Sometimes when trying to access display settings on computers with NVIDIA graphics adapters installed, the user may receive a message stating that NVIDIA display settings are not available. Nothing can be changed at all. What to do in such a situation, read the material below.
NVIDIA Control Panel: NVIDIA display settings are not available. What is the reason?
The reason for this situation, most experts call problems with video card drivers. It is not surprising, because it is such control software that provides communication graphics adapter with computer monitor or laptop screen.
But why is NVIDIA display settings not available in every specific case, sometimes it is quite difficult to determine, despite the known root cause. Drivers may be outdated, missing, or even corrupted. Depending on this, you can apply several effective solutions that will help fix the problem. The methods are quite simple, but in some cases it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the situation.
What to do if NVIDIA display settings are not available?
Let's start with the simplest. If a similar message at one “fine” moment appeared at system startup, but everything worked before, perhaps this is somehow related to failures in the OS itself. There is nothing easier than activating a system restore to a state where the problem did not exist.
The same applies to the situation when a notification is issued that the NVIDIA display settings are not available in Windows 10 or any other version of the OS after installing updates. It is quite possible that some of them were installed incorrectly or cause malfunctions in the operation of the operating system. In this case, in the programs and components section, you must remove the recently installed updates, sorting them by installation date. But you need to delete them one by one, rebooting the system and trying to access the settings. When a failed update is found, you should set manual search, and then exclude the failed packet from the list, after remembering or writing down its number.
Another completely banal reason is related to situations when two video cards (discrete and integrated) are installed on the computer. You can correct the situation in the "Task Manager", where the built-in adapter is disabled if it is used in this moment, or the NVIDIA card is activated.
Exactly the same actions for cases where the settings of the "Device Manager" had no effect can be performed in the BIOS settings, where from the list of installed video cards, engagement as the main NVIDIA is selected.
Reinstalling and updating drivers
But, let's say that all the above methods did not work, and the system again gives a message that the NVIDIA display settings are not available. In such a situation, manual intervention by the user is required.
In order not to go far, try updating the adapter drivers in the same "Device Manager". If that doesn't work, uninstall the drivers or even the graphics card itself. It is possible that the drivers will be installed automatically when you reboot. In extreme cases, you can use installation disk with adapter drivers, if available. But the biggest problem is that drivers are not always removed this way, and the message that NVIDIA display settings are not available appears again and again.
Removing old drivers
In this case, you will need to independently remove all drivers and related software using the Programs and Features section located in the Control Panel.
Also for complete cleaning system from unnecessary drivers, you can use the Display Driver Uninstaller utility (but it is only for drivers and does not remove additional programs).
After that, you should reboot the system and install all components again. To install the latest drivers, it is best to use automated utilities such as driver booster, which will update the control software for absolutely all devices on the computer.
Specialized Drivers
Another option to fix the problem that NVIDIA display settings are not available concerns non-standard laptop models.
To get started, call the "Run" menu and enter the command msinfo32, and then find the exact name of the laptop model. Then refer to the manufacturer's official resource, search for drivers by model name and download the appropriate driver, then install it yourself.
Note: if the installer is in the form of an EXE file, use normal run as administrator. If this INF file, through RMB select the line "Install". If the system reports that the driver cannot be installed this way, go to the Device Manager, select update the driver and specify the path to the saved INF file.
Some manufacturers offer users an online laptop test, after passing which a list of problems will be issued, as well as tips on how to fix them. And the graphics adapter driver can not be downloaded, but installed directly from the manufacturer's website.
Afterword
That's about all there is to say about eliminating the above problem. What tool to use? The question is rhetorical. In principle, you can immediately install an automated driver updater. If the problem is not with the drivers, but with additional software, you will have to get rid of it, and then reinstall it by downloading latest version from the NVIDIA website. However, those who have the skills to work with drivers can perform all the actions in manual mode.
Reading 7 min. Views 1.6k. Published on 25.08.2017
Hi all! Very often, users of computers and laptops with an NVIDIA discrete video adapter installed are faced with the problem of being unable to get into the video settings. All this is accompanied by the error "the display in use is not connected to the nvidia gp". Due to this problem, the computer will not be able to use the video adapter during games and when running applications. As a rule, in most cases, the problem occurs only with discrete graphics cards.
