Fix Nvidia Control Panel Missing in Windows 10 (7 Easy Methods)

Can’t find Nvidia Control Panel Options? 😟 Read the full tutorial to get it back…

If you are here, I’m 1000% sure that you have an Nvidia graphics driver and you probably have an issue like your Nvidia control panel is missing or in other terms, Nvidia Control panel not showing. Right?

No need to worry my friend as in this tutorial, I’m gonna show you 7 methods by which you can fix Nvidia control panel not showing issues in your Windows 10 or 7 or whichever you are using.

Now before I write all the technical kinds of stuff, let me share some interesting facts & data…

You might be wondering, How does Kevin know that?

The answer is Using “Google trends”. Here’s the embedded data…

The above data shows that many people in the US search for terms like “Nvidia control panel missing” and “Nvidia control panel not showing” and few more related terms.

Out of both the terms the first one is more popular and was often searched more in the past 12 months…

1. Nvidia control panel missing averages above 40
2. Nvidia control panel not showing averages below 30

When I compared the data by sub-region, here’s what I found…

This sub-region data reveals that people from California, Pennsylvania, Texas, NewYork, and Florida search google for the term “Nvidia control panel missing” the most.

Hey, Have you tweeted that?

If not, then please tweet and share it with your friends and followers.

Anyways,

I have attached the data just to relax you and let you know that this is a common issue that many Nvidia users face. (Fortunately, I found great data and that too for the US location 😜)

Nvidia control panel lets you customize your Nvidia graphics card properties but when it’s suddenly gone/missing from your notification tray icon, desktop context menu and from the start menu,

you just said, WTF? 🖕 Where is my Nvidia Control Panel? Right?

Anyways, before we’ll solve the issue together, let me just mention the possible causes of this error & also a positive quote…

I request you to don’t lose your motivation and keep on trying each and every method…

What Causes Nvidia Control Panel Missing Issue

This problem arises because of

• A corrupted graphic card driver
• Missing registry key issue
• Incompatible apps and softwares
• & some unknown random errors here and there

I know that you are not here for the causes, you are for the solutions, right?

So, let’s fix the issue…

Just note that the following methods include some Basic troubleshooting as well as little Advanced techniques (not so advanced).

Please don’t skip the advanced methods if the easier ones do not help to get back your missing Nvidia control panel.

Method 1: Unhide Nvidia Control Panel

This is the easiest way to get back your Nvidia control panel.

There is a possibility that during the update, the setting of the application may have changed, which results in hiding the Nvidia control panel.

So before trying other methods, it makes sense to try this easy method first.

Just follow these steps to unhide and get back your Nvidia control panel….

1. Open Run box (Press Windows + R key together) and type Control and hit Enter. (You can also open it by double-clicking on the control panel icon available on the desktop)

2. Once you’re in the Control Panel, Change the view option to Large Icons, then double click on the Nvidia Control Panel.

3. Now the Nvidia Control Panel window will appear, here look for Desktop in the menu options. Then select both “Add desktop context Menu” and “Show notification tray icon” options from the drop-down menu.

4. Close all the Open Windows and go back to your Desktop and check if the Nvidia Control panel appears in the Desktop context menu.

If it does, then congratulations and if it doesn’t we have 6 other methods left, let’s move on & remember…

Method 2: Restart Nvidia Services

If the above method of simply unhiding the Nvidia control panel does not solve your problem then you can try this simple method of restarting Nvidia services.

In this method, we simply need to restart specific services of the NVIDIA graphics card.

Here are the actionable steps…

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 Tips and Tricks

1. Open Run box (Press Windows + R key together) and type services.msc and hit Enter.

2. The services window will appear with a list of services that are currently running on your PC. In this list of services just look for the service with the name NVIDIA.

3. Now, select each Nvidia service one by one and restart them by clicking on the Restart button present on the left side of the window.

Note: If you find that any of the Nvidia service is not active i.e not running right now, then activate it by clicking on the Start button (left side of the window)

4. Now simply restart your PC and then check whether this method worked for you to bring back the missing Nvidia control panel.

If nothing happens, don’t lose hope, try the next one.

Method 3: Reinstall Nvidia Control Panel App from MS Store

For most users the above two basic methods may not work, so let us try another basic method.

Note: This method is perfect for users searching for “Nvidia control panel missing windows 10”.

1. Go to the Start or Window button. then look for Settings options (Gear Shaped Icon) in the start menu.

2. Find & Click on the Apps option in the Windows settings

3. Now select Apps & Features from the menu on the left side.

4. In the search box type “Nvidia Control panel”

Note: If the Nvidia Control Panel is already installed in your PC then you should uninstall it first.

5. The last step is to go to Microsoft Store & get a fresh copy of the Nvidia Control Panel and then install it.

This basic method may solve this Nvidia control panel missing options issue. Try it and if it doesn’t work then remember this quote and move on and try another method.

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 Tips and Tricks

“Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.”

Method 4: Manually Launch Nvidia Control Panel to Get back Missing Nvidia Control Panel

Here is a solution no.4 for all the users who are still facing the Nvidia control panel missing problem again and again.

This method can fix this problem by manually launching the Nvidia Control Panel.

To launch the Nvidia control panel manually just follow these steps:

Step 1: Open My Computer folder. Go to C Drive or where your system files are stored.

Step 2: In local drive (C) look for the folder named Program Files (X86) or Program Files & open it.

Step 3: Here you will find the NVIDIA Corporation folder. Once you are in the NVIDIA Corporation folder, open the Control Panel Client. In this folder look for the nvcplui file.

Step 4: Right Click on the nvcplui file and select run as administrator.

Additionally, I would recommend you to create a shortcut. Simply do this by right click on the nvcplui file and select Create a Desktop Shortcut.

Once you do this you can easily open the Nvidia control panel directly from your Desktop.

I hope this works, if not then method no.5 is the solution…

Don’t Miss: 21+ Awesome Windows 10 Tips and Tricks

Method 5: Using Nvidia Support Method “The Permanent Solution”

Even though the above-listed methods were capable of fixing the missing NVIDIA Control Panel issue, a few users reported that they were getting this error again and again.

So, NVIDIA support provided a solution to this issue which works most of the time and hence I have mentioned “The permanent Solution” in the heading…

Anyways, just follow these simple steps to give this method a try:

1. Open My Computer then go to System Drive (Usually C drive) or (to the Disk where your system files are located).

Now follow this Folder path:

Program Files (x86) or Program Files >> NVIDIA Corporation >> Display.Nvcontainer

2. In the Display.Nvcontainer folder, you will come across an imp file named NVDisplay.Container.

3. Now, select this file and Press Ctrl+C to copy this file. (Copy the file not the location of the file)

4. The next step is to Go to the Startup folder. To do this, press the Windows+R key at the same time to open the Run box.

5. Now, type shell:startup and hit Enter.

6. As you hit Enter, the startup folder will pop up, where we need to paste the NVDisplay.Container file. Simply right-click and select the paste option or just press Ctrl+V to Paste the copied NVDisplay.Container file.

7. Right-click on the Display.NvContainer file you just pasted, and select the Properties option.

8. In the Properties window navigate to the Compatibility tab. Then select the Run as administrative, checkmark this option to give the admin rights to the NVDisplay.Container file. Then simply click on OK to apply these settings.

After completing all these steps, just Restart your computer in order to apply all these changes. Now, you should be able to see the NVIDIA Control Panel option on your desktop context menu and notification tray.

After trying this method, I know that many of you will say thanks, Kevin, because this method is a proven method and it works 9 out of 10 times.

Even if this proven method doesn’t work, we have another method to try…

Method 6: Update your Nvidia Graphics Card to Fix Nvidia Control Panel Missing Issue

If all the above-mentioned methods did nothing but frustrated you then it may be a driver issue.

So, we need to update your Nvidia Graphic Card driver in order to Fix Missing Nvidia Control Panel in Windows 10.

To update the Nvidia graphics card, follow these steps…

1. Press Windows + X on your keyboard or right-click on the start button. Now click on the Device Manager option.

2. The Device Manager window will open where you can see all the devices that are connected to your system.

3. From this list, just look for Display Adapters and expand it to find the NVIDIA Graphic card. Then right-click on it and click on Update Driver.

4. This will open a new window, Here, from the two options you have to choose “Search automatically for updated driver software”

Now your system will automatically search for the best driver that is available for your Graphic card and then Install it automatically.

All you need to do is read this list post of 21+ Awesome Windows 10 Tips and Tricks until your graphics get updated.

Even If updating the driver didn’t solve the problem then there’s only one thing that you can do in this situation i.e to Uninstall and Reinstall your driver…

Method 7: Reinstall Nvidia Graphics Card Driver “The last method”

Updating the Nvidia Graphic Driver works for most & if in case it didn’t work for you then Try reinstalling it if you cannot find the Nvidia Control Panel in the desktop context menu and system tray.

Here are the final steps that you need to follow:

1. Again open device manager by pressing Windows + X key or by right-clicking on the Start button.

2. Once again Expand the Display adapters option from the list of drivers in Device Manager. Right-click on the NVIDIA Graphics Card driver and this time select the Uninstall device option.

3. Wait for a few minutes until it uninstalls.

4. After the uninstallation, visit the Nividia Drivers webpage & install a fresh copy of the new updated driver that supports your Graphic Card.

5. Select the appropriate Product Type, Product Series, and Product options from the respective drop-down menus according to your computer’s configuration in-order to download the latest driver. 

6. Once downloaded, Install it on your system.

Once it’s done. Restart your PC.

After restarting your PC you will find that the missing Nvidia Control panel is now shown on your desktop context menu and notification tray.

Over to You

I have demonstrated 7 methods by which your queries like:

• Where to find Nvidia control panel
• Nvidia control panel missing options
• Nvidia control panel missing in windows 10

Should be solved.

Although the proven Methods are Method 2 and Method 5 to Fix NVIDIA Control Panel missing in Windows 10, you should always begin with the methods mentioned at the top of this tutorial.

If these 7 methods also fail for you, the last thing that you can do is raise a query on NVIDIA Forum. 

Till then, you can use Method 4 to manually open the NVIDIA Control Panel and access the graphics options 😉

If you’re reading this section, then I’m sure you were motivated because of the quote & throughout this guide, you didn’t lose your hope and that’s the best outcome of this tutorial…

You and I did everything possible but if still things don’t work then being patient and manually opening the control panel is the best thing we can do, rather than getting irritated by this problem 😎

As of now, March 2020, these are the only solutions that you’ll find on most of the Tech sites as they are the only known and working methods.

So, whenever I come across new working methods, I’ll share it with TechStudio readers and also notify you in the mailbox. (I hope you are)

If you haven’t yet subscribed to TechStudio’s mailing list, then scroll down to the bottom of the page (in the footer) & just let me know your good name and working email so that I can mail you the solutions whenever available…

Lastly, I would request that If any method worked for any of you, please let me know in the comments and if you have some more methods then they are also welcome…

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