Clean Installation of Wireless Wi-Fi Drivers
Content Type: Troubleshooting | Article ID: 000022173 | Last Reviewed: 08/16/2026
Support Knowledge Base
Environment
Operating System
Windows 7 family*, Windows 8.1 family*, Windows 8 family*, Windows® 10 family
Why support teams might recommend a clean installation of the wireless Wi-Fi drivers
Doing a clean install of the software/drivers for any hardware can help to fix specific issues that can be associated so any additional software that might be causing malfunction. Corrupted files from previous installations of drivers can linger on a system which can cause driver updates to not work as expected.
When doing a clean driver install customers can expect improvements on their wireless Wi-Fi connection. It is recommended to use always the latest available versions of the Wireless Wi-Fi drivers.
Please follow support recommendations before doing a clean install.
This article will assist you in performing a clean installation of your wireless Wi-Fi drivers. For information on updating your wireless Wi-Fi adapter software or drivers, see our Software and Driver Installation Guide for Intel® Wireless Adapters.
Select your OS with the drop down menu below:
Note | When you uninstall the Wi-Fi drivers from your system, the operating system (OS) may no longer recognize the wireless Wi-Fi adapter and it becomes unusable. If you are going to uninstall the driver, make sure to download the latest Wi-Fi driver available before starting the process. |
What are you seeing?
Connectivity issues after attempting to update drivers.
Why are you seeing it?
These issues may be related to:
- Corrupted drivers
- Corrupted settings
- Switching from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) provided driver to an Intel® generic version
- Switching from an Intel® generic driver to an OEM provided driver
How to fix it.
Before attempting a clean reinstallation of your wireless Wi-Fi drivers, try to resolve your problem using our Troubleshooting Tips for Intel® Wireless Technology.
Because a number of different issues can lead to this problem, a clean installation of wireless Wi-Fi drivers may be a good troubleshooting method if you are having trouble identifying the problem.
Step 1: Download and save the driver using one of the below options:
- Get the latest system-specific driver from your computer manufacturer support.
- Download the latest Wi-Fi Driver for Your Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter.
Step 2: Uninstall the Wi-Fi driver.
| Note | Windows* may have an inbox Wi-Fi driver that came preinstalled on your system. These types of driver can't be uninstalled (you won't see the "Delete the driver software for this device" option). Proceed to the next step if you start seeing the same version of the driver installed automatically after performing the uninstall process. The video above provides additional details on inbox drivers. |
- Go to Device Manager.
- Expand the Network Adapters category.
- Right-click your Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter and choose to uninstall it.
- Make sure to the option to Delete the driver software for this device is selected.
- Repeat steps A through D until the option to Delete the driver software for this device is greyed out.
2. Restart your computer.
Step 3: Driver installation.
Locate the driver you downloaded back in Step 1. Right-click the file you downloaded and select the option to Run as administrator. For additional information refer to the video above.
(Optional Step) Apply the Recommended Settings for Wireless Connectivity.
Step 2: Uninstall the Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Wireless Wi-Fi driver.
- If you don't see Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software under Programs and Features, proceed with the number 2.
- Open Programs and Features (Uninstall a program) from the Control Panel.
- Select Uninstall or Change and then Remove.
- When prompted, choose to discard settings.
- Uninstall your wireless Wi-Fi driver. Windows* with an inbox driver may natively support some wireless Wi-Fi adapters. You can't uninstall an inbox driver (you won't see the "Delete the driver software for this device" option). Proceed to the next step if you start seeing the same version of the driver installed automatically after it’s uninstalled.
- Go to Device Manager.
- Expand the Network Adapters category.
- Right-click your Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter and choose to uninstall it.
- Make sure the option to Delete the driver software for this device is selected.
- Restart your computer.
Step 3: Driver installation.
Locate the driver you downloaded in Step 1. Right click and select Run as administrator, then follow the installation wizard to completion.
(Optional Step) Apply the Recommended Settings for Wireless Connectivity.
If still your system is showing the error during the instalation process, contact your original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for additional support or contact Intel Support for additional assistance.