How to install Nvidia graphics drivers in Pop_OS – Easy Steps

Nvidia drivers are very difficult to install on Linux. This is why many Linux users love Pop_OS. Makes it easy to configure drivers. Still, as easy as it is to set up, new users may not know what to do. In this guide, we will show you exactly how to get the Nvidia drivers up and running in Pop_OS.

Nvidia version of Pop_OS

If you plan to use an Nvidia GPU in your Pop_OS system, the best thing to do is download the Nvidia version of Pop_OS from the official website. To get your hands on this version of Pop_OS, do the following.

First, head over to the official website of Pop_OS. Once you have reached the website, click the green “Download” button. Selecting this button will take you to the official download page for Pop_OS.

You will see a pop-up window appear on the download page with a message. This message says: “If you have NVIDIA graphics, download the ISO with the proprietary NVIDIA driver pre-installed.”

Select the “Download 21.10 (NVIDIA)” button to get the version of Pop_OS with the driver pre-installed. Once the ISO file is downloaded, follow the step-by-step instructions below to create a bootable USB installer.

Paso 1: Head to the official Etcher website. Once there, download the latest version of the program, install it, and run it on your computer. When the program is open, look for the “Flash!” and click on it with the mouse.

Paso 2: After selecting “Flash!” with the mouse, a pop-up window will appear on the screen. Using the pop-up window, find the Pop_OS Nvidia ISO file on your computer and select it.

Paso 3: Once the ISO file is set up in Etcher, find the “Select Destination” button and click on it. When you click the button with the mouse, you will be asked to choose a USB device. Next, select your USB flash drive to use with Etcher.

Stage 4: With your USB device chosen and added to Etcher, look for the “Flash!” and click on it with the mouse. The program will start flashing Pop_OS NVIDIA on your USB device when you select this button.

When the update process is complete, you will have the Pop_OS installer with a built-in Nvidia driver. From here, boot the USB and install the operating system on your computer.

Command line

If you are not using the official version of Nvidia Pop_OS, you will be able to install the Nvidia drivers with the Ubuntu driver tool. Pop_OS is based on Ubuntu, so this tool is included.

Launch a terminal window on the desktop to use the Ubuntu driver tool. You can open a terminal window on the Pop_OS desktop by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or search for “Terminal” in the application menu.

Type the command ubuntu-drivers list once a terminal window is open and ready to use. This command will list all the available drivers that you can configure in Pop_OS.

ubuntu-drivers list

Check the list of drivers available for your Pop_OS system. Type the install command for ubuntu-drivers when you have found the driver you want to install. For example, to install Nvidia Driver 495, you would do the following:

sudo ubuntu-drivers install nvidia-driver-495

When the driver is installed on your computer, you will need to restart Pop_OS. After the operating system has rebooted, log in again. You will be ready to use the Nvidia drivers when you log in again.

Pop shop

A third way that users can install Nvidia drivers in Pop_OS is through the built-in Pop Shop app store. To do so, follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Paso 1: On the Pop_OS desktop, locate the Pop Shop icon. If you can’t find it, it’s the icon with the rocket. Once you’ve found the Pop Shop icon, click on it to launch it.

Paso 2: Within Pop Shop, click on the “Installed” section of the application. You will see a “Drivers” area in this section, just above the updates. Depending on how new your Nvidia GPU is, you may see multiple driver options.

Paso 3: Look in the “Drivers” section for the Nvidia driver you want to install. Once you’ve decided which Nvidia drivers to use, find the “Install” button and click on it to install the driver.

Stage 4: After clicking the “Install” button next to the driver in Pop Shop, Pop_OS will start to install the driver. This process will take some time as the drivers take a while to configure within the Linux kernel.

When the setup process is complete, you will need to reboot your Pop_OS Linux system. To restart, find the menu in the upper right corner, click on it with the mouse and select the “Restart” option.