Fix: NVIDIA Control Panel Not Opening [2024 Update]

Accessing your GPU’s control panel is helpful for multiple reasons, such as changing the performance/quality preferences on a system level, checking the driver version, or modifying display settings.

Unfortunately, there’s a known issue causing the NVIDIA Control Panel to not open on Windows, which can be a frustrating experience requiring urgent attention by all users with a GPU from this brand.

If you recently encountered this problem, keep reading, as multiple proven solutions are available in the sections below.

Without any more delay, let’s dive right into it.

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Possible Causes

You’ve recently built a new PC or installed a new GPU as an upgrade from your previous one, which is likely one of the most exciting moments for a computer enthusiast. However, you launch your computer only to find the NVIDIA control panel fails to start or is completely missing from the options menu.

That can be both a frustrating and worrying situation to be in, and what you’re experiencing makes your GPU unusable. It could also be a sign pointing out some worst-case scenarios, such as the card being dead or unsupported by the motherboard.

Fortunately, the reality is often much brighter. This problem could be the cause of corrupt driver data or outdated drivers, a need for a simple BIOS tweak, or a simple restart of the NVIDIA services.

Read on to learn how to fix it through carefully-explained, step-by-step tips listed in the sections below.

Preliminary Fixes To Try

Before getting into the more complex fixes that could take more of your time, we recommend trying these preliminary fixes. If they end up working, they can solve the problem quickly.

Read more about each one to understand why we’re suggesting it.

Force-Quit The NVIDIA Control Panel Services Through Task Manager

Sometimes, being unable to open the NVIDIA control panel can be due to a simple bug you can fix by force-quitting the “stuck” and unresponsive NVIDIA services within Task Manager.

To do this, open Task Manager, click on the Processes tab, find the “NVIDIA Container” process, and right-click it, then choose End Task.

Repeat the same steps for every other NVIDIA process you find on the list.

When done, try opening the NVIDIA control panel by right-clicking an empty area on your desktop and choosing it from the list of options. It should now open regularly.

Install The NVIDIA Control Panel From The Microsoft Store

In certain cases, the user can resolve the issue of the NVIDIA control panel not opening by removing the previously installed NVIDIA files and getting the control panel from the Microsoft Store instead.

If you have access to the Microsoft Store, we recommend trying this fix, as it could solve the issue immediately and save you a lot of time.

Re-seat Your GPU

When explaining this problem, some users overlook mentioning the NVIDIA panel is not even visible in the list of choices on the Windows context menu. Simply as if there isn’t an installed GPU in the PC.

If you don’t see the NVIDIA control panel in the list of options after right-clicking an empty area on your desktop, it could be that the GPU is not seated well in its dedicated slot.

Another “sign” of this problem is seeing abnormal resolutions (with abnormaly large icons or a stretched picture) or refresh rates on your monitor.

To fix this, turn off your PC, shut off the power supply, and unplug the GPU. Re-seat it and make sure it’s placed tightly in its slot. Do the same with the cables that give your GPU power. Turn on your PC again and see if the problem is now solved.

If none of these preliminary methods solved the problem, continue to the other sections, where we cover more complex methods for fixing this problem.

Fix 1: Restart All NVIDIA-Related Services

A simple restart of all NVIDIA-Related Services through the services.msc section in Windows may solve the problem quickly and efficiently.

Here’s how to do that:

Simultaneously press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Windows Run Utility. In it, type in services.msc and then press Enter on your keyboard to initiate the command.
Use your mouse cursor to click on one of the services displayed on the list, then press the N button to navigate to the services starting with that letter. From there, manually scroll down until you see NVIDIA Display Container LS, then right-click it and select Restart.
Repeat the same steps for the NVIDIA NetworkService Container, NVIDIA LocalSystem Container, and NVIDIA Telemetry Container services.
Now, go back to your desktop and right-click an empty area, then open the NVIDIA Control Panel by clicking on it. It should now open properly.

Hopefully, this will fix the problem with the NVIDIA control panel not opening on your system. If it doesn’t, however, there are still more things to try, so keep reading through the following sections.

Fix 2: Update Your NVIDIA Drivers (Two Methods)

If you don’t have the latest driver required for your currently-installed GPU to work, or your current one is corrupt and not functioning as it should, the optimal solution is to download the most recent version from NVIDIA and replace the old one with it.

There are two ways to do this, the first one is by using the Device Manager panel, and the second one is by using the GeForce Experience software.

