How To Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing Issue (Easiest Way)
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What is Nvidia Control Panel Missing Error?
Users who have installed an Nvidia Graphics Card on their PC have a specific option to change and adjust the graphics according to their liking.
Now, they need the Nvidia Control Panel to do these things. What happens is that sometimes the Nvidia Control Panel is nowhere to be found. It just disappears, and that can be very problematic for hardcore users. But don’t worry. We have got you covered with some of the easiest, tried, and tested solutions that will solve the issue.
NVIDIA is a company that is popular among the gaming community as it makes some of the best graphics cards available for computers. If you are a PC gamer then there’s a big possibility that the graphics card in your computer is made by NVIDIA. Although the company makes solid products there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the NVIDIA control panel missing issue.
NVIDIA Control Panel Missing
How To Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing Issue
Before performing the recommended troubleshooting steps for this particular problem I suggest that you try restarting your computer first. This will refresh the operating system as well as remove corrupt temporary data and is quite effective in fixing most software related issues.
There are several factors that can cause the NVIDIA control panel to disappear from your computer. Listed below are the troubleshooting steps that you need to do to fix this problem.
Uninstall then reinstall the NVIDIA driver
One of the best ways to fix this problem is to reinstall the NVIDIA driver on your computer.
Press Win+R (Windows logo key and R key) at the same time to invoke the Run box.
Type msconfig and click OK. Then the System Configurations will open.
When System Configuration opens, click the Boot tab. Under Boot options, check Safe boot then click OK.
When you’re prompted to restart your computer to apply these changes, click Restart then you will boot into Safe Mode.
Go to your local hard disk by clicking on This PC then Local Disk C. You should be able to see the NVIDIA folder right there. Right-click on it and choose Delete.
Click Start and type Run. Select Run, the Run dialog box will appear.
Type “devmgmt.msc” in the run box and click the OK button which should open the Device Manager Window.
Expand the “Display Adapters” field. This will list all network adapters that the machine has installed. Right click on the Nvidia adapter you want to uninstall and select “Uninstall”.
Click “OK” when prompted to uninstall the device. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the driver.
Press Win+R (Windows logo key and R key) at the same time to invoke the Run box.
Type msconfig and click OK. Then the System Configurations will open.
When System Configuration opens, click the Boot tab. Under Boot options, uncheck Safe boot then click OK.
When you’re prompted to restart your computer to apply these changes, click Restart.
Run the setup file and follow the instructions which appear on screen. Choose the Custom installation option and check all the boxes in the custom install options windows. Also check the box which states “perform clean install”. Restart your computer
Check if the NVIDIA control panel missing issue still occurs.
Restart the NVIDIA services
If some of the NVIDIA services are not running then this problem can occur. To fix this you will need to start these services.
Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination in order to bring up Task Manager.
Go to the Services tab in Task Manager and click on Open Services at the bottom of its windows, next to the gear icon.
Look for the Nvidia services by clicking on the Name column in order to sort the services in alphabetical order. Repeat the same process for the processes which contain the word Nvidia.
Right-click on the service and click on Properties.
Go to the Startup type and set it to Automatic if it’s not set already. Click the Stop button in order to stop the service and wait for a minute. Click on Start after a while and confirm the dialog boxes which may appear. Repeat this for all NVIDIA services.
Check if the NVIDIA control panel missing issue still occurs.
Change NVIDIA control panel view setting
If you are able to see the NVIDIA control panel on the windows 10 control panel then you can try changing the view setting.
Press the Windows Key + R key combination in order to open the Run dialog box.
Type “control panel” in the Run dialog box and press Enter on your keyboard. This will open Control Panel immediately.
At the top right part of the windows, change the View by option to large icons.
Locate the NVIDIA Control Panel entry, click it, and the NVIDIA Control Panel should open right away.
Click on View or Desktop and check the option which says Add Desktop Context Menu.
Apply the changes you have made, navigate to your desktop.
Check if the NVIDIA control panel missing issue still occurs.
Open the Control Panel Process Manually
You can try forcing the control panel to open by manually launching it.
Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination to open the Task Manager. Click on More details and locate the Nvidia Container entry on the list. Right-click on it and choose the Open File Location option.
While you are in the folder of Nvidia, go Up one folder until you end up in the Nvidia Corporation Folder.
Look for the folder named Control Panel Client, open it, and look for the application called nvcplui.exe.
Right-click on it and choose the Run as administrator option.
Check if the NVIDIA control panel missing issue still occurs.
Unhide Your Nvidia Control Panel
If you have recently updated your Windows, sometimes due to the update, graphics settings change automatically. You can try to access the Nvidia Control Panel through the Windows Control Panel. To do the same, follow the steps:
Step 1: In the Windows Search Bar, search for Control Panel and Open it.
Step 2 Now, under the View By option (top-right corner), select Large Icons.
Step 3: Select the Nvidia Control Panel.
Step 4: Now, click View or Desktop. Now Check the option of Add Desktop Context Menu.
Step 5: Next, Right-click on your Desktop, and check if the Nvidia Control Panel has reappeared in the Context Menu.
Update the Graphics Driver of Your System
If the above methods backfire, you can try to update the graphics driver of your PC. In most cases, upgrading the driver fixes the issue.
Step 1: Click on Windows Key + X to open the menu. Once opened, click on Device Manager.
Step 2: Expand the Display Adapters option, right-click on the Nvidia Driver, and click on Update Driver.
Step 3: Now, click on Search automatically for updated driver software.
Now the system will automatically find the latest version of the driver and will show you the update. If it’s available, Install it. Otherwise, restart your PC, and hopefully, the Nvidia Control Panel Missing Error should have been gone by now.
Don’t overclock your graphics card
In case the issue still occurs even after performing the steps listed above then you should make sure that you are not overclocking your GPU. If your GPU is overclocked then return it to its normal state with the software you used to overclock it.