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driverquery

Display Installed Device Drivers

What Does It Do?

The driverquery command displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties on a Windows system. It provides information about driver names, types, start modes, and current status.

Think of it like checking the inventory of all the "translators" your computer uses to communicate with hardware devices. Every piece of hardware (graphics card, network adapter, keyboard) needs a driver to work properly, and driverquery shows you what's installed.

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When Should I Use It?

Hardware Troubleshooting

Identify problematic or missing drivers causing hardware issues.

System Inventory

Document installed drivers for system audits and compliance.

Security Analysis

Check for unsigned or suspicious drivers that could pose security risks.

Driver Updates

Verify driver versions before and after system updates.

Common Commands

driverquery

Display basic information about all installed drivers in table format.

driverquery /v

Display verbose (detailed) information including driver path, description, and status.

driverquery /fo list

Format output as a list for easier reading of individual driver details.

driverquery /fo csv

Export driver information as CSV format for use in spreadsheets.

driverquery /nh

Display output without column headers (useful for scripting).

Pro Tip: Export for Analysis

You can export driver information to a file for later analysis or documentation:

driverquery /v /fo csv > C:\drivers.csv

This creates a CSV file that you can open in Excel or any spreadsheet application to sort, filter, and analyze your system's drivers.

Try It Yourself

Practice driverquery commands in the interactive terminal below: