qcom-firmware-updater.sh

Update Adreno GPU firmware on Snapdragon X Elite / X Plus laptops from Qualcomm's Windows Graphics Driver package in Linux.

Early release. Always use --dry-run first to review changes before installing.

Why

My goal is to keep the firmware up to date without requiring a dedicated Windows partition. The scripts retrieve the official Qualcomm Windows drivers and perform the firmware update from within a Linux environment.

This script:

• Downloads and extracts only the 17 firmware files Linux needs (~20MB)
• Cleans up Windows-only files (DLLs, SYS, EXE, CAT, INF, etc.)
• Compares checksums before installing to avoid unnecessary writes
• Updates initramfs automatically if display firmware changes
• Auto-detects your device from /proc/device-tree/model

Quick run

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alejandroqh/qcom-firmware-updater/main/qcom-firmware-updater.sh | bash

The script will guide you through downloading and installing the latest firmware.

Supported devices

Auto-detected from /proc/device-tree/model:

SoC	Device	Firmware path
X Elite	Acer Swift 14 AI (SF14-11)	x1e80100/ACER/SF14-11
X Plus	Acer Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-01)	x1p42100/ACER/SFG14-01
X Elite	ASUS Vivobook S 15	x1e80100/ASUSTeK/vivobook-s15
X Plus	ASUS Zenbook A14 (UX3407QA)	x1p42100/ASUSTeK/zenbook-a14
X Elite	ASUS Zenbook A14 (UX3407RA)	x1e80100/ASUSTeK/zenbook-a14
X Elite	Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441	x1e80100/dell/inspiron-14-plus-7441
X Elite	Dell Latitude 7455	x1e80100/dell/latitude-7455
X Elite	Dell XPS 13 9345	x1e80100/dell/xps13-9345
X Plus	HP EliteBook 6 G1q	x1p42100/hp/elitebook-6-g1q
X Elite	HP EliteBook Ultra G1q	x1e80100/hp/elitebook-ultra-g1q
X Plus	HP Omnibook 5 16" OLED	x1p42100/hp/omnibook-5
X Elite	HP Omnibook X 14 (incl. -fe1 variant)	x1e80100/hp/omnibook-x14
X Plus	Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7	x1p42100/LENOVO/21NH
X Elite	Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 (incl. OLED)	x1e80100/LENOVO/21N1
X Elite	Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x	x1e80100/LENOVO/83ED
X Elite	Microsoft Surface Laptop 7	x1e80100/microsoft/Romulus
X Elite	Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge	x1e80100/SAMSUNG/galaxy-book4-edge

For unlisted devices, use --device-path <soc/oem/board>.

Dependencies

sudo apt install 7zip msitools unzip curl

• 7zip — extract WiX bootstrapper EXE and embedded CAB archives
• msitools — extract MSI with original filenames (7z mangles them into WiX internal IDs)
• unzip — extract outer ZIP from Qualcomm
• curl — download from URL (only needed with --url)

Usage

# From a local ZIP (downloaded from Qualcomm Software Center)
./qcom-firmware-updater.sh ~/Downloads/Windows_Graphics_Driver.Core.260228031.0.148.0.Windows-ARM64.zip

# From a local EXE (already extracted from ZIP)
./qcom-firmware-updater.sh ~/Downloads/Qualcomm_Adreno_Driver-v31.0.148.0.exe

# Download directly from a URL
./qcom-firmware-updater.sh --url "https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/tools/Windows_Graphics_Driver/Windows/ARM64/260228031.0.148.0/Windows_Graphics_Driver.Core.260228031.0.148.0.Windows-ARM64.zip"

# Dry run — compare only, don't install (no sudo needed)
./qcom-firmware-updater.sh --dry-run ~/Downloads/Windows_Graphics_Driver.Core.*.zip

# Override device detection for an unlisted machine
./qcom-firmware-updater.sh --device-path x1e80100/dell/xps13-9345 driver.zip

