Some Windows 11 and Windows 10 PC users have reported the issue whereby when they try to access the NVIDIA Control Panel on their device, they are unable to see other settings except the Manage 3D Settings page. This post is intended to provide you with quick solutions to the issue.
You are likely to encounter this issue because there are two graphics cards installed on your system. Of the two graphics adapter, one is onboard (integrated) graphics and the other is the NVIDIA graphics card. With this setup, the display and video option should be set up in the onboard graphics card, so you can only see 3D Settings in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
NVIDIA Control Panel only shows 3D Settings
This isn’t a real problem and it’s rather a mistake by design. However, sometimes you may wish to configure certain settings on your NVIDIA graphics card but you are unable to do so because of this problem. So, if NVIDIA Control Panel only shows 3D Settings on your Windows 11/10 PC, you can try our recommended fixes below to resolve the issue on your device.
- Update graphics card driver
- Disable the onboard graphics card in Device Manager
- Restart the NVIDIA Control Panel process in Task Manager
Let’s have a quick look at the description of the mentioned suggestions above.
1] Update graphics card driver
Apart from the already stated reason, it’s possible your NVIDIA Control Panel only shows 3D settings could be related to an outdated graphics card driver installed on your Windows 11/10 computer. So, the first troubleshooting step to take to resolve the issue, in this case, is to update your graphics card driver.
Depending on your PC, manufacturers have made available special driver download software for their brands that you can use to update drivers and firmware:
- Dell Update utility will help you download or update Dell Drivers
- Lenovo System Update helps you download Lenovo Drivers, Software, Firmware, and Update BIOS.
- AMD users may use AMD Driver Autodetect.
- Intel users may use Intel Driver & Support Assistant.
- HP users can use the bundled HP Support Assistant.
Alternatively, you can consider using a third-party free driver update software. You can as well get the driver updates (if available) in the Optional Updates section under Windows Update. Also, if you have already downloaded the .inf or .sys file for the driver, you can manually update drivers via Device Manager or update drivers via Command Prompt.
Read: Remove unwanted individual components of NVIDIA driver
2] Disable the onboard graphics card in Device Manager
Since you have two graphics cards installed on your Windows 11/10 system, this solution requires you to change your default graphics card to the NVIDIA graphics card by disabling the onboard graphics card in Device Manager – this can resolve the problem but may lower your battery life for consuming more power.
To disable the onboard graphics card in Device Manager, do the following:
- Launch the NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Under the Preferred graphics processor section, choose the High-performance NVIDIA processor from the drop-down menu.
- Click Apply.
- Next, open Device Manager.
- Now, scroll down to the Display adapters section and click to collapse.
- Right-click on your integrated graphics card and click Disable device.
- Click Yes on the prompt to confirm.
- Restart PC.
Read: Force a Game to use a Graphics Card or GPU in Windows 11
3] Restart the NVIDIA Control Panel process in Task Manager
It’s possible the issue you are currently facing has to do with a buggy NVIDIA Control Panel or the app is experiencing a temporary glitch. In this case, to see if the issue will be resolved, you can restart the NVIDIA Control Panel process in Task Manager. To perform this task, do the following:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combo to open Task Manager.
- Click the Processes tab.
- Scroll down and right-click on the NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Select End task.
- Relaunch the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Other settings apart from the 3D Settings panel should now be showing and accessible.
Hope this post helps you.
Related post: NVIDIA Image Scaling not showing or working
Why do I only have 3D settings?
The NVIDIA Control Panel only shows 3D settings usually because integrated graphics cards are the default GPUs for alternative display options. If your NVIDIA Control Panel only has 3D settings, more options might appear on it after disabling the onboard GPU.
Read: Unable to retrieve settings in NVIDIA GeForce Experience
Why does my NVIDIA Control Panel not show all settings?
It is mainly because there are two graphics cards on your computer – the onboard (integrated) graphics and the other is the dedicated NVIDIA graphics card. Although this isn’t an issue per se, a general method for most graphics-related problems is simply reinstalling the latest drivers. This resolves the problem and NVIDIA Control Panel will fully recognize and use the NVIDIA graphics card you have installed.
