How to fix NVIDIA Control Panel disappearing error in Windows 11/10

NVIDIA Control Panel includes a series of settings for NVIDIA graphics cards. Users can configure graphics settings for games and software from there. So this is quite an important application for PC users with NVIDIA GPUs. This is how you can fix NVIDIA Control Panel disappearing error in Windows 11/10.

What causes the NVIDIA Control Panel to disappear error?

The "NVIDIA Control Panel Not Showing" issue can occur for many reasons and here are some common causes:

1. NVIDIA graphics card software and drivers not installed : This is the most common cause of the NVIDIA Control Panel Missing problem. In such a case, installing the NVIDIA driver will resolve the problem.
2. NVIDIA graphics card not recognized in Device Manager : If your computer does not recognize the NVIDIA graphics card in Device Manager or if it is recognized but with errors then this can cause the issue of NVIDIA Control Panel not showing up. town.
3. NVIDIA graphics card driver issue : Outdated or corrupted graphics card driver can cause the "NVIDIA Control Panel" option missing issue.
4. Windows Updates : Sometimes after installing Windows updates, NVIDIA Control Panel does not appear.

1. Check the display connection

Try this before moving on to other troubleshooting methods.

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The first thing you need to make sure is that your monitor is properly plugged into the Nvidia graphics card. This is important because the Nvidia Control Panel will not recognize your monitor if it is not plugged in properly, leading to various errors, including the one we are trying to resolve here.

In case you're wondering, your PC has several display ports, and you have to make sure you connect the display adapter to the Nvidia graphics card's (separate) port. Restart your PC after you have properly established the connection to see if it fixes the error. Additionally, you can also try using a different port on your graphics card to see if that fixes the error. Doing so will ensure that you are not using a bad port that caused this error in the first place.

2. Check and enable all NVIDIA services

The issue of NVIDIA Control Panel disappearing may arise due to some NVIDIA services being disabled. Therefore, enabling and starting all NVIDIA services is one way you can restore the missing graphics control panel in Windows 11/10.

Here's how to enable NVIDIA services:

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu button to open the Power User menu and select the Run shortcut there.

Step 2: Enter services.msc in the Open box and click OK to display the Services window.

Step 3: Scroll down to NVIDIA services as shown in the snapshot below.

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Step 4: Then double-click any NVIDIA service listed there.

Step 5: Select the Automatic option on the Startup type drop-down menu for that service.

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Step 6: If the service is not running, click the Start button.

Step 7: Select the Apply option to save the NVIDIA service settings.

Step 8: Click OK to close the service properties window.

Step 9: Repeat steps 4 to 8 for all NVIDIA services listed.

Step 10: Restart your PC after changing NVIDIA service settings.

3. Update NVIDIA graphics card driver

Because NVIDIA Control Panel is closely linked to the graphics card, it can disappear due to outdated or incompatible NVIDIA drivers. Therefore, you should update the NVIDIA graphics card driver, if it is outdated. You can do it manually or with third-party driver update software.

4. Reinstall NVIDIA graphics card driver

If your NVIDIA graphics card already has the latest driver, try reinstalling its driver. This is how you can reinstall drivers for NVIDIA GPUs.

Step 1: Open the Power User menu and select the Device Manager option on it.

Step 2: Double click the Display adapters category to view its devices.

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Step 3: Right-click on your NVIDIA graphics card to select the Uninstall device option.

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Step 4: Select the Delete the driver software for this device option on the confirmation prompt that appears.

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Step 5: Click the Uninstall button there to confirm.

Step 6: Restart your PC.

Step 7: Download and install the latest NVIDIA driver package for your graphics card.

5. Try opening NVIDIA Control Panel from File Explorer

Try searching for NVIDIA Control Panel in File Explorer. The specific file to open Control Panel to find is nvcplusi.exe. If you can find nvcplui.exe in Explorer, then you can try opening it from there. These are the different folder paths you will need to find the nvcplui.exe file in:

1. C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationControl Panel Client
2. C:Program FilesWindowsAppsNVIDIACorp.NVIDIAControlPanel_8.1.962.0_x64__56jybvy8sckqj

If you cannot find the Control Panel Client folder, then nvcplui.exe may be located in the WindowsApps folder path specified above. However, WindowsApps is not an easily accessible folder. You will need to take ownership of that folder to open it.

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If you find the nvcplui.exe file in Explorer, right-click on it and select Run as administrator to open NVIDIA Control Panel. Then click Desktop at the top of the window. Select the Add Desktop Context Menu and Show Notification Tray Icons option to restore it to the system tray and desktop context menu.

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6. Copy the NVDisplay.Container file to the Startup folder

"NVDisplay.Container" is the file of the NVIDIA Display Container LS service. Adding that file to the Windows Startup folder can also fix the NVIDIA Control Panel disappearing error. Here's how you can copy that file to the Startup folder:

B1: Open the Services window as stated in steps one and two of the first solution.

Step 2: Double-click the NVIDIA Display Container LS service to open its window.

Step 3: Copy the path to the executable file specified in that window using hotkey Ctrl + C .

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Step 4: Click OK to exit the properties window and close the Services application.

Step 5: Open File Explorer and select drive C:.

Step 6: Paste the copied path into the folder address bar using the hotkey Ctrl + V and press the Enter key.

Step 7: Then right-click on the Display.NvContainer file to select the Copy option on the context menu.

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Step 8: Open Run and enter shell:startup in the Open box.

Step 9: Right-click inside the Startup folder to select the Paste shortcut option .

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Step 10: Next, right-click on the Display.NvContainer file and select Properties.

Step 11: Select Run as administrator on the Compatibility tab shown below and click the Apply button.

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Step 12: Finally, restart the computer.

7. Reinstall NVIDIA Control Panel

As a last resort, try reinstalling NVIDIA Control Panel. You can reinstall NVIDIA Control Panel by uninstalling via Settings as follows.

Step 1: Open Settings in Windows.

Step 2: Then, select Apps > Apps & features to display the list of installed software.

Step 3: Find the NVIDIA Control Panel application listed there and click on the three-dot button.

Step 4: Select the Uninstall option for NVIDIA Control Panel.

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Step 5: Restart your PC after uninstalling the NVIDIA Control Panel application.

Step 6: Click the pinned Microsoft Store application shortcut from the Start menu.

Step 7: Enter NVIDIA Control Panel in the MS Store search box.

B8: Select NVIDIA Control Panel in the search results.

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Step 9: Click the Get button to reinstall the application.

Although you can configure in-game graphics options, it's better to apply global settings through the NVIDIA Control Panel. You can restore your missing NVIDIA Control Panel in Windows 11 and 10 by applying the potential fixes above. You will then be able to access and change the graphics settings there according to your needs again.

Samuel Daniel

Update 12 August 2024