# List supported devices
./qcom-firmware-updater.sh --list-devices

How it works

The Qualcomm Graphics Driver package is a nested archive:

ZIP
 └── Qualcomm_Adreno_Driver-v*.exe    (WiX Burn bootstrapper, PE32)
      ├── UX payloads (manifest, DLL, icons)   ← extracted by 7z
      └── Attached container (CAB tail)         ← extracted by dd
           └── gfx_drivers_8380.msi             ← extracted by 7z
                └── QCDrivers/Drivers/.../       ← extracted by msiextract
                     ├── *.mbn, *.bin  (firmware) ✓
                     ├── *.dll, *.sys  (Windows)  ✗
                     └── *.cat, *.inf  (metadata) ✗

The extraction pipeline:

1. ZIP → EXE — unzip extracts the outer archive
2. EXE → CAB — 7z extracts the WiX bootstrapper to read the tail size, then dd extracts the attached Microsoft Cabinet from the end of the EXE
3. CAB → MSI — 7z extracts the Cabinet to get the MSI installer
4. MSI → files — msiextract (not 7z) extracts with real filenames preserved

Firmware files

The 17 files Linux uses from the Graphics Driver package:

File	Purpose	Size
qcav1e8380.mbn	AV1 video codec firmware	4.4 MB
qcdxkmbase8380.bin	GPU kernel microcode (base)	123 KB
qcdxkmbase8380_{68,110,150}.bin	GPU kernel microcode (OPP variants)	~123 KB each
qcdxkmbase8380_pa.bin	GPU kernel microcode (power-adjusted base)	124 KB
qcdxkmbase8380_pa_{67,111,140}.bin	GPU kernel microcode (PA OPP variants)	~124 KB each
qcdxkmsuc8380.mbn	Display KMS microcontroller	12 KB
qcdxkmsucpurwa.mbn	Display KMS (PURWA variant)	12 KB
qcvss8380.mbn	Video subsystem firmware	2.3 MB
qcvss8380_pa.mbn	Video subsystem (power-adjusted)	2.3 MB
sequence_manifest.bin	Firmware load sequence descriptor	2.8 KB
unified_kbcs_{32,64}.bin	Shader bitcode cache (32/64-bit)	3.1 MB each
unified_ksqs.bin	Shader queue setup data	453 KB

Core GPU boot firmware (gen71500_sqe.fw, gen71500_gmu.bin, gen71500_zap.mbn) comes from the linux-firmware package and is not managed by this script.

What happens on install

1. Backs up current firmware to <firmware_dir>.bak-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS/
2. Copies changed/new firmware files with root:root 0644 permissions
3. Removes Windows-only files (.dll, .sys, .exe, .cat, .inf, .json, .so, .txt) from the firmware directory
4. Runs update-initramfs if display KMS firmware (qcdxkmsuc8380.mbn) changed

Complementary to qcom-firmware-extract

qcom-firmware-extract pulls DSP firmware from a Windows partition, while this script pulls GPU, display, and video firmware from Qualcomm's driver installer, no Windows partition needed.

Checking for new versions

Browse the Qualcomm Software Center for updated ARM64 Windows Graphics Drivers:

• Product: Windows Graphics Driver
• Platform: Windows / ARM64

The download URL pattern is:

https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/tools/Windows_Graphics_Driver/Windows/ARM64/{VERSION}/Windows_Graphics_Driver.Core.{VERSION}.Windows-ARM64.zip

Known versions:

• 251208031.0.133.2 — December 2025, driver v31.0.133.2
• 260228031.0.148.0 — February 2026, driver v31.0.148.0

Contributors

• Axel Guckelsberger — fix for firmware counter increment under set -e
• Marek Grzelak - Added Support to Acer Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-01)

Disclaimer

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

This script modifies system firmware files. Incorrect firmware can render your GPU or display non-functional. You are solely responsible for determining whether this script is suitable for your system. Always back up your data and verify changes with --dry-run before installing.