Updating Your Drivers and Operating System
Out-of-date drivers and operating systems can cause a variety of issues and are one of the first things to check when a game is having problems. The instructions below will help you check and update your drivers.
- Even new computers can have out-of-date drivers and operating systems because updates are released routinely.
- Some games and programs might run fine on a system with old drivers, but outdated drivers can still create technical issues with specific games or programs.
- Check our supported video cards articles to make sure your hardware is compatible:
Refer to the steps below to update drivers and software for your operating system.
Windows®
- Press Windows + R.
- Type DxDiag and click OK.
- After the DirectX Diagnostic Tool loads, click the Display tab.
- The video card's name and manufacturer are listed in the Device section.The current driver version is listed in the Driver section.
- Visit the driver manufacturer's website to obtain the most up-to-date driver. Contact the driver manufacturer for assistance with updating the driver. If the computer is under warranty, contact the computer manufacturer.
- Press Windows + R.
- Type DxDiag and click OK.
- After the DirectX Diagnostic Tool loads, click the Sound tab.
- The current driver version is listed in the Driver section.
- Visit the driver manufacturer's website to obtain the most up-to-date driver. Contact the driver manufacturer for assistance with updating the driver. If the computer is under warranty, contact the computer manufacturer.
- Click Start (Windows Key + Q in Windows 8).
- Click Control Panel. If there is an option to Switch to Classic View, do so.
- Click System.
- Click the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.
- Expand the Network Adapters category. Make note of the network card name and model listed.
- Double-click the network card listed.
- Click the Driver tab and make note of the driver date and version.
- Visit the driver manufacturer's website to obtain the most up-to-date driver. Contact the driver manufacturer for assistance with updating the driver. If the computer is under warranty, contact the computer manufacturer.
Experienced users can download and install the latest motherboard chipset drivers to help resolve rare issues caused by outdated motherboard chipset drivers. Although it is out of the Scope of Technical Support for Blizzard to assist, you can search on your own for a program that will tell you what type of motherboard you have, then visit the manufacturer’s website for the update.
Run Windows Update. The Windows Update link works best with Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer
Note: The newest service packs may not automatically install when you run Windows Update. You must manually choose to install new service packs in Windows Update.
After the updates have been installed, check if there are additional Windows Updates available.
Mac®
A Software Update is an incremental update of the Mac OS and its applications, Security Updates, device drivers, and firmware updates. For Blizzard games, it is important to download and install all software updates, as our games are designed for the latest version of the supported system requirements.
See Apple's OS X: Updating OS X and Mac App Store app page for Software Update instructions.
During technical troubleshooting, you may be required to reinstall an OS update or driver. In order to reinstall drivers and files for the latest OS X build, you can download a Combo Update.
You can find the latest Combo Update for your operating system located on Apple's Support Download page.
When an older OS has no more incremental updates, you will need to upgrade to a new OS to obtain newer drivers and updates. Blizzard titles require version 10.10 or newer to run properly.
Upgrading to 10.10
Follow the instructions in Apple's How to Upgrade guide, to update your Mac to the most recent version of MacOS.