Installing Arduino Software and Drivers on Windows - A Detailed Walkthrough

NOTE: Before installing any Arduino Driver, please disable the Bluetooth device, because Arduino & Bluetooth devices are incompatible to each other, you will not able to install any Arduino board until Bluetooth device is turned off.

This article is about How to install drivers for an Arduino(any type) on Windows OS & then loading a sketch to test the installation is correct or not. 

Download and Install the Arduino Software

1. Download

Go to  Arduino website & click on the download link to go to the download page.

Click On The Download Link On Arduino Official Website
Click On The Download Link On Arduino Official Website

On the download page, click the Windows link to download the Arduino software for Windows as shown.

Click On The Windows Link to Download Arduino IDE for Windows
Click On The Windows Link to Download Arduino IDE for Windows

2. Install

After downloading, locate the downloaded file on your system & extract the folder from the zipped file. Place that at suitable location.
Locating Downloaded Arduino IDE Zipped File.
Locating Downloaded Arduino IDE Zipped File.

Install the Arduino Windows Drivers

1. Plug the Arduino Board on PC

Plug the Arduino board into the PC. Windows will try to install drivers, but will eventually fail.

2. Start the Windows Device Manager

Click the Start menu button.
Right-click My Computer on the Start menu and then click Properties or Manage from the pop-up menu, to open the Device Manager.
Click On Properties or Manage, to open device manager for Arduino Driver Installation
Click On Properties or Manage, to open device manager for Arduino Driver Installation


Click on Device Manager link to start the device manager:
Click On Device Manager Link to Open Device Manager
Click On Device Manager Link to Open Device Manager

The Device Manager will open and display the Arduino Device that you have conetced.(Depending on the board you have connected it will show its name).
Arduino Device Detected But Windows is unable to install it Automatically
Arduino Device Detected But Windows is unable to install it Automatically
Here you will see the yellow exclamation mark, that indicates Arduino Device is unable to install.

3. Installing the Device Driver

In the Device Manager Window, right-click the Arduino board & then click Update Driver Software, on the pop-up menu.
Update Driver Software, For Browsing The Arduino Board Driver Location
Update Driver Software, For Browsing The Arduino Board Driver Location

Now the Update Driver Software dialog box will pop up. Click Browse my computer for driver software to install Driver Software Manually..
Click To Browse The Driver Location Manually
Click To Browse The Driver Location Manually

Next, click the Browse... button:
Click Browse Button, to browse the driver folder.
Click Browse Button, to browse the driver folder.
Navigate to the drivers folder in the Arduino folder that you downloaded:
Select The Arduino Driver Folder & Click OK.
Select The Arduino Driver Folder & Click OK.

After selecting the driver folder, click the Next button.
Click on Next After selecting the driver location.
Click on Next After selecting the driver location.

In the dialog box that pops up, click Install this driver software anyway, to continue the Arduino Board Drivers....
Click On The Option, "Install this driver software anyways"
Click On The Option, "Install this driver software anyways"

After a while, the driver installation will finish & you will see the following dialog box. Take note of the port number that the Arduino was configured in. In this case it is COM3.
The Arduino is connected into COM3 port
The Arduino is connected into COM3 port
 If you are seeing this window the Installation is complete. Now Click on "Close" button.

4. Setting up the Arduino Software After Installation:
The setup will only need to be done once, unless you change the board type or port that the Arduino is connected to. Just Navigate to the folder that you have kept for Arduino IDE & start the Arduino software IDE by double-clicking the Arduino application.
Double Click On "Arduino.exe", To Start Arduino IDE
Double Click On "Arduino.exe", To Start Arduino IDE
Check that the correct Arduino board is selected from the list. Change if necessary.....
Select The Arduino Board, & Correct Serial Port If not Automatically detected by Arduino IDE
Select The Arduino Board, & Correct Serial Port If not Automatically detected by Arduino IDE
Now check that the correct serial port is selected and change if necessary. This is the serial port that you took note of after installing the Arduino driver.Selecting the Arduino serial port
Select the Computer Serial Port that the Arduino is Attached to.
We hope that you enjoyed this tutorial....Stay tuned for many more or browse for existing ones...
Click Here to view information about all other official Arduino boards available in the market.