Discrete graphics card- this is a separate hardware component of a computer, which is made in the form of a separate circuit or chip and is connected to a high-speed data bus PCI Express. Such video cards are the most productive compared to integrated solutions. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the discrete board cannot always be removed from the device. For example, on laptops, it is soldered to the motherboard, but is made as a separate chip or chipset.
Troubleshooting: The display in use is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU
After we have learned a little about what discrete video adapters are, I propose to consider in detail how to fix our problem. As a rule, there are not so many of them. Therefore, we will consider the most popular options.
By the way, I propose to remember what actions you performed earlier, before you began to appear given error: you may have uninstalled or updated drivers, optimized your computer and turned off unnecessary services, reinstalled the operating Windows system. If no action was taken with the computer, and the error: the display being used is not connected to the NVIDIA GPU began to appear by itself, then follow the instructions below.
Check if the video card is enabled in device manager.
Very often, a similar problem occurs due to the fact that the video adapter component is disabled in the Windows Device Manager. This can happen for various reasons:
- System updates have been downloaded and installed;
If the described operations took place, then the system could independently set the initial settings, therefore, in order to fix the problem, we do the following:
Note! There are times when the system shows that the device NVIDIA GeForce enabled, but it does not work correctly. Then you should turn it off by clicking on the "Disable" item, and then "Enable" again. Perhaps this will help solve the problem.
If, after the settings have been made, the error: The display in use is not connected to the NVIDIA GPU persists, then proceed to the next step.
Update the video card driver.
There are cases when, after installing or incorrectly updating drivers, as well as due to driver incompatibility with Windows version, the device refuses to work correctly. In this situation, you can try updating the video card driver. This can be done in several ways.
After that, click the "Search" button, the system will find the latest drivers for your video card and offer to download them. 
After downloading, feel free to run the update file.
After updating the video drivers, do not forget to restart the computer and check if our problem has disappeared, if not, then read the article further.
Enable NVIDIA Services
Quite often, the cause of many troubles is that some services stop working. This may be due to incorrect user actions or due to a system failure. Therefore, to check if the NVIDIA Geforce Display Container Service is running, run the following:
Upon completion of the manipulations, restart the computer and check if the error has disappeared.
Delete files of old video card drivers.
If you performed a driver update, and not a clean install, then you forgot about such a trifle as deleting all files and registry tails that remained from old version BY.
To clean up the system from the garbage that remains from the previous installation, we will use free utility called Display Driver Uninstaller, which can be downloaded from the official website www.guru3d.com. With her help, we automatic mode we can remove the old drivers. 
Therefore, download, install and run the program. Before starting the cleaning, you must select the type of GPU and click on the "Clean and Restart" button. After the done manipulations, the computer will reboot several times. So don't be afraid.
We use the system restore tool.
If the above steps did not help you fix the situation and the error: The display in use is not connected to the NVIDIA GPU appears again, then there is another option to solve the problem. For this we will use standard tool Windows System Restore.
To roll back to earlier computer settings, do the following:
As a rule, very often "System Restore" allows you to roll back the computer settings to their previous state and return the settings that were used before the user changed or before installing programs.
Let's summarize.
On computers that use two graphics cards, when you try to open graphics options, you may receive an error: "The display you are using is not connected to an Nvidia GPU." This failure means that at the moment the system consumes only the resources of the built-in video card, while the more powerful discrete one remains idle. Negative consequences are manifested in or when using editors to process photo / video content. The article below outlines the causes of the error and provides recommendations on how to fix it.
What is a GPU in a computer
The GPU is a separate processor that processes 2D and 3D graphics. Thanks to the GPU located on the video card, CPU relieved of excess load.
There is also integrated graphics processor, which is located on the same chip with the central one. This solution allows you to reduce the overall cost of the computer, but negatively affects performance: the user will not be able to run resource-intensive games or photo / video content editors.
