The NVIDIA App is now the main place to manage gaming and display settings for GeForce users. NVIDIA retired the classic NVIDIA Control Panel for Game Ready and Studio Drivers in May 2026 after moving its actively supported features into the app.
Existing Control Panel installs can remain, but NVIDIA says they will not receive new features, fixes, or other changes. For a current setup, restore the NVIDIA App defaults, keep broad global changes to a minimum, and tune only the games that need a different setting.
Recommended NVIDIA settings baseline
| Area | Safe starting point | Change it when |
|---|---|---|
| Global driver settings | Restore defaults | Change a global value only when every game needs it |
| Program settings | Use the game's existing profile | Make driver changes for one game without affecting the rest |
| Display resolution | Native resolution | Use another supported resolution for a specific display or performance goal |
| Refresh rate | Highest rate you intend to use | Lower it for a compatibility or power reason |
| G-SYNC | On only for a compatible display | Turn it off while diagnosing a display-specific problem |
| NVIDIA Reflex | On in supported games | Use the game's setting before changing driver Low Latency Mode |
| Low Latency Mode | Leave the default globally | Try Ultra for a game without Reflex when latency is the priority |
| Max Frame Rate | Off globally | Set a per-game cap for a defined latency, power, or frame-pacing goal |
| Vertical sync | Use the application setting | Build a game-specific tearing or G-SYNC strategy |
| Image Scaling | Off | Enable it when deliberately rendering below native resolution and upscaling |
Restore defaults before tuning
Open the NVIDIA App and select Graphics. Use the three-dot menu to restore settings to their defaults before applying a new baseline.
Defaults are a safer starting point than a copied list of global overrides. If a setting is not shown on your system, do not try to reproduce it with an unrelated option.
Use Program Settings for each game
- 1.Open the NVIDIA App.
- 2.Select Graphics.
- 3.Open Program Settings and select the game.
- 4.Scroll to Driver Settings.
- 5.Change only the options required for that game.
Graphics > Program Settings replaces the old Control Panel route through 3D Settings > Manage 3D Settings. The NVIDIA App also has a Global Settings tab, but per-game changes are easier to test and reverse.
Set the display resolution and refresh rate
Open System > Displays, select the display, and choose its intended resolution and refresh rate. Start with the panel's native resolution and the highest refresh rate you plan to use.
A high-refresh monitor can still be configured at a lower rate. Check this page after changing a cable, port, display, or driver, and confirm the chosen resolution supports the refresh rate you expect.
Enable G-SYNC only on a compatible display
Open System > Displays and turn on G-SYNC for a supported G-SYNC or G-SYNC Compatible display. NVIDIA App display controls now include G-SYNC, resolution, refresh rate, and related display options.
G-SYNC matches the display refresh rate to the GPU frame rate. If the option is unavailable, first confirm that the display supports the feature and that the monitor's adaptive-sync option and connection are configured correctly.
Choose NVIDIA Reflex before Low Latency Mode
If a game includes NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency Mode, enable it in the game's graphics settings. NVIDIA recommends Reflex over the driver's Ultra Low Latency mode, and Reflex takes priority when both are enabled.
For a game without Reflex, try Low Latency Mode set to Ultra in that game's Driver Settings only when lower latency is the goal. Compare the result in the same scene, then restore the default if frame pacing or performance becomes worse.
Choose a V-Sync strategy per game
Leave Vertical sync on Use the application setting globally. If the lowest latency matters more than tearing, NVIDIA's latency guide recommends turning V-Sync off in both the game and the driver setting.
For G-SYNC users who do not want tearing, NVIDIA documents using V-Sync with Reflex or Ultra Low Latency Mode. This can keep latency low below the display's refresh ceiling, but it has slightly more latency than uncapped Reflex when tearing is allowed.
Use a frame cap for a specific reason
Max Frame Rate can limit a game or 3D app to a chosen value. NVIDIA documents frame caps as useful for extending battery life or reducing system latency in certain situations, but the right value depends on the display, game, and synchronization method.
Leave the global cap off, then set a value in Program Settings for games that need one. Do not combine a frame-rate limiter or V-Sync with DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, because NVIDIA says Dynamic mode is currently incompatible with both.
Leave Image Scaling off unless you need it
NVIDIA Image Scaling is a driver-based spatial upscaler and sharpener. It is useful when you deliberately render below the display's native resolution and want the driver to upscale the result.
Keep it off while playing at native resolution unless sharpening is the goal. Change it in a game profile instead of enabling it for every application.
Avoid broad maximum-performance tweaks
Leave power management and texture filtering at their defaults unless a specific game gives you a reason to change them. NVIDIA notes that maximum-performance modes can trade lower power savings for higher GPU clocks.
Keep antialiasing and anisotropic filtering application-controlled when a modern game provides its own controls. Use a game profile for any override so other games keep their intended settings.
Use the old Control Panel only as a legacy fallback
If an existing NVIDIA Control Panel installation is still present, its old routes can remain available. Manage 3D settings contains Global Settings and Program Settings, while Display contains resolution and G-SYNC pages.
Those routes are no longer the current GeForce workflow for Game Ready and Studio Drivers. Use the NVIDIA App for new guidance because NVIDIA says the retired Control Panel will not receive further features or fixes.
