Everyone knows NVidia, the most popular graphic card company, allowing gamers to play high-quality and high-graphics PC games without any problems. NVidia offers a control panel, a software application that users can use for graphic card settings and management. Some users, including gamers, often complain about the “NVidia control panel not opening.”
We believe this is a serious complication because it prevents you from managing your PC’s graphics card settings. The problem is most often due to outdated system or application drivers and hung processes. In today’s article, we will give you some practical solutions or tips to ensure the NVidia control panel opens on your PC or laptop. Read on!
NVidia Control Panel Not Opening
1. Update your System Drivers
Updating your system drivers will optimize your PC or laptop, allowing numerous applications, including the NVidia control panel, to open easily. Go to the Device Manager and explore the list of all the hardware items.
Look for any exclamation marks on the hardware items in the Device Manager list. If you see any of them, make sure you update the drivers to streamline the process. At the same time, locate the NVidia graphic card in the list and select “Update Driver Software.”
The wizard will automatically install the driver if it is available. However, if your system does not detect the latest driver, it means the driver is up to date. Restart your computer or laptop to apply the changes.
Sometimes, your PC can’t detect the latest driver for your graphic card. In that case, we recommend vising NVidia’s official website and search for the drivers based on the graphic card’s model. Down the latest driver and install them to resolve the problem.
On the other hand, you can use third-party software or application to search for drivers if you can’t find them on the official website. Using high-quality software to search for drivers is an excellent way to streamline the process and protect your system from damages. The purpose is to down and installs the correct driver versions for your NVidia graphic card.
2. Disable Your Antivirus
Online research shows that antivirus software programs can hinder or block numerous applications on your PC. However, this depends on the type of antivirus program you use on your PC. Sometimes, the NVidia control panel does not open because your antivirus interferes with it.
That’s why we recommend checking your antivirus settings and ensuring the program has not blocked NVidia Control Panel. If the antivirus program has not disabled the control panel, we suggest disabling other features and check if the control panel opens.
If the problem persists, disable the antivirus altogether and open the control panel. The problem most often occurs on PC with AVG antivirus. Therefore, we recommend you uninstall the AVG antivirus program and install a new one.
If you use Windows 10, install the Bit Defender, one of the best antivirus programs that won’t interfere with your applications, including the NVidia Control Panel.
3. Start NVidia Control Panel from the Directory
Many people start the NVidia Control panel from the desktop shortcut. Although there is nothing wrong with doing that, sometimes, the shortcut won’t let you open the application. Therefore, we recommend going to the installation directly to run the control panel. Once you locate the installation directory in the Program Files, run the nvcplui.exe.
We have carried out this procedure and fixed the problem. So, when you follow this technique, you will open the NVidia control panel. Delete the old shortcut from your desktop and create a new one and see if it works. However, if the shortcut does not let you open the control panel, use the original file in the installation directly.
4. Disable Fast Boot
If you have installed Windows 10 on your PC with an NVidia graphics card, you will need the NVidia control panel to manage the settings for different applications, including images, videos, and games. One way to fix the “NVidia control panel not opening” problem is by disabling the fast boost option in Windows 10. Follow the steps given below to carry out the process.
- Locate the Power Settings in Windows 10 Control Panel
- Select “Power and Sleep Settings” from the Menu
- Choose the “Settings” section in the right pane
- Click the “Additional Power Settings” button
- Next, click on “Change Settings” and uncheck the “Turn on fast startup.”
- Save changes and open the NVidia Control Panel
That way, you will disable the fast boot option, but the good news is that you can now open the NVidia control panel. However, the bad news is that your system will run slightly slower than before and may hinder some applications.
Fast Boot is an essential and valuable feature in Windows 10, allowing you to boot your operating system faster than previous Windows versions. Anyway, if the problem persists, make sure you turn on the Fast Boot option, uninstall the NVidia Control panel, and reinstall it from restarting your PC.
5. Use NVidia GeForce Experience for Drivers’ Reinstallation
Another simple solution to fix the control panel problem is using the NVidia GeForce Experience to reinstall the driver. It is an easy procedure, requiring you to open the NVidia GeForce Experience, selecting the Drivers section, and choosing the option of “reinstall the driver.”
Once done, click on the “Quick Install” button to start the process. Ensure you follow all the instructions displayed on the screen to streamline the reinstallation procedure and avoid experiencing any problems. After reinstalling the drivers using NVidia GeForce Experience, open the control panel and see if it works.
Because the control panel does not open, one cause of the issue is an outdated driver. Instead of using the Windows default application for driver installation or any other third-party tool, we recommend using the NVidia GeForce Experience, an official application from NVidia that allows you to reinstall the drivers efficiently.
Final Words
NVidia control panel offers a wide range of features to people with NVidia graphics cards installed on their PCs. Not only can you manage settings for individual applications, but you can also improve the graphics for video games. The solutions given above will fix the main problem discussed in this article. Until Next Time!