Reasons for the error
When a computer uses only the integrated graphics card, it power is severely limited. Resources will be enough only to watch the video, open simple programs and games. Installing an external (discrete video card) with a separate processor significantly improves performance. At the same time, it is important to ensure that she is involved in the work. The occurrence of an error when opening the Nvidia settings just says that the external GPU is not functioning. There are several reasons for the problem:
How to Connect Display to Nvidia GPU
The answer to the question lies in check and eliminate possible causes one by one. Let's start with the simplest ones, because in most cases they solve the problem.
Checking the monitor cable connection
The banal reason faced by quite a few users who independently connect the monitor to system unit. The essence of the problem is that, provided there are two GPUs, you can make a mistake with the connector and connect the display to the integrated video card.
To deal with the issue, emphasize on back panel system block. The input for the built-in video card is located at the top and has a vertical orientation. The connectors for the discrete GPU are below and have a horizontal orientation. If the cable is connected at the top, then you need to turn off the power of the PC and rearrange the cord. After starting the system, the problem should disappear, otherwise you may need to reinstall the drivers or other manipulations described below.
Enable graphics card in device manager
The error "The display in use is not connected to an Nvidia GPU" occurs when in settings, software tools video card disabled. Check and fix the problem as follows:
note
A disabled GPU can not completely determined by the motherboard. For this reason, it will be in the "Other Devices" section.
Driver update
The action can be performed without leaving Device Manager. To update drivers you need:
If for some reason Windows reasons does not find a driver or says missing new version, while the user is sure of its existence, it will be required do a manual installation. To do this, you need to visit the official Nvidia website, specify the data of the video card and save it to the installation file. Then launch it and follow the instructions. The "Display in use is not connected to an Nvidia GPU" error should be gone.
When trying to open control panel An Nvidia user may encounter the message "NVIDIA display settings are not available. The display being used is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU." The appearance of this notification indicates that there are problems with the PC graphics card drivers, as well as incorrect connection of the system monitor. Below we will analyze the causes of this dysfunction, as well as present options for its solution.
The selected display is not connected to the Nvidia GPU - the essence and reasons
The vast majority of modern laptops (and some stationary computers) can boast of two working video cards at once. In most cases, one of them is built into motherboard, low power, and is used for everyday tasks(usually this is the Intel HD Graphics series). The second is a powerful discrete, used for resource-intensive graphic applications with the active use of 3D graphics (video cards from Nvidia and AMD).
Systems with two video cards can effectively save power by using a weaker card from Intel when performing simple operations (surfing the net, working with text, etc.). This function is called "NVIDIA Optimus", and we can see it running in many modern laptops with Nvidia graphics cards.
The use of this technology allows you to extend the battery life of your laptop
When starting the Nvidia control panel, the system tries to identify the Nvidia card used to create the image on the PC screen. If authentication fails, the user receives the message "The display in use is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU."
The causes of dysfunction may be as follows:
- The user plugged the monitor plug into the built-in graphics card slot instead of a discrete one (in the case of a stationary PC);
- Instead of native laptop drivers, the user (or Windows OS) installed basic drivers from Intel or Nvidia. Your laptop manufacturer may have modified the default drivers for specific model laptop, giving the system the ability to optimally switch between integrated and discrete graphics. These drivers are called "OEM drivers" (the abbreviation "OEM" stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer). OEM drivers are usually bundled with a laptop on a CD or PC hard drive, and enabling them is the key to the successful operation of both video cards. If the user installs standard drivers from Nvidia or Intel, then such a switch may not work correctly;
- The user did not correctly install drivers for system video cards. In particular, you first need to install drivers for the built-in card from Intel, and then for the discrete one (Nvidia). Many do exactly the opposite;
- Video card drivers are outdated or not working correctly.
Below we will analyze the ways to solve the problem.
Let’s take a look at the solutions to fix the “Nvidia display settings not available” error on your PC.
Method 1. Connect your monitor's cable to the Nvidia card connector
For a desktop PC and a standalone monitor, make sure the monitor cable is connected to the Nvidia video card connector and not to the built-in Intel card connector.
Method 2: Check if the integrated Intel graphics card is disabled
On some laptops, the work of a discrete Nvidia card is impossible without the integrated Intel graphics card enabled, so it gives out “NVIDIA display settings are not available. The display being used is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU."
- Go to Device Manager (press Win+R, type devmgmt.msc there and hit enter).
