7 Best Ways to Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing on Windows 10

Gaming laptops with NVIDIA graphics cards come with the NVIDIA Control Panel. A useful application that allows players to change certain settings according to their preferences. You should find it in the desktop context menu. The problem starts when you want to change a setting and realize that the NVIDIA Control Panel is missing on your Windows 10 computer.

You can launch the NVIDIA Control Panel via a desktop shortcut or from the Start menu. Look for him. The problem is surprisingly common, and over the years, users have come up with some helpful solutions that help resolve it. Let’s understand what they are and how to apply them.

1. Restart

This is what happened to me recently. The graphics card was missing and by extension the NVIDIA control panel was also missing. I realized this when I opened the laptop to apply thermal paste and launched ThrottleStop to check the temperatures. Fortunately I restarted my computer before opening the back panel again, and it was there.

2. Don’t overclock

GPU overclocking often leads to such issues. I don’t and I don’t recommend it. I recommend you restore normal settings and reboot before checking again. Overclocking is dangerous, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.

3. Display the NVIDIA Control Panel

Step 1: Find and open Control Panel.

2nd step: Change the view by setting the Category to Large Icons.

Can you find the NVIDIA Control Panel listed here? If so, open it and under the Desktop tab select “Add Desktop Context Menu”.

Check again and you should show the NVIDIA Control Panel option in the right click context menu pop-up window.

4. Directly launch the NVIDIA control panel

Here is a quick fix until you find the real problem.

Step 1: Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder structure below.

C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationDisplay.NvContainer

2nd step: Right click on NVDisplay.Container.exe file and select Copy.

Step 3: Press Windows key + R to open the run prompt and type shell: startup before pressing Enter.

This will open the folder below:

C:UsersusernameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup

Step 4: You’ll paste the shortcut from the copied file here, right-click on it, and select Properties.

Step 5: Select the Shortcut tab, click on the Advanced button and check the Run as administrator option. Save all changes.

You have just created a new context menu shortcut for the desktop. The above folder contains all of the context menu shortcuts including the NVIDIA Control Panel Now.

I cannot see the above file because I installed the NVIDIA Control Panel from the Microsoft Store. It did not come preinstalled. If you don’t see it either, read the next point. Everything is fine. You can still install and launch it directly from the Microsoft Store.

5. Get it from the Microsoft Store

Have you even installed NVIDIA Control Center on your computer? Many users have discovered the hard way that the software never came with their installation of Windows 10. You can download it from the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft has released DCH drivers, which have caused confusion in recent months. I suggest you browse the two links I shared above for more details. Now download and stick to the Microsoft Store version and install them if they are completely missing from your computer.

Note that if NVIDIA Control Panel is installed, uninstall it using Revo Uninstaller and then reinstall it from Microsoft Store.

6. Update GPU drivers

You can update or uninstall the drivers and reinstall them again to see if that helps. You can also visit the NVIDIA website to directly download and install the latest drivers. Use an app like CPUZ to find the graphics card model number and other details if you don’t already know.

Note that many gamers recommend using DDU or Display Driver Uninstaller to completely remove NVIDIA drivers before reinstalling them.

7. Restart NVIDIA services

Step 1: Find and launch the Services application from the Start menu.

2nd step: Find any services that contain the word NVIDIA in the Name column. Right-click on any of them to select Properties.

Step 3: Make sure you have set the Startup Type to Automatic. Now click on the Stop button, wait a few moments and then click on the Start button to restart the NVIDIA service. Back up everything and repeat the same process for all other NVIDIA services.

Game enabled

The lockdown was a great opportunity to catch up with all of the games that we always wanted to play but couldn’t. Gamers love to tweak settings to perfection, and it’s annoying not being able to do that. On a related note, uninstalling the GeForce Experience app also helped some users. This often gets in the way and has very little to offer.

Have you found another way to fix NVIDIA Control Panel missing issue on Windows 10 PCs? Share with us in the comments section below. Good game.