Device Manager Error Code 31: When the Driver Will Not Load
What Code 31 actually means in Windows Device Manager, and the calm steps that almost always resolve it.
What Code 31 Means
Code 31 means the driver is present but Windows cannot load it. The device is paired with a driver, but something — usually a corrupted driver file or a registry conflict — is preventing the driver from starting.
Code 31 most often appears after a botched driver install, an interrupted Windows update, or a malware cleanup that left registry references pointing at files that no longer exist.
The Standard Recovery Path
The reliable fix is to uninstall the device fully — right-click in Device Manager, choose Uninstall device, and tick the option to delete the driver software if it appears. Reboot, and let Windows reinstall the device from scratch.
If that does not work, manually download the latest driver from the vendor and install it as Administrator. Sometimes a permission glitch in the original install is the real cause, and a clean re-install resolves it.
- Uninstall the device with the 'delete driver' checkbox
- Reboot to let Windows rediscover the hardware
- Reinstall the latest vendor driver as Administrator
Subtler Causes Worth Knowing
If the standard recovery does not resolve Code 31, the registry entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class often holds a stale upper- or lower-filter driver reference. Windows documents the correct cleanup steps for several common device classes.
Touching the registry is risky for non-experts; if you reach this point, posting the exact device name and Code 31 details on a knowledgeable Windows forum is often the safest next step.
Quick Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions readers send us most often on this topic.
No — only the affected device fails to load. The rest of Windows continues to work normally.
Only if you are experienced and have a recent backup. Most users get the same result by uninstalling and reinstalling the device cleanly.
Occasionally, yes — particularly when an update changes the way a class driver is registered. Newer cumulative updates often resolve such regressions.
Keep Reading
Related Overviews on PrintSoftDriver
Hand-picked articles that pair well with this one.
More Error Code Explainers
Browse our friendly walkthroughs for the other Device Manager codes you may bump into.