DDU Guide

Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) Guide

This guide was written for version V18.0.6.1. Future versions may differ slightly.

DISCLAIMER: You take full responsibility for any steps you choose to perform on your computer, there is always a risk of damaging your OS or data loss. Please back up any important data before proceeding. Any settings or profiles you've created in your GPU control panel will be removed and you may need to re-enable SLI, Crossfire, tweak settings, refresh rates, enable Freesync/G-Sync/VRR etc...

Q: What is DDU?

A: Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) is a driver removal tool that can help you completely remove AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel graphics drivers from your system, without leaving leftovers behind, such as registry keys, folders, files, and in the driver store. These leftovers can, over time, cause issues with compatibility, stability, and performance.

Step 1 — Download your GPU drivers, but do not install them yet
Before using DDU to remove GPU drivers, download the appropriate drivers for your GPU and OS configuration from your GPU manufacturer’s website. Use the latest drivers if possible.

Here are the official download links:

NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx

AMD: https://www.amd.com/en/support

Intel (use the Intel Driver & Support Assistant): https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html

For some systems, drivers may need to be downloaded from the OEM’s website (HP, Dell, Alienware, Lenovo, Acer, etc.), especially for custom hardware configurations.

Step 2 — Download DDU
Download the latest version of DDU from Wagnard's official site:
Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) | Wagnardsoft: https://www.wagnardsoft.com/

Step 3 — Disconnect from the Internet (Windows 10 and Windows 11 only)
Disconnect your PC from the internet to prevent Windows Update from automatically downloading outdated device drivers, which may interfere with your installation process.

Step 4 — Extract and run DDU
Double-click the downloaded DDU .exe and extract it to a folder (e.g., on your Desktop).

Open the folder, read the 'Readme' file, and launch Display Driver Uninstaller.

You’ll be prompted to launch in Safe Mode. This is highly recommended to minimize issues. If you agree:

Click OK

Go to Options

Enable “Safe Mode dialog”

Exit DDU and relaunch it

Choose Safe Mode (Recommended) and click Reboot to Safe Mode

If not using Safe Mode, close all background programs before continuing.

In DDU:

Check Options to ensure a restore point is created and consider blocking Windows Update driver installation.

Select GPU from the drop-down on the right, then your GPU brand.

If you had multiple GPU vendors installed (e.g., AMD → NVIDIA), remove all relevant drivers to prevent conflicts.

On the left, you’ll see 3 buttons:

Clean and restart: Removes drivers and reboots (ideal for single GPU brand installs).

Clean and do NOT restart: Best if multiple vendors were used in the past. Removes all drivers without rebooting, letting you clean each vendor one-by-one.

Clean and shutdown: Use this if you're replacing the GPU.

Most users should choose Clean and do NOT restart. This allows visibility into what’s being removed and avoids conflicts.

The screen may briefly go black during removal — this is normal.

Once finished, you'll see a message — click Yes to exit DDU. Your PC will then reboot.

Now install the GPU drivers you downloaded earlier. Reconnect to the internet only after installing the drivers and restarting your PC.

If you found DDU useful, consider donating to Wagnard so they can continue supporting the tool:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ddudriver

~ credits to anonymous ~