We’ll cover both, so let’s take a look at what steps you should take, starting with the Device Manager method:

Press Windows + S simultaneously on your keyboard to open the Windows Search Box. In it, type in Device Manager, then click on the first result displayed on the list.
Inside the Device Manager panel, expand the Display Adapters category, then right-click on your GPU and choose Update Driver from the list of available options. Choose the Search Automatically For Drivers option, as shown in the images below.

Now Windows will search for the latest driver for your GPU and install it. Once that’s done, we recommend restarting your computer. Then, try accessing the NVIDIA control panel and see if it works.

The problem should be solved.

To follow the GeForce Experience approach, simply adhere to the instructions provided:

Open GeForce Experience by using one of the shortcuts on your PC. If you don’t have a shortcut, press Windows + S to open the search box, then type in GeForce Experience and launch it that way.
Note: If you don’t have GeForce Experience installed on your computer, we recommend downloading it from the official website.
Once you sign in to your GeForce Experience account, navigate to the app’s home screen, open the Drivers section, and choose Check For Updates, as shown in the image below.
Wait for the app to download and install the latest drivers, then reboot your PC when the process is complete.

You now have the latest NVIDIA display drivers installed on your system, and this should fix the error with the control panel not opening. It’s not necessary, but we recommend restarting your PC when the process is complete.

Fix 3: Perform A Clean Driver Uninstall In Safe Mode Using DDU

The most frequently recommended thing to do when experiencing problems with your GPU is to perform a clean driver uninstall. Doing this can rule out many things before you start searching for the problem elsewhere, or it can simply fix the problem right away and save you a lot of time.

Performing a proper driver uninstallation is not the same as simply updating your display driver, as we indicated earlier. It necessitates entering safe mode and utilizing a tool to guarantee the absence of any remaining driver files.

Don’t worry if this sounds daunting. We’ll show you how to do it step-by-step.

Here’s what you need to do.

Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). It’s a safe, proven software that will ensure you don’t have any leftover files when uninstalling your display driver.
Create a folder on your desktop, and within, extract the archived Display Driver Uninstaller files you just downloaded.
Now, you need to enter safe mode. To do this, press Windows + I simultaneously on your keyboard to open the Settings panel. Then, select Update & Security, and click on the Recovery tab. Under Advanced Startup, choose Restart Now.
Your PC will restart. You should now see a blue screen with options, from which you need to select Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, Startup Settings, and finally, Restart.
Your PC will restart once again, and now you’ll see a list of options. Press the 4 number on your keyboard to choose the Enable Safe Mode option. Now your PC will reboot into safe mode.
Open the desktop folder where you previously extracted the Display Driver Uninstaller tool. Right-click it and choose Run as Administrator.
When DDU opens, on the right side, choose GPU and then the Clean and Restart option, as shown in the image below.

Wait for the process to finish and for your computer to reboot.

Once your system is up and running again, open the NVIDIA website and download the latest stable version of the driver compatible with your graphics card.

If you don’t want to choose the drivers yourself, install GeForce experience, and the software will automatically find the ones for your GPU model and install them on your system.

That will resolve any problems regarding the display drivers for your GPU.

Fix 4: Disable Fast Boot In BIOS

Another possible solution for the problem causing the NVIDIA control panel to not open on Windows is to disable the fast boot option in your BIOS.

Because each BIOS is unique, we are unable to provide you with the precise instructions required to deactivate this choice.

However, it should be comparatively easy to find under the “boot” or “enhanced choices” section.

If you discover a configuration called “quick start,” ensure its state is “deactivated.”

You can also try doing this through Windows, but we cannot guarantee that it’ll have the same results. It’s worth trying, though, so follow the steps below:

Press Windows + R on your keyboard simultaneously, then type in powercfg.cpl and press Enter on your keyboard.
Click on Choose what the power buttons do from the left sidebar menu.
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Uncheck the box next to the “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” option, then click Save Changes at the bottom of the panel.

Now restart your computer and see if the problem persists. It should be solved, as this method helped many users overcome it.

Fix 5: Repair All Visual C++ Redistributables

Another fix reported by users for this specific issue is downloading the latest Visual C++ Redistributables from the official Microsoft website and then running the setup. Make sure to choose the Repair optionduring the steps.

Also, ensure you download the file type compatible with your system. If you’re running a 64-bit Windows, download the x64 version. Otherwise, download the x86.

Once the repair process is complete, restart your computer, and you should be able to open the NVIDIA control panel without further issues.

Conclusion

That covers everything you need to know about the NVIDIA panel not opening on Windows problem troubling many PC users.

Hopefully, the in-depth methods provided in the guide above will help you efficiently solve the issue so you can get back to using the panel for tweaking various GPU-related settings on a system level.