Skilling snack: Windows driver update management

How do you manage Windows driver updates? Whether you've been using Microsoft Intune or Windows Autopatch, today it's a cohesive unified experience. Learn about different ways to utilize our controls, such as through ring-based rollout, individual policies, or programmatically. You'll also find resources for developers and key reminders for on-premises management. Everything you need is in one place to help you navigate driver updates with confidence.

Time to learn: 86 mins

Use Windows Autopatch in Microsoft Intune

Interested in a ring-based rollout of Windows driver updates? Streamline the update experience by taking action across all of your Autopatch group policies simultaneously.

• Manage driver and firmware updates with Windows Autopatch (8 mins): Control the flow of drivers to an Autopatch group or rings within an Autopatch group with driver and firmware policies. Choose between automatic and manual modes, and then approve and deploy recommended drivers, extensions, plug-and-play driver updates, and others.
  Autopatch + Enterprise + Policy + Extensions + Plug and play

Manage drivers in individual policies

• Learn about Windows driver updates policy for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices in Intune (20 mins): Start with this overview of the prerequisites and architecture of Windows driver update management. Walk through creating a deployment plan before creating and managing your policies. Frequently asked questions and their answers might help you consider additional scenarios.
  Intune + Microsoft Entra ID + RBAC + Diagnostic data + Autopatch + Sync + BIOS + Extension + Plug and Play + ConfigMgr

• Manage Windows driver and firmware updates with Microsoft Intune (7 mins): Keep drivers on your Windows devices up to date with driver update policies and reports using Intune. Follow the steps in this article to set deployment rings, review available drivers, and approve or pause drivers. Learn how to use built-in reporting to monitor and remediate issues.
  Intune + Policies + Deployment rings + Reports + Autopatch

• Create Windows driver updates policy for Windows devices in Intune (22 mins): Follow this guidance to get started with Windows driver update policies. First, learn how to create the right policy profile. Consider what you need to manage and maintain driver update policies. Finally, learn how to take advantage of the status of driver updates and bulk driver updates.
  Intune + Policy + Approval + Status + Recommendations + Autopatch + Bulk actions

Use programmatic controls

• Programmatic controls in Windows Autopatch for drivers and firmware (16 mins): Approve and schedule drivers and firmware updates through the Microsoft Graph API. Review the prerequisites and Graph Explorer basics. Use sample queries to identify and enroll devices, create a deployment audience, create an update policy, and finally review and approve driver content for deployment. If needed, check out guidance to revoke content approval, unenroll devices, and address other considerations.
  Microsoft Graph + API + Query + Group Policy + CSP + Autopatch + Intune + Microsoft Entra ID + Compliance

Bonus for hardware developers

• Roadmap for Windows device and driver installation (3 mins): If you create device drivers for Windows, follow this guidance to install a device and driver in the Windows operating system.
  Installation + Driver package + INF file + Sign + Secure Boot + Windows Update

Helpful reminders

• Deprecation of WSUS driver synchronization (2 mins): Prepare for change if you're using driver synchronization updates via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). This service is scheduled for deprecation on April 18, 2025. Consider existing cloud-based alternatives.
  WSUS + Server + Microsoft Update Catalog + Device driver packages + Intune + Autopatch
• Device driver packages (8 mins): If you manage Windows on-premises, you can add driver packages to a Windows image before, during, or after you deploy the image. Besides this helpful guidance, learn how to manage driver folders. Understand driver rankings and digital signature requirements.
  Windows + Image + DISM + Windows PE + PnP + S mode + Signature

What do you use to manage Windows driver updates? Leave us a comment below!

For more resources on a variety of topics, check out our Windows skilling snacks library, revamped for its two-year anniversary.

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