How to Install NVIDIA Drivers Correctly (Manual Clean Method)

Skip bloatware and avoid future driver conflicts by doing a proper clean install of your NVIDIA GPU drivers manually. This step-by-step guide ensures your system runs lean and stable.

Why Manual Clean Installation?

GeForce Experience often installs extra services and telemetry. A clean manual install ensures you're only getting what you need, just the display driver and performance-critical components, no background apps, no clutter.

Step 1: Uninstall Current Drivers Using DDU (Optional)

1. If you're unfamiliar with DDU, check out our complete Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) guide
2. Download DDU from Guru3D
3. Extract the ZIP and run DDU from Windows Safe Mode (DDU will offer to reboot into Safe Mode)
4. Select "GPU" and "NVIDIA" in the dropdowns
5. Click Clean and restart

Step 2: Download the Latest Drivers

• Go to the official NVIDIA Driver Download page
• Select your GPU model manually (avoid auto-detection)
• Download the Game Ready Driver (GRD) or Studio Driver (SD) based on your use case

Step 3: Perform a Custom Clean Installation

1. Run the downloaded driver installer
2. Select NVIDIA Graphics Driver NOT NVIDIA Graphics Driver and NVIDIA App
3. Choose Custom (Advanced) install when prompted
4. Check the box labeled "Perform a clean installation"
5. Uncheck optional components like GeForce Experience, HD Audio, or Shield Wireless if not needed
6. Continue with installation, your screen may flash during the process

Post-Install Recommendations

• Reboot once the installation is complete
• Verify driver version via right-click on desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → System Information
• Optional: Disable NVIDIA Telemetry using tools like NVIDIA Profile Inspector

Final Thoughts

Doing a clean install manually ensures no leftovers from previous versions and eliminates unnecessary services that slow down your system. It's the preferred method for gamers, power users, and anyone troubleshooting GPU-related issues.

Bookmark this guide and come back after every major GPU driver update to keep your system running lean and stable.