on Windows 11, open Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings > Hardware > Device Installation Settings, then select “No (your device might not work as expected).”
You can also block driver updates using the Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor.
These methods give you full control over whether drivers are downloaded during updates.

UPDATED 8/5/2025: Although Windows 11 can download drivers for hardware without user interaction, you may sometimes prefer not to have the system install them automatically. For instance, if the system keeps trying to install an incompatible version or a buggy driver, that can result in unwanted issues. Or you may want to stop Windows 11 from installing drivers automatically because a newer or older version may work better on your computer.

Regardless of the reason, the operating system includes multiple ways to disable automatic device driver downloads and installations using the Settings app, Group Policy, and the Registry.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to change the settings and stop Windows 11 from automatically installing drivers on your computer.

Disable automatic driver install on Windows 11
Disable automatic driver install from Group Policy
Disable automatic driver install from Registry

Disable automatic driver install on Windows 11

To stop Windows 11 from installing device drivers automatically, use these steps:

Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on System.
Click the About tab.
Click the “Advanced system settings” option under the “Device specifications” section.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click the “Device Installation Settings” button.
Select the “No (your device might not work as expected)” option.
Click the Save Changes button.
Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will no longer install drivers automatically for new devices. If you add a new graphics card or printer, you will have to download and install the drivers manually.

Disable automatic driver install from Group Policy

Alternatively, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor to stop the operating system from installing driver updates on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education.

To disable driver installs automatically with Group Policy, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Browse the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage updates offered from Windows Update

Double-click the “Do not include driver with Windows Update” option.
Check the Enabled option.
Click the Apply button.
Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the policy will be enabled, and Windows Update will stop providing drivers during updates.

While this policy works as advertised, it has some limitations since the operating system can ignore this policy in some scenarios, such as when setting up the system for the first time.

If you want to stop automatic driver updates completely, you can enable the “Do not include drivers with Windows Updates” policy and select the “No (your device might not work as expected)” option on the “Device Installation Settings” page, as shown above.

Disable automatic driver install from Registry

If you use Windows 11 Home, you won’t have access to the Local Group Policy Editor. However, you can disable the feature through the Registry, but since this option is available only on Windows 11 Pro and higher versions, this workaround may not always work for “Home” users.

Warning: It’s essential to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and have created a full backup of your system before proceeding.

Open Start.
Search for regedit and click the top result to open the Registry.

Browse the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching

Double-click the SearchOrderConfig DWORD key, and change its value from 1 to 0.
Click OK.
Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, setting “SearchOrderConfig” to “0” will block drivers from updating every time Windows 11 checks for new updates.

You can always revert the changes using the same steps, but in step 4, change the DWORD key value from 0 to 1.

Alternatively, you can also change the Registry using Command Prompt (admin) with the reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching" /v SearchOrderConfig /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f command.

You can revert the changes with the reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching" /v SearchOrderConfig /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f command.

Update August 5, 2025: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.