8 Fixes For NVIDIA Control Panel Missing In Windows

Being one of the most popular technology companies in the gaming community, NVIDIA manufactures a wide array of best-in-class graphics processing units (GPU) for mobiles devices, laptops, and workstations.

However, sometimes the NVIDIA graphics card users report an issue for the NVIDIA Control Panel missing from Windows. They cannot locate it in the NVIDIA folder or the Desktop Context menu in the system tray.

If you are one such user-facing the NVIDIA control panel missing error, this article will be able to guide you to solve your problem.

Why does the NVIDIA Control Panel missing error occur?

Some of the possible causes when the NVIDIA control panel disappears are:

• Windows 10 update – Sometimes, updating our Windows to the latest version has adverse effects on our system if the installed drivers become corrupted, non-compatible, or outdated. You can fix this by rolling back the update.
• General bugs – A Windows 10 update might sometimes come with bugs that cause the NVIDIA graphics to malfunction.
• Driver issues – A corrupted, outdated, or incompatible NVIDIA display driver and graphic card driver can break the NVIDIA control panel. You can fix it by updating or reinstalling the graphic card driver from the NVIDIA official website.
• Corrupt NVIDIA Control Panel – It is possible that for reasons such as deleted or damaged files, the NVIDIA control panel has become corrupt and is malfunctioning. You can fix it by reinstalling the software.
• Missing or incorrect entries in Windows Registry – Windows Registry is an integral part of controlling most of the settings on your PC. Hence, its files should not be manipulated unless you know what you are doing. If there are any missing or incorrect entries in the registry, the control panel might get affected. You can fix this using the registry editor.

Methods To Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing

Among the multiple possible ways listed below to fix the NVIDIA Control Panel missing error, choose the one best suited to your requirements.

1. Restart NVIDIA Services To fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing Issue
2. Install Nvidia Control Panel Application from Microsoft store
3. Manually Launch NVIDIA Control Panel to get back Missing NVIDIA Control Panel
4. Unhide NVIDIA Control Panel
5. Permanent Solution to NVIDIA Control Panel Missing by NVIDIA Support
6. Update NVIDIA Graphics Driver to Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing Issue
7. Reinstall NVIDIA Graphics Driver
8. Don’t overclock your GPU

Fix 1 – Restart NVIDIA Services To fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing Issue

Restarting NVIDIA services from the Services window on your system can help you fix the NVIDIA control panel missing from the System Tray and Desktop context menu.

Step 1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Enter in the search box services.msc and hit Enter.

Step 3. In the open Services window, search for the NVIDIA services with the name starting with NVIDIA.

Step 4. Right-click on each NVIDIA service one by one and click on the Restart option from the open menu. The restart option is also available on the left side of the screen. In case the service isn’t running previously, click on the Start menu instead of Restart.

While restarting or starting the service, if you get an error 14109 saying that the NVIDIA display container service cannot be started, follow the below steps:

Step 1. Press the Windows + X keys together and click on Device Manager from the options displayed.

Step 2. Inside the device manager window, navigate to Display adapters and expand.

Step 3. Please right-click on the NVIDIA driver and uninstall it.

Step 4. Restart your PC to allow for the changes to reflect.

Fix 2 – Install Nvidia Control Panel App from Microsoft store

If you think that the NVIDIA control might be corrupt, you can install it again from Microsoft.

Step 1. Press the Windows key and type Settings in the search box.

Step 2. Navigate to the Apps menu.

Step 3. From the left panel, click on Apps & Features.

Step 4. Find Nvidia control panel from the search box and select the NVIDIA control panel option.

Step 5. Uninstall the software, if available.

Step 6. Navigate to the Microsoft Store and install the software again.

Fix 3 – Manually Launch NVIDIA Control Panel to get back Missing NVIDIA Control Panel

If the above two fixes were of no help, you could try launching the control panel manually from the NVIDIA folder in the C drive.

Step 1. Press Windows + E keys and navigate to This PC.

Step 2. Go inside the C: drive and look for the Program Files (x86) or the Program Files folder.

Step 3. Please search for the NVIDIA Corporation folder and open it.

Step 4. Open NVIDIA Control Panel Client folder and search for a document named nvcplui.

Step 5. Right-click on the nvcplui document in the control panel client folder to open the Nvidia control board window. It contains all the graphic card customization controls.

Step 6. Right-click on the nvcplui document and click on Create a desktop shortcut option which you can use to launch the control panel.