- Here, find the "Display adapters" tab, double-click on it to open it.
- Hover over the Intel card, right-click, and select Enable Device.
Method 3. Install original OEM drivers on your PC
An effective solution to the problem is to install original OEM drivers for your PC video card. Do the following:
Get-WmiObject win32_bios
And press enter. The displayed parameters will contain " SerialNumber", The value of which will need to be entered in the appropriate search field on the website of the manufacturer of your device. You will be able to download drivers and other updates for your laptop.
- Download drivers for the version of your Windows OS (do not confuse 32 or 64-bit versions). The specified drivers may be of an earlier date than the drivers you already have installed, but this is not a problem;
- Install the drivers for the Intel video card first;
- Then install the drivers for the Nvidia video card. Make sure you are doing clean install(clean installation) in case of Nvidia drivers;
- Restart your PC.
If you are worried that Windows will install its drivers again, then you can disable this feature. To do this, go to, then to "System and Security", then "System" - on the left " Extra options systems" - "Hardware" tab - "Device installation settings". Here select the "No" option, click on "Save", and restart your PC.
Method 4: Check the operation of the Nvidia service
- Click on Win + R, type services.msc there and press enter.
- In the list of services that opens, find the Nvidia Display Container LS service, make sure it is running and its startup type is set to Automatic.
- If necessary, start the service, this can help resolve the "The display in use is not connected" error on your PC.
Method 5: Check your BIOS settings
In some cases, incorrect BIOS settings can interfere with the correct operation of the Nvidia card. Go to BIOS, find the "Graphics Device" option there and set the value to "Auto" or "Optimus" if any.
Method 6: Update your Nvidia drivers (for desktops)
Desktop users should try installing the Nvidia drivers from geforce.com. You can find drivers for your card on the site manually by selecting the card model and its operating system, or let Nvidia's dedicated tool do it by clicking on "AUTO DETECT YOUR GPU".
Also make sure that you have activated the "clean install" option when installing the drivers.
Method 7. Use special programs
Specialized programs of the DriverPak Solution level, Driver Easy and other analogues that scan PC components and install the latest driver versions for them can also help in installing the latest drivers.
Conclusion
The message "The display in use is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU" usually indicates that there are some problems with the Nvidia drivers on the user's PC. Follow the tips in this article to get rid of the “NVIDIA display settings not available” error on your computer.
The manual describes in detail the process of managing settings NVIDIA graphics cards. We will also show you how to adjust NVIDIA 3D settings for some games. Before setting up, you need to install drivers for Nvidia.
If the drivers are installed, we proceed to the configuration.
Click on desktop right click mouse to display the pop-up menu. In which we select the item:
After that we get to the control panel. Let's go to the section: 3D Options
In the window that appears, first select the item: Adjusting picture settings with preview
Press: Apply(as shown in the picture below)
Now the fun begins.
Configuring NVIDIA 3D Settings for Games
Let's go to the section: Manage 3D settings
After that, we proceed to configure the parameters in the right window.
For the application to work correctly, the following parameters must be set:
- CUDA- GPUs: All
- Anisotropic filtering: Turn off
- V-Sync (vertical sync): Turn off
- Vertical sync pulse": Use 3D application setting
- Background lighting shading": Turn off
- Maximum number of pre-trained frames: you should select the item that is marked with the NVIDIA icon
- Stream optimization: Automatically
- Power management mode: Adaptive
- Smoothing - gamma correction: Turn off
- Smoothing - options: Turn off
- Smoothing - transparency: Turn off
- Smoothing - mode: Turn off
- Triple buffering: Turn off
- Multi-Display/Mixed GPU Acceleration: Multi display performance mode
- Texture filtering - anisotropic optimization by sample: Turn off
- Texture filtering - quality": Top performance
- Texture Filtering - Negative Deviation UD: Turn on
- Texture filtering - trilinear optimization": Turn on
- Anisotropic filtering. Directly affects the quality of textures in games. Therefore, it is recommended switch off.
- Enable scalable textures: Turn off
- Extension Limit: Turn off
After changing all the settings, click the Apply button. These settings do not guarantee 100% results, but in 90% of cases they can increase FPS by up to 30%.
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