Remove Hardware from Device Manager

Description: 

This article is applicable if you want to remove or reinstall hardware on your computer as part of troubleshooting.

Note: Make sure the account signed in has admin rights, or knows the credentials to the admin account.

1. Press the Windows key + X or right-click on the Start button to open the Power User menu.

2. From the menu, select "Device Manager." This will open the Device Manager window.

3. In the Device Manager window, locate the category that contains the hardware you want to remove. For example, if you want to remove a sound device, expand the "Sound, video and game controllers category.

4.Right-click on the specific hardware you want to remove. A context menu will appear.

5. From the context menu, select "Uninstall device." This will prompt a confirmation dialog box.

6. In the confirmation dialog box, check the box that says "Delete the driver software for this device" if you want to completely remove the drivers as well. If you plan to reinstall the hardware, it's recommended to leave this box unchecked.

7. Click on "Uninstall" to remove the hardware from Device Manager. Windows will begin the uninstallation process.

8. Wait for the uninstallation process to complete. This may take a few moments, depending on the hardware.

9. Once the hardware is successfully uninstalled, you can close the Device Manager window.