How to install NVIDIA Driver in Linux

By default, during the installation distributions of the Linux operating system, all necessary drivers that are compatible with this operating system are downloaded and added automatically. However, this is not always the most current version or the user has to manually install the missing components for any reason. It concerns and software for graphics adapters from NVIDIA.

Install drivers for NVIDIA on Linux

Today we propose to analyze the process of finding and installing the drivers, for example Ubuntu. In other popular distributions, this process will be identical, but if something won’t work, find the error code description in the official documentation and solve the problem of available methods. Just want to note that the following methods will not work for Linux, which are on a virtual machine because it uses the VMware driver.

Before you start the installation you should determine the model of the video card installed in your computer, if you do not have this information, and then conduct a search for the latest software. This can be done through the standard console.

Open the menu and run the application “Terminal”.

Enter the command to update the diagnostic tools sudo update-pciids.

Authenticate your account by entering the password.

After the upgrade is complete, enter lspci | grep -E “VGA|3D”.

You will see information about the used graphics controller. In your case must be a string containing, for example, 1050 GeForce Ti.

Now use any browser and go to NVIDIA to find the latest version of the driver. Fill out the form, putting your model and then click on “Search”.

Note the digits next to”Version”.

After that you can go directly to the upgrade procedure or the installation of the right driver. The task is carried out by two different methods.

Method 1: Repository

Typically, the required software is official or custom repositories (repositories). The user will just download the necessary files and install them on your computer. However, data provided in different sources may differ in relevance, so let’s look at two options in turn.

The official repository

The official repository supported by software developers, and other objects. In your case you will need to refer to the standard driver repository:

In the terminal type ubuntu-drivers devices.

In the resulting strings you can find the proposed version of the driver for installation.

If your version suits you, install it using sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall to add all of the components, or sudo apt install nvidia-driver-xxx – only the graphics driver, where xxx is the suggested version.

If the most recent Assembly was not in this vault, it remains only to enable the user to add the required files.

Custom repository

In the custom repository files are updated more often, and typically there first appears the latest build. To use this facility, use the following:

In the terminal write sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa, then click on Enter.

Confirm loading from these sources.

After updating packages is to activate the familiar command ubuntu-drivers devices.

Now add the line sudo apt install nvidia-driver-xxx, where xxx is the desired version of the driver.

Please also add files by selecting the correct option.

Expect the appearance of the input field.

In Linux Mint you can use the commands from Ubuntu, as they are fully compatible. In Debian, the graphics driver is added via sudo apt install nvidia-driver. Users to Elementary OS should alternately enter the following lines:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install nvidia-xxx.

In other less popular distributions, the following steps may be slightly different, which is associated with the name of the repository and the difference in the teams, therefore, as we have said above, read carefully the documentation from the developers.

Method 2: Graphical interface

Those users who are not particularly accustomed to management integrated console, much easier to use the GUI tools to install the appropriate drivers. This procedure is run in two different versions.

Programs and updates

Priority it is worth noting the standard application “Programs and updates”. Through the addition of the version that is in the official repository, and this is done like this:

Open the menu and using the search look for “Programs and updates”.

Go to the tab “Additional drivers”.

Here find and select the correct version of the software for NVIDIA, select its marker and click “Apply changes”.

After that, it is advisable to restart the computer.

This method is not suitable for those users who are to install the Assembly of the driver older than the one that was discovered on the official website. For them there is a separate option.

Official website

Way with the site still will require run the”Terminal”, but to enter there should be only one command. The whole process is quite easy and is done in a few clicks.

Go to the NVIDIA website, through which you have completed the definition of the latest driver, and download it to the PC by pressing the button “Upload now”.

When displaying a pop-up browser window select “Save file”.

Run the installer using sh ~/Downloads/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-410.93.runwhere Download — the folder you save the file, and NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-410.93.run his name. If you receive the error, add at the beginning of the command argument sudo.

Wait for it to complete unpacking.

A window will appear where you need to follow the instructions and choose the appropriate options.

When the procedure is complete, restart your computer so the changes take effect.

Check the normal functioning of installed drivers with the command sudo lspci-vnn | grep-i VGA -A 18, where among all rows will need to find the”kernel driver in use: NVIDIA”. Support for hardware acceleration is checked using glxinfo | grep OpenGL | grep renderer.

The methods of installation for the graphic NVIDIA card are different, you only need to choose the best and work for your distribution. Again, for Troubleshooting errors it is best to consult the official documentation of the OS, which must be painted all important instructions.

Source: lumpics.ru