How to Fix a Missing NVIDIA Control Panel in Windows 11

NVIDIA Control Panel is an important tool for users of NVIDIA graphics cards because it gives users the ability to have fine-grained control over graphics settings. If you have lost access to it, here are some steps to help you restore it:

1. Confirm and Set Enabled Status NVIDIA Services

Most of the time the problem occurs due to these disabled NVIDIA. To confirm it is set to run Automatically:

Access Services: Type "services" in the search box next to the Start Menu on Windows and click to open the "Services" application.

Look for NVIDIA Services: Scroll down and you will find every service with NVIDIA in the name.

Startup Application: For every service, double click and set the "Startup type" to "Automatic" on the "General" tab. Click "Apply" and then "OK."

Restart Your PC: Save all the changes that had been made by setting "Automatic" in all NVIDIA services. Now, restart the computer.

After the PC has rebooted, check if the NVIDIA Control Panel has been restored. If it's not there yet, proceed further with other troubleshooting elaborated in the above answers.

2. Update the NVIDIA Graphics Card Device Driver

Assuming that the NVIDIA Control Panel has gone missing due to outdated or not entirely compatible drivers, an updated driver will be useful in bringing it back.

Run DirectX Diagnostics: Press the Windows key + R, then type dxdiag in the Run dialog box. Press Enter.

Open your control panel, then click "Display," and view.

In this section you can view information about your NVIDIA graphics card, including its name and model.

Download the latest driver: Click the NVIDIA driver section on the official web page.

Using the dropdown, select the graphics card that you use and your OS. Download the latest driver.

Install the driver: Run the installer file you have just downloaded and through steps on the screen, update the graphics driver.

After updating the driver, restart your computer and see if the NVIDIA Control Panel appears again. If it still doesn't show up, then you can follow the other troubleshooting steps shared earlier in some of the answers.

3. Reinstalling the NVIDIA Graphics Card Driver

If updating the driver doesn't fix the problem, you may want to reinstall it.

Open Device Manager by right-clicking on the Start button and then clicking on "Device Manager."

Delete Driver: Expand "Display adapters," then right-click on your graphics card and hit "Uninstall device."

Remove Driver Completely: Check the box that says "Attempt to remove the driver for this device."

Restart PC: Restart your system.

Reinstall Driver: Please now install the newest available driver for your card from the NVIDIA website by following directions at the same previously answered query.

If you can't find NVIDIA Control Panel through the search menu, try to find the file "nvcplui.exe" using File Explorer. Find the folder location in either of these two file paths: End the goings-on on this location: C: \Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\Control Panel Client C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\NVIDI

If there is no "Control Panel Client" folder, the below "nvcplui.exe" file should be in WindowsApps folder, which is normally hidden and you will need to take ownership of it to display all of its content. Follow our guide on how to take ownership of files and folders in Windows;.

Upon finding the above file, right-click on it and choose "Run as administrator." This opens the NVIDIA Control Panel.

To re-enable the Control Panel into the system tray and desktop context menu, navigate to the "Desktop" menu in the app, and under the menu, choose "Add Desktop Context Menu" and "Show Notification Tray Icon."

4. Copy the "NVDisplay.Container" File Into the Startup Folder

If the NVIDIA Control Panel is still not showing up, one can typically resolve that issue by placing the "NVDisplay.Container" file in the Windows Startup folder.

Open Services in Windows: Type the word "services" in the search bar and click on "Open" after the "Services" app.

Locate NVIDIA Display Container LS: In the "Services" list, locate the "NVIDIA Display Container LS" service, right-click on it, and select "Properties."

Copy the File Path: Look at the "Path to the executable" field.

Now navigate to File> Press Windows key and E to paste the path copied in the address bar, and enter.

Copy "NVDisplay.Container". Right-tap on the file "NVDisplay.Container", and click on "Copy".

Download Startup Folder. Hit the Windows key and R, Enter "shell:startup" in the search field, and enter.

Paste File: Right-tap and click on "Paste" to place the "NVDisplay.Container" file in the Startup folder.

Restart PC: Restart your pc to make changes occur.

Following the restart, check if the NVIDIA Control Panel still appears. If not, then you should consider the other troubleshooting methods from the answers above.

5. Reinstall NVIDIA Control Panel

If any of the above hasn't worked, you can uninstall NVIDIA Control Panel and reinstall.

Open Search Menu: Windows key + S

Search NVIDIA Control Panel: Type "NVIDIA Control Panel" in the search bar.

Uninstall: Right-click on the search result and click on "Uninstall." Confirm the uninstallation by clicking on "Uninstall" again.

Reinstall from Microsoft Store: Visit the Microsoft Store webpage for the NVIDIA Control Panel and download/install it.

Once reinstalled, the NVIDIA Control Panel should be available. One of the above methods should fix the issue, and thereafter you will be able to configure settings with your graphics and monitor setups.