How to open the Device Manager in Windows 11/10

The Device Manager in Windows 11/10 can be opened in the following ways: 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’.

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: OR

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 ExplorerIn the Navigation pane, right-click on This PCSelect Show more optionsNext select Manage from the context menuComputer Management window will openClick 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: 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:

10] Open Device Manager using a Desktop Shortcut

Follow these steps to open Device Manager using a desktop shortcut on Windows 11/10:

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.

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: 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. Hope this helps. Read next: Device Manager is blank and not showing anything in Windows 11/10.