The Windows folder on your PC isn’t just system files and essential components. It’s also where Windows stores backup copies of the drivers you install, including those hefty NVIDIA and AMD graphics packages. And if you’re not careful, these backups can easily take up several gigabytes of storage without you even noticing it.
The fix is simple, though. Driver Storage Explorer is a free and open-source tool that lets you scan, find and remove old GPU drivers with a few clicks. It’s completely safe and far less intimidating than digging through system folders yourself.
OS
Windows
Price model
Free, open-source
Driver Store Explorer is a free tool that lets you delete old driver packages on Windows and clean the DriverStore folder.
The reason Windows stores old GPU drivers
They can come handy
Screenshot by Pankil Shah — No attribution required
When you install a new graphics driver from NVIDIA or AMD, Windows first stores the installer file in the DriverStore folder. You can find it at C: > Windows > System32 > DriverStore.
The reason for this is simple. Drivers are complex pieces of software that sit between your hardware and Windows. Also, they come from third-party vendors, not Microsoft. If the newer GPU driver package causes instability, a black screen, or random crashes in games, Windows needs a way to recover.
Storing older copies of drivers allows Windows to fall back to the older version when something goes wrong. If you’ve ever used the rollback feature in Device Manager and wondered where Windows pulls the older version from, it comes directly from the DriverStore folder.
Windows does this for all the drivers, be it network adapters, Bluetooth, camera, keyboard, or any other device. That way, if something breaks, Windows can fix it on its own without forcing you to download the older driver manually.
That said, GPU drivers deserve special attention because of their size. Unlike small peripheral drivers, graphics packages from NVIDIA and AMD can easily exceed a gigabyte each. And after multiple updates, those backups can easily take a lot of storage. In my case, the DriverStore folder had grown to 22GB. And on a 512GB machine, that’s a lot.
Driver Store Explorer makes it easy to wipe old drivers
A lightweight tool that does the heavy lifting
If you have peeked inside the DriverStore folder, you know it’s not exactly user-friendly. All the entries have long, cryptic names, which makes it difficult to figure out which ones belong to your old GPU drivers. Also, deleting them directly via File Explorer is not a good idea. Windows will give you the access denied error, and it’s also risky to force-delete these files.
You’re not out of luck, though. Driver Store Explorer is a free tool that turns the messy DriverStore folder into a clean, readable list. It shows you everything from driver names, versions, dates, and even which ones are currently in use. With it, you can easily spot old NVIDIA or AMD packages you no longer need.
To start, download and install the Driver Store Explorer on your PC. Run it with administrative privileges, and it’ll automatically scan the DriverStore folder. You can then sort entries based on size, date, or driver class using column headers. There’s even a search option if you want to see only NVIDIA or AMD drivers.
From there, use the checkboxes to select the drivers you want gone and hit Delete Drivers. If you’re worried about accidentally deleting an important driver, there’s a Select Old Drivers button. Click it, and the tool will automatically select all the old, unnecessary drivers for you. Note that this option selects all the old drivers, not just your GPU ones. The good thing is that Driver Store Explorer won’t select any of the drivers currently in use, so you don’t have to worry about breaking something.
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Should you delete old GPU drivers at all?
To delete or not to delete
Image Credit: Pankil ShahCredit: Pankil Shah/MakeUseOf
The short answer is, it depends. The old GPU drivers are there for a reason. It gives Windows a safety net.
If there’s plenty of free storage space, you shouldn’t really worry about the DriverStore folder or the old copies of GPU packages inside it. On a system with a 1TB drive, a few extra gigabytes used by old drivers is hardly noticeable.
That said, if the DriverStore folder has grown too large, and your PC only has 256GB or 512GB of internal storage, deleting old GPU drivers makes sense. It’s perfectly safe, and as long as you do it right with a tool like Driver Store Explorer, you shouldn’t face any issues. Still, if you want complete peace of mind, you can set up the system restore feature on Windows. It only takes a few minutes and gives you a quick way back if something unexpected happens.
How often should you wipe old drivers?
You don’t need to treat driver cleanup like routine maintenance. For most people, checking twice or thrice a year is more than enough. But if you regularly update your GPU driver manually, you may want to check it a bit more often. The real trigger is low disk space. If you’re struggling with storage space, running the Driver Store Explorer is an easy way to reclaim space with a few clicks.
