The NVIDIA Control Panel includes a slew of settings for NVIDIA graphics cards. Users can configure graphical settings for games and software from there. So, it’s a pretty important app for users with PCs that have NVIDIA GPUs.
Some users have reported a curious issue in which the NVIDIA Control Panel disappears in Windows 11/10. Users can’t find that app on the desktop context menu, within the system tray, or in the Windows Control Panel when that issue arises. Consequently, they can’t access that app. This is how you can fix a missing NVIDIA Control Panel in Windows 11/10.
1. Check and Enable all NVIDIA Services
The missing NVIDIA Control Panel issue can arise because certain NVIDIA services are disabled. Thus, enabling and starting all NVIDIA services is one way you might be able to restore the missing graphics panel in Windows 11/10.
Here is how to enable NVIDIA’s services:
- Right-click the Start menu button to open a Power User menu, and select the Run shortcut there.
- Type services.msc in the Open box and click OK to bring up a Services window.
- Scroll down the window to the NVIDIA services as in the snapshot directly below.
- Then double-click any NVIDIA service listed there.
-
Select the Automatic option on the Startup type drop-down menu for the service.
- If the service isn’t running, click the Start button.
- Select the Apply option to save the NVIDIA service settings.
- Click OK to close the service properties window.
- Repeat steps four to eight for all listed NVIDIA services.
- Restart your PC after changing NVIDIA service settings.
2. Update Your NVIDIA Graphics Card’s Driver
As the NVIDIA Control Panel is intimately linked with its graphics card, it can go missing because of an outdated or incompatible NVIDIA driver. Therefore, it’s recommended that you update your NVIDIA graphics card’s driver if it’s outdated. You can do that manually or with third-party driver updater software.
This is how you can manually update a driver for an NVIDIA graphics card.
- Open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
- Click the Display tab there to view details for your NVIDIA graphics card. There you can see the date and version details for the driver to check if it needs updating.
- Note down the graphics card model detail on the Display tab.
-
Open the NVIDIA driver download page in a browser.
- Select your graphics card’s series and model on the drop-down menu.
- Then select your PC’s platform in the Operating System drop-down menu.
- Press the Search button.
- Click the Download button for the latest NVIDIA driver package.
- Open File Explorer and the folder that includes the downloaded driver package.
-
Right-click the NVIDIA driver package to select Run as administrator.
- Click OK on the Extraction path window that opens.
-
Select the NVIDIA Graphics Driver radio button in the NVIDIA Installer window that opens.
- Press the Agree and Continue button.
- Select the Express (Recommended) option, and click Next to install.
- Click the Restart Now option to finish.
3. Reinstall Your NVIDIA Graphics Card’s Driver
If your NVIDIA graphics card already has the latest driver, try reinstalling its driver instead. This is how you can reinstall an NVIDIA GPU’s driver.
- Open the Power User menu, and select the Device Manager option on it.
- Double-click the Display adapters category to view its devices.
-
Right-click your NVIDIA graphics card there to select an Uninstall device option for it.
-
Select the Delete the driver software for this device option on the confirmation prompt that pops up.
- Click the Uninstall button there to provide confirmation.
- Restart your PC.
- Download and install the latest NVIDIA driver package for your graphics card as outlined for the previous resolution.
4. Try Opening NVIDIA Control Panel From File Explorer
Try looking for the NVIDIA Control Panel within File Explorer. The specific file for opening the Control Panel to look for there is nvcplui.exe. If you can find nvcplui.exe in Explorer, you can then try opening it from there. These are different folder paths you’ll need to look for the nvcplui.exe file in:
- C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationControl Panel Client
- C:Program FilesWindowsAppsNVIDIACorp.NVIDIAControlPanel_8.1.962.0_x64__56jybvy8sckqj
If you can’t find the Control Panel Client folder, then nvcplui.exe is probably within the WindowsApps folder path specified above. However, WindowsApps is not a readily accessible folder. You’ll need to take ownership of that folder to open it. You can take ownership of that folder with one of the software packages in MUO’s “Take Ownership of Windows 10 Files and Folders” guide.
If you find the nvcplui.exe file in Explorer, right-click it to select Run as administrator to open NVIDIA Control Panel. Then click Desktop at the top of its window. Select the Add Desktop Context Menu and Show Notification Tray Icons options to restore it on the system tray and desktop context menu.
5. Copy the NVDisplay.Container file Into the Startup Folder
“NVDisplay.Container” is the NVIDIA Display Container LS service’s file. Adding that file to the Windows Startup folder can also fix a missing NVIDIA Control Panel. Here is how you can copy that file into the Startup folder:
- Open the Services window as outlined in steps one and two of the first resolution.
- Double-click the NVIDIA Display Container LS service to open its window.
- Copy the path to the executable specified in that window with the Ctrl + C hotkey.
- Click OK to exit the properties window, and close the Services app.
- Bring up File Explorer, and select the C: drive.
- Paste the copied path into the folder address bar with the Ctrl + V hotkey, and press the Enter key.
-
Then right-click the Display.NvContainer file to select the Copy option on its context menu.
- Open the Run accessory, and type shell:startup in its Open box.
-
Right-click inside the Startup folder to select the Paste shortcut option.
- Next, click Display.NvContainer file with your right mouse button and select Properties.
-
Select Run as administrator on the Compatibility tab shown directly below, and click the Apply button.
- Finally, restart your laptop or desktop.
6. Reinstall the NVIDIA Control Panel
As a last resort, try reinstalling NVIDIA Control Panel. You can reinstall the NVIDIA Control Panel by uninstalling it via Settings as follows.
- Open Settings in Windows.
- Then select Apps > Apps & features to bring up a list of installed software.
- Find the NVIDIA Control Panel app listed there, and click its three-dot button.
- Select the Uninstall option for NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Restart your PC after uninstalling the NVIDIA Control Panel app.
- Click the pinned Microsoft Store app shortcut from the Start menu.
- Type NVIDIA Control Panel in MS Store’s search box.
-
Select NVIDIA Control Panel in the search results.
- Press the Get button to reinstall the app.
Restore Your NVIDIA Control Panel With Those Fixes
Although you can configure graphical options in games, it’s better to apply universal settings via the NVIDIA Control Panel. You can restore your missing NVIDIA Control Panel in Windows 11 and 10 by applying the potential fixes above. Then you’ll be able to access and change the graphical settings there as required once again.
Read Next
About The Author