Fix 4 – Unhide the NVIDIA Control Panel

Post updating the Windows 10 Operating System to the latest version or following any other software changes, it is possible that you won’t be able to find the NVIDIA control panel as it gets hidden. You can fix the NVIDIA control panel missing error by following the below steps:

Step 1. Press the  Windows key and type the control panel in it.

Step 2. Click on the Windows Control Panel to open it.

Step 3. In the open Control Panel window, click on Large Icons from the View by dropdown in the top-right corner.

Step 4. Open NVIDIA Control Panel.

Step 5. Click on Desktop and then click the Add Desktop Context Menu checkbox.

Fix 5 – Permanent Solution to NVIDIA Control Panel Missing by NVIDIA Support

After getting many complaints about the NVIDIA control panel missing bug, its support decided to solve the problem.

Step 1. Press the Windows + E keys and navigate to This PC.

Step 2. Go inside the C: drive and look for the Program Files (x86) or the Program Files folder.

Step 3. Please search for the NVIDIA Corporation folder and open it.

Step 4. Open the Display.NvContainer and copy the file named Display.NvContainer.

Step 5. Simultaneously press Windows + R keys together to open the run dialog box.

Step 6. Type shell:startup in the box and hit Enter.

Step 7. Inside the startup folder, paste the copied Display.NvContainer file using Ctrl + V keys.

Step 8. Right-click on the pasted file and click on the Properties menu.

Step 9. Inside Properties, navigate to the Compatibility tab.

Step 10. Search for and select the Run this program as an administrator check box. Click OK to apply the changes.

Step 11. Restart the PC to check if the Control Panel reappears.

Fix 6 – Update NVIDIA Graphics Card Driver to Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing Issue

For a problematic NVIDIA graphics card driver, it is essential to update it. Generally, after a major Windows 10 update, the NVIDIA drivers might have an incompatibility issue. You can fix the error using three methods:

1. Update display adapter driver manually

2. Update display adapter driver automatically

3. Update your drivers using a third-party app

Option 1. Update display adapter driver manually

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Enter dxdiag in the Windows search box and press OK to open the DirectX Diagnostics tool.

Step 3. Move to the Display tab. Write the information about the name of the graphic card and manufacturer somewhere.

Step 4. Open the manufacturer’s website and navigate to the download page. Some of the most common manufacturers are:

• NVIDIA
• Intel
• AMD

Step 5. Enter the relevant information you wrote in step 3 on the website and find the suitable display driver.

Step 6. Download and install the latest driver and follow the instructions to complete the installation.

Step 7. Restart your Windows PC after the installation completes.

Option 2. Update display adapter driver automatically

Step 1. Simultaneously press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Type in the search box devmgmt.msc and click OK to open the Device Manager.

Step 3. Navigate to Display adapters and expand.

Step 4. Please right-click on the NVIDIA driver and update it.

Step 5. Click on Search automatically for drivers option from the next window that opens. It will automatically download the latest driver.

Step 6. Restart the Windows PC.

Option 3. Update your drivers with a third-party app

Suppose the automatic didn’t work, and you don’t feel comfortable manually installing and updating the driver. You can use third-party apps such as Driver Easy, DriverHub, DriverPack Solution, or Driver Booster to update the drivers automatically.

This software will install and update all the drivers on your system automatically once you scan for them. You can also use other advanced apps for this purpose.

Note: Before installing any third-party software, make sure to check whether it is trusted or not. Some of them might contain spyware or other malware that will be harmful to you and your system. Hence, before downloading any software, be sure to read its reviews from real users.

Fix 7 – Reinstall NVIDIA Graphics Driver

You can reinstall the NVIDIA graphics card driver from the NVIDIA website to fix the NVIDIA control panel missing error.

Step 1. Press the Windows + X keys together and click on Device Manager from the options displayed.

Step 2. Inside the device manager window, navigate to Display adapters and expand.

Step 3. Please right-click on the NVIDIA driver and uninstall it.

Step 4. Visit the NVIDIA webpage and enter the information as required to find the driver best suited for your requirements.

Step 5. Allow for the download to complete.

Step 6. Install the NVIDIA driver by following the on-screen instructions from the installation wizard.

Step 7. Restart the PC

Fix 8 – Don’t overclock your GPU

For most gamers and some professionals, overclocking the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is of massive advantage to getting better performance.

Overclocking GPU means removing all restrictions or limits from the graphics card and performing above safe limits.

However, this practice has adverse effects on your PC, which could be very heavy on your pockets to fix.

If your GPU is overclocked, it could be a reason for the NVIDIA Control Panel missing. To fix it, you must disable the overclocking of the GPU. You can see that the NVIDIA Control Panel reappears on your notification tray icon and desktop context menu.

Frequently Asked Questions