Network

Download Ethernet Drivers on Windows 10

Contents:

Ethernet Driver Overview

What is Ethernet? What is Ethernet Controller Driver?

How Do I Update My Ethernet Drivers Windows 10?

Ethernet Driver Overview:

Sometimes, you noticed that your Ethernet network keeps disconnecting, after checking the hardware cable and other connections, the Ethernet network is just not working for you to browse. To a great degree, unless it warns you that a network cable is not properly plugged or may be broken, this network error is a kind of Ethernet driver issue on Windows 10.

In essence, not limited to no Ethernet network issue, if your Ethernet network is poor after Windows 10 updated or upgrade, you would like to update the Ethernet driver to enhance the network performance, like Realtek Ethernet controller driver for Windows 10.

What is Ethernet? What is Ethernet Controller Driver?

Opposite to wireless network, Ethernet is the wired network technology running at much higher frames than WIFI connection. And the Ethernet controller is the hardware built in your PC usually along with the Ethernet board or motherboard, like Realtek PCIe GBE / 2.5G Family Controller. Ethernet Controller driver refers to the software bridging the gap between Windows 10 and the hardware.

How Do I Update My Ethernet Drivers on Windows 10?

Just like updating WIFI drivers, there are several available ways open to you to first figure out what Ethernet driver you are to update and then update it if needed.

Methods:

1: Update the Ethernet Driver in Device Manager 

2: Update Ethernet Driver Automatically

3: Update Ethernet Driver Manually

Method 1: Update Ethernet Driver in Device Manager

Before you tried to locate the Ethernet driver on Realtek or any official sites, it is wise and necessary to know exactly what Ethernet driver you are to update in device manager. To some extent, maybe the device manager is able to find out the latest Ethernet driver for Windows 10.

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Expand Network adapters and then you can see various network adapter drivers.

There will be WIFI network adapter drivers and Ethernet drivers. Usually, the Ethernet adapter driver is Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller, or Intel Gigabit Network, or Broadcom NetLink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet or any other network adapters.

3. Right click the Ethernet adapter driver to Update driver. Here the Ethernet adapter is Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller.

update driver

4. Try to Search automatically for updated driver software.

Tips: How to Identify My Ethernet Controller Driver?

If you hope to download the Realtek Gigabit network driver by yourself later, you need to ascertain what Ethernet driver you need. You can view it from Ethernet adapter hardware ids.

In Device Manager, right click the Ethernet Controller driver to open its Properties and then under the Details tab. After that, choose to see Hardware ids and then all the Ethernet driver will come into your sight.

If Device Manager has located the up-to-date Ethernet driver for Windows 10, install it on your PC and there won’t be any Ethernet driver issue.

Method 2: Update the Ethernet Driver Automatically

After identifying your Ethernet adapter driver, it is more feasible to download the Ethernet driver in other ways. Now if you have no time and computer skills to update the Realtek Ethernet controller driver for Windows 10 64 bit or 32 bit, there is a big chance that Driver Booster can be the best and suitable tool to update the network adapter driver and also to fix network failure on Windows 10.

Since your network may not work now, it is advisable that you get the most of Driver Booster to update the Ethernet controller driver automatically.

1. Download, install and run Driver Booster.

2. Click the Scan button.

driver booster scan

Driver Booster will be scanning from 0% to 100% for the missing, outdated, and corrupted network driver on Windows 10.

3. Then in Driver Booster search result, locate Network adapters and then allow Driver Booster to Update the outdated Ethernet adapter driver on Windows 10.

driver booster update netwowrk driver

The time Driver Booster installed the Ethernet driver Windows 10, such as Gigabit Ethernet drive, get down to checking the Ethernet connection.

Method 3: Update the Ethernet Driver Manually

As described above, your Ethernet controller is either embedded into the Ethernet card, like Realtek cards, or the chipset card, such as Intel chipset driver. So if you are prone to get the Ethernet controller driver all by yourself, you need to turn to the official site of your Ethernet card or the chipset card.

Here take updating Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller driver as an example.

1. Go to the Realtek official site.

2. On Realtek site, search for the Realtek Ethernet Controller driver in the search box.

Or here you can also resort to Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller driver quick download link to download the latest Realtek Ethernet controller driver for Windows 10 64 or 32 bit quickly and smoothly.

3. Then choose to Download the Ethernet driver for Windows 10.

After you managed to install the downloaded files on your PC, you can check whether the Ethernet driver issue has been resolved.

To summarize, in most cases, you would consider updating Ethernet driver for Windows 10 when the Ethernet controller stops working. So attempt to take advantage of the ways above to finish it easily and effectively.

Brian Peng
Brian Peng is a PC technician and network engineer with over 13 years of IT experience. He has worked in the IT industry for a long time, providing IT support and network service support for various companies. Currently, he has written over 1000 articles about computers, games, and mobile.

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