How To Fix “Graphics Card Shows As Microsoft Basic Display Adapter” Issue

Without a correct & compatible graphics card driver, several functionalities of Windows 10 can be impacted. You may find that your PC performs sluggishly and you may witness constant lags. And, while trying to figure out the actual cause of the issue, you may find Microsoft Basic Display Driver appearing in the Display adapters category, in place of the name of your graphics card model (Ex: AMD, NVIDIA, Radeon, etc).

At this moment, you might be wondering, what happened to your graphics card and why can’t you see it anymore? Well, don’t worry, the problem isn’t very complex to fix. We are right here to help to resolve the “Graphics card shows as Microsoft Basic Display Adapter” problem on Windows 10.

What Exactly Does Microsoft Basic Display Adapter Do On Windows 10?

Microsoft Basic Display Adapter is built-in software that puts its foot forward in the absence of your dedicated graphics card driver. It comes into work, when you upgrade to a new build or reinstall the OS, all the built-in drivers get installed automatically. But in case, the system cannot find the most compatible drivers, this is what happens in the case – Microsoft Basic Display Adapter takes the charge rather than your current graphics card model.

In a nutshell, Microsoft Basic Display Adapter is your default display graphics driver which automatically starts working, if your computer is not able to detect your current graphics card manufacturer’s installed driver.

Ways To Fix “Graphics Card Shows As Microsoft Basic Display Adapter” Issue

On the positive side, Microsoft Basic Display Adapter ensures that you have the display working properly on your screen in the absence of the correct graphics adapter driver. But unfortunately, it isn’t the best display adapter to choose for gaming, designing, and running heavy-graphics software on your PC. That’s why it is highly recommended to switch to your current graphics card if Microsoft Basic Display Adapter is appearing in the Display adapter category.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at how to fix Microsoft Basic Display Adapter Driver Issue?

WORKAROUND 1 = Perform Windows Update

One of the main reasons why the Display adapter category is showing Microsoft Basic Display Adapter is Windows has yet to provide you with the compatible driver update after your OS upgrade. Hence, you need to run the Windows Update to get rid of the issue:

STEP 1 = Open Settings on your Windows PC and navigate to the Update & Security module.

STEP 2 = From the Windows Update section, click on Check for updates button.

STEP 3 = If there will be any updates available related to the graphics driver, then simply run the update and your problem will be automatically fixed.

Windows will probably provide you with a compatible and right graphics driver update. If you are still seeing Microsoft Basic Display Adapter in place of your current graphics card driver, then try the next workaround.

WORKAROUND 2 = Update Your Current Graphics Driver

You may encounter this issue if your system is dealing with obsolete or faulty device drivers. So, make sure you are running the latest and compatible graphics driver to fix the “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter Appearing In Device Manager” issue.

Don’t worry if you do not have enough time or patience to update drivers manually. You can use a reliable Driver Updater Software to automatically install the right and latest versions for graphics and more. All you need to do is:

STEP 1: We suggest using Smart Driver Care for installing the most compatible and trustworthy updates for your drivers. The application runs a thorough scan to locate faulty drivers so that you can update each of them in a single click. Using Smart Driver Care, you can easily replace corrupted, missing, outdated and damaged drivers with the right and compatible versions.

Simply install Smart Driver Care on your PC, you can click the button provided below to instantly download the lightweight setup file.

STEP 2: Hit the Start Scan button to perform a deep and comprehensive scanning, so that Smart Driver Care can instantly find all the obsolete drivers.

STEP 3: Once the list of faulty drivers appears on your screen, quickly preview the device drivers which need immediate attention. You can look for the missing/incompatible graphics card driver and update it individually.

If you have a registered version, click on the Update All button to instantly replace all the current drivers with new and authentic ones.

As soon as Smart Driver Care updates the potential faulty drivers, you’ll be able to fix the “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter appearing in place of your current graphics card driver” problem on Windows 10.

Must-Read: How To Update Graphics Driver In Windows 10 PC

WORKAROUND 3 = Replace Your Graphics Card

In case updating the graphics card driver didn’t help to resolve the issue, maybe it’s time to consider getting a new graphics card and replace the current one, as it might become obsolete. We recommend our users upgrade to a more advanced display driver which is certified to support Windows Display Driver Model 1.2 or higher.

If needed, get an expert opinion from a professional on how to select a good graphics card for your computer.

WORKAROUND 4 – Consider Downgrading Your Operating System

In case you don’t wish to invest in a new graphics card, then try this alternative method to resolve the issue happening in changing “Microsoft Basic Adapter in place of your current graphics card driver”. To downgrade from Windows 10, follow the procedure mentioned below:

STEP 1 = Open Settings on your Windows PC and navigate to the Update & Security module.

STEP 2 = Navigate to the Recovery tab from the left-sidebar and hit the Get Started button under the header Go back to Windows 7.

STEP 3 = Simply select the reason for downgrading your OS. Alternatively, you can also write your reason by clicking the ‘tell us more’ box.

Remember, as you click the Next button, the process will be initiated and your computer will restart multiple times. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal. As soon as the downgrade process gets completed, you will be prompted to log in to your previous Windows account. Our recommendation says that using a professional driver updater software like Smart Driver Care can completely resolve multiple kinds of driver-related issues. If you are curious to know about how Smart Driver Care helps in several aspects, check out our Driver Guide section!

So, that was all! This is how you can easily change “Microsoft Basic Adapter to your current graphics card driver in the Display adapter category in Device Manager.” If you are still struggling, do share your current experience in the comments section below. Alternatively, you can drop a line at [email protected]