If you have installed Windows 7 or Windows 8 on a computer powered by NVIDIA graphics card and have also installed all necessary graphics drivers, you probably have noticed the NVIDIA Control Panel entry in the desktop context menu (right-click menu).
In some cases, NVIDIA Control Panel entry may not appear in the desktop context menu. The NVIDIA Control Panel lets you adjust and manage 3D settings, set PhysX configuration, change resolution, adjust desktop color settings, rotate display, set up digital audio, adjust desktop size and position, setup multiple displays, adjust video color settings and adjust video image settings.
While the power users find the entry very useful as it lets you quickly access the Control Panel and change various settings, a large percentage of Windows users don’t touch these graphics settings.
Besides, the NVIDIA Control Panel can also be accessed from Start screen or Start menu search and Windows Control Panel. So, it’s a good idea to remove the entry from the desktop context menu if you don’t use it very often. And if it’s missing you can easily add it to the desktop right-click menu with a few mouse clicks.
And the best thing is that you don’t need to install third-party programs or manually edit the Windows Registry to add/remove the NVIDIA entry. The NVIDIA Control Panel itself comes with an option to add/remove the entry to the desktop context menu. Just complete the given below instructions to safely add/remove NVIDIA Control Panel entry.
NOTE: The procedure may change depending upon the graphics card and driver version but should be similar to this.
To add:
Step 1: Open Windows Control Panel and change view by to small icons.
Step 2: Look for an entry named NVIDIA Control Panel and double-click on it to open.
Step 3: Once you see NVIDIA Control Panel window, click on Desktop menu and then click Add Desktop Context Menu to add the entry to desktop context menu.
To remove:
Step 1: Right-click on desktop and click NVIDIA Control Panel to open the same.
Step 2: Once you see NVIDIA Control Panel window, click on Desktop menu and then click Add Desktop Context Menu to remove the entry from desktop context menu. That’s it! You can always open the Control Panel again to add the entry.
How to remove Intel menu (Graphics Properties, Graphics Options, & Intel(R) TV Wizard) guide might also interest you.
Alan says
Ironically the Nvidia Control Panel is one of the first things I turn off after a version update.