The Device Manager in Windows 11/10 provides a central and organized view of all the Microsoft Windows recognized hardware installed on a computer. The Device Manager helps change hardware configuration options, manage drivers, enable or disable hardware, identify conflicts between hardware devices, etc. Device Manager also helps troubleshoot devices when they don’t work properly. Let us see how to open and use the Device Manager in Windows 11/10. You may need to be logged in using an administrator account. We will also show you how to run Device Manager as administrator.
How to open the Device Manager in Windows 11/10
The Device Manager in Windows 11/10 can be opened in the following ways:
- Using the WinX Menu
- Using Windows 10 Search
- Using Run box
- Using Command-line
- Using Control Panel
- Using Computer Management
- Using File Explorer
- Windows 11/10 Settings app
- Task Manager
- Using a Desktop Shortcut.
We will now learn about all these methods in detail.
1] Using the WinX Menu
You can open the WinX Menu by using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + X. You can also right-click on the Start Menu and then select the option ‘Device Manager’.
2] Using Windows 10 Search
To open the Device Manager using the Search option, click on the ‘Search icon’ or ‘Search box’ next to the Start button. Type in Device Manager in the search box and then simply select the option.
3] Using Run box
You can open the Device Manager using the Run box method with the help of any one of the three Run commands- devmgmt.msc or control hdwwiz.cpl in the open field. Simply press the Windows Key + R. Type in any one of the mentioned commands in the Open field and then select OK.
4] Using Command-line
Execute one of the following commands in CMD or PowerShell:
devmgmt.msc
OR
control hdwwiz.cpl
5] Using Control Panel
Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers > Device Manager.
You can also access it using Control Panel’s Icon View
Open Control Panel > All Control Panel Items. To do that, click on the View by drop-down menu, and choose Large icons or Small icons, depending on your preference. All the Control Panel items will appear. Select the ‘Device Manager’ option.
Read: How to use Driver Verifier Manager in Windows
6] Using Computer Management
Open the Computer Management Tool on your Windows 10 PC.
Under System Tools, click on Device Manager to launch it.
7] Using File Explorer
Windows 11
- Open Explorer
- In the Navigation pane, right-click on This PC
- Select Show more options
- Next select Manage from the context menu
- Computer Management window will open
- Click on System Tools > Device Manager.
Windows 10
In Windows 10, go to File Explorer You will see ‘This PC’ in the left navigation pane. Right-click on This PC and select ‘Manage’ from the Context Menu. The Computer Management Tool window will open.
Now once Computer Management opens, click on System Tools > Device Manager.
So, these are the various ways to open Device Manager in Windows 11/10. Hope this was helpful for beginners!
8] Open Device Manager using the Settings app of Windows 11/10
The steps to open Device Manager using the Settings app of Windows 11/10 are as follows:
- Press the Win+I hotkey to open the Settings app
- In the System category, access the About page available on the right section
- Scroll down the page to access the Related settings section
- Click on the Device Manager option.
Alternatively, you can also use the Search box or Find a setting box of the Settings app to access the Device Manager window.
9] Open Device Manager using the Task Manager
These are the steps to open Device Manager using the Task Manager in Windows 11/10:
- Open Windows 11/10 Task Manager
- Click on the File menu
- Click on the Run new task option and a Create new task box will open
- Type
devmgmt.mscin the text box of Create new task box - Press the Enter key or click on the OK button.
10] Open Device Manager using a Desktop Shortcut
Follow these steps to open Device Manager using a desktop shortcut on Windows 11/10:
- Right-click on an empty area of your Windows 11/10 desktop
- Access the New menu
- Click on the Shortcut option. This will launch a Create Shortcut wizard
- In the Create Shortcut wizard, type
devmgmt.mscin the text field available for Type the location of the item section - Press the Next button
- Enter a name for the shortcut (say, Device Manager)
- Press the Finish button.
How to run Device Manager as administrator?
You do not normally require to run Device Manager as administrator. However, you might need to do it if you want to change the components inside. Here are multiple ways to run Device Manager as an administrator in Windows:
- Open Task Manager, click Run new task, type devmgmt.msc in the box, select Create this task with administrative privileges.
- Open Powershell with admin rights, type the following, and hit Enter:
start "C:\Windows\System32\devmgmt.msc" - Run Command Prompt as administrator, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
- Right-click an empty space on the desktop > New > Shortcut. In the Create Shortcut Wizard, type devmgmt.msc > click Next. Name it Device Manager > click Finish. A shortcut will appear on your desktop. Right-click the shortcut and select Run as Administrator.
- Open Win+R, type devmgmt.msc, Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to start it as administrator.
- Type devmgmt.msc into the search box, and then from the right side, select Run as administrator to execute.
How to use Device Manager to troubleshoot Driver issues in Windows 11/10
You can use the Device Manager to identify a problematic driver. To do so, type Device Manager in Windows search and hit Enter.
If you see a triangular yellow exclamation mark, then this driver could be a suspect. Here is an example:
Right-click on it to open its Properties.
This will give the current status of this Driver. You can also check for Solutions online under the General tab.
If you feel that this Driver could be the cause, then under the Driver tab of the Properties box, you have the option to either Rollback, Update, Disable or Uninstall the Driver.
How do I open Device Manager from CMD?
To open Device Manager from CMD (Command Prompt window), type devmgmt.msc command and press Enter key to execute that command. You can also open Device Manager from File Explorer, using a desktop shortcut, Windows 11/10 Settings app, Task Manager, Run Command box, and more. All the possible ways to open Device Manager in Windows 11/10 are covered in this post.
Read: Device Manager shows multiple processors in Windows
Where is Device Manager in Windows 11/10 file location?
Device Manager is located in the System32 folder of Windows 11/10 OS. That folder contains devmgmt.msc (Microsoft Common Console Document) file of Device Manager. Its location is:
C:\Windows\System32
Or else, if you want to open the Device Manager window on your Windows 11/10 computer, then you can do that using File Explorer, Windows Search box, Computer Management, and other ways. You can check all such options covered by us above.
If you know of any more ways to open the Device Manager on your Windows 11/10 PC, do let us know in the comments down below.
Read next: Device Manager is blank and not showing anything in Windows.
