There are some choices to be made when installing Arduino software and drivers in Windows 10. Arduino offer two ways of installing the Arduino IDE on a Windows PC — Windows installer file and a Windows zip file. Windows 10 will also install a default driver when an Arduino is plugged into the USB port of a PC. This driver can be replaced by the Arduino driver that comes with the Arduino software.
Installing Drivers for an Arduino Nano in Windows. January 30, 2015 If you are attempting to use an Arduino Nano on a Windows machine and having no luck finding drivers automatically, chances are it is due to a counterfeit FTDI chip which unfortunately does not work with the automatic driver finding functionality in Windows.
Arduino Software and Drivers
Arduino Uno Drivers Windows 7
Installing Arduino software using the Windows zip file is the simplest method of installing the software. It is just a matter of copying the folder out of the downloaded zip file into the desired location on the PC. This allows the software to easily be removed by deleting the folder.
When Windows 10 installs a driver automatically, the Arduino just looks like a COM port in Windows Device Manager. It is not recognized as an Arduino, although it will work properly and code from the Arduino IDE can be loaded to it. After installing the Arduino driver that comes with the Arduino software, the Arduino will be shown as an Arduino on a COM port in Device Manager. The difference is shown in the image below.
As can be seen in the image, with the default Windows 10 driver installed, the Arduino appears as USB Serial Device (COM4) (left), but after the Arduino driver is installed the same Arduino appears as Arduino Uno (COM4) (right).
Full instructions on installing the Arduino IDE software and updating the Arduino driver can be found in the article on how to install Arduino software and drivers on Windows 10.
These instructions and screenshots describe the installation of the Arduino software and Arduino Uno drivers on Windows 7, but the same instructions work just as well for Windows Vista and Windows XP.
The only hurdle to jump is in Windows 8, which for the time being, at least, requires a few tricks to install the drivers. You can find a discussion on the Arduino forum titled “Missing digital signature for driver on Windows 8” that details a workaround.
With your Arduino Uno and a USB A-B cable at hand, follow these steps to obtain and install the latest version of Arduino on your version of Windows:
1Open the Arduino downloads page and click the Windows link to download the .zip file containing a copy of the Arduino application for Windows.
Currently, the zipped file is 90.7MB. That’s quite a large file, so it may take a while to download. When downloading is complete, unzip the file and place the Arduino folder in an appropriate location, such as
2Plug the square end of the USB cable into the Arduino and the flat end into an available port on your PC to connect the Arduino to your computer.
As soon as the board is connected, the green LED labeled ON indicates that your Arduino is receiving power. Windows then makes a valiant effort to find drivers, but it will likely fail. It’s best to close the wizard and install the driver yourself, as described in the following steps.
3Open the Start Menu and type devmgmt.msc in the Search Programs and Files box; then press Enter.
The Device Manager window opens. Device Manager shows you all the different hardware and connected peripherals in your computer, such as your Arduino board.
If you look down the list, you should see Arduino Uno with an exclamation mark next to it. The exclamation mark indicates that it is not yet recognized.
How To Install Arduino Uno Driver
4Right-click Arduino Uno and select Update Driver Software in the list that appears; then click the Browse my Computer for Driver Software option.
The window advances to the next page.
Install Arduino Uno Driver Windows 10
5Click Browse to find your Arduino folder.
You should find this folder in the location you saved it to in Step 1 of these steps.
6Within your Arduino folder, click the Drivers folder and then click the Arduino UNO file.
Note that if you’re in the FTDI USB Drivers subfolder, you have gone too far.
7Click Next, and Windows completes the installation.
After you’ve taken care of the software installation, an easy way to launch the program is to place a shortcut on your desktop or your computer’s Start menu, whichever you prefer. Just go to your main Arduino folder, find the Arduino.exe file, right-click and click Create Shortcut to make a shortcut. Double-click the shortcut icon whenever you want to launch the Arduino application. This opens a new sketch window.