Microsoft finally confirms that Windows 11 downgrades GPU drivers on OEM devices, and is planning to launch a partial fix by Q4 2026.
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Specifically, Microsoft is looking to start applying this fix to Windows 11 PCs in April 2026. Only by Q4 will the update be applied to everyone.
The fix Microsoft is cooking up narrows down how many devices Windows Update can target with specific GPU driver updates. GPU drivers that are published to the Windows Update catalog using this system incorporate a two-part hardware ID (HWID) in conjunction with computer hardware IDs (CHIDs). The latter is an ID designation designed to identify a specific PC model or hardware configuration.
This two-pronged approach gives Windows Update better information on when to expose GPU drivers to Windows 11 machines. The outgoing system Microsoft is using only considers a four-part hardware ID as part of a ranking system. The worst part about this system is that it will not take into consideration the GPU driver model specifically, which is what allows Windows Update to downgrade GPU drivers in the first place. Whichever driver is ranked highest in the Windows Update catalog for systems with a specified hardware ID, Windows Update will push even if the driver itself is outdated.
However, there is a caveat with this system — only device display drivers that target new devices can get the update. Existing drivers in the Windows Update catalog may still get forcibly applied on older systems.
Windows Update has long had a problem where the service will automatically downgrade GPU drivers in the right circumstances. This is specifically problematic with OEM machines when the OEM has uploaded a GPU driver to the Windows Update catalog. One issue I've run into personally is the inability to clean install Intel Xe drivers on my Windows 11 laptop. Doing so automatically triggers Windows Update to install several older Intel graphics driver revisions.
Unfortunately, Microsoft's update won't fix the issue entirely, but it is at least a start. To clarify, this specific fix is different from the Cloud-Initiated Driver Recovery feature Microsoft rolled out recently.
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- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-is-working-on-a-fix-to-downgraded-gpu-drivers-in-windows-update-new-system-uses-multiple-ids#main
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