Fix: NVIDIA Control Panel “Access Denied” Error on Windows

nvidia control panel logo

Several users have recently reported receiving an “Access Denied” error message when trying to change settings in the Nvidia Control Panel. The same problem occurred when they tried to make changes to the 3D settings controls, which became a huge disappointment.

If you are also getting the Nvidia Control Panel “Access Denied” error message, you can follow this article. Don’t worry about this error as there are plenty of solutions available to fix the error, and you can further use the app without any problem. Then we can move to the solutions and resolve the same error as soon as possible.

Fix: NVIDIA Control Panel “Access Denied” Error on Windows

Causes of the NVIDIA Control Panel “Access Denied” Error on Windows

  • Outdated Driver
  • Wrong Installation
  • Lack of Administration Access

Fix 1: Run as Admin

The first attempt to resolve the NVIDIA Control Panel “Access Denied” Error on Windows is running the app with admin privilege. To do so, 

  • Find the NVIDIA Control Panel app on your system, right-click on it and choose Run as administrator option. 
  • Once done, relaunch the app and see the discussed issue appearing again or not. 

Fix 2: Repair the App

In some cases simply repairing the NVIDIA Control Panel will help you to resolve the “Access Denied” error. To do so, 

  • Open Settings menu and click on Apps option from the screen.
  • Then find the NVIDIA Control Panel and choose its Advanced Options
  • Then from the new screen, click on the Repair button and choose Reset to complete the process. 
  • Once done, you can start to use the app without any issues. 

Fix 3: Update Driver 

If your graphics driver gets outdated, then also you will receive a similar issue. This time, you should update your driver and see the error eliminated from the app. To do so, 

  • Open Device Manager screen and open the Display adapters option to find the driver. 
  • Now from the options, choose and right-click on the Graphics card and select the Update driver option. 
  • Once done, you can start using the NVIDIA Control Panel app without any error. 

Fix 4: Disable Game Bar

Sometimes disabling the game bar will be helpful to you to resolve the NVIDIA Control Panel “Access Denied” error on Windows. To do so, 

  • Open the Settings menu and select the Gaming section. 
  • Then go to the Xbox Game Bar section and switch off the toggle beside the same. 
  • Once done, relaunch the app and see the issue get resolved. 

Fix 5: Restart NVIDIA Display Container LS Service

Another solution you should try is resetting the NVIDIA Display Container survive. To do so, 

  • Open Services screen on your PC screen, locate and double on NVIDIA Display Container LS.
  • Now set up the Startup type to Automatic and Service status as Running.
  • Finally, relaunch the app and see the error appearing again.

Fix 6: Restore DRS Folder

If none of the above solutions does not help you, then you should restore the DRS folder in your Windows. To do so, 

  • Open File Explorer and click on the View button from the top of the screen. 
  • Then click on Show option and choose Hidden items from the drop-menu.
  • Next, type the below mentioned path in the address bar and press OK. 

C:\ProgramData\NVIDIA Corporation

  • Right-click on the DRS folder and choose Properties.
  • Click on the Previous Version tab and choose the latest previous version and click on Restore
  • Once done, you’ll never get an Access Denied error in the Nvidia Control Panel app again.

These are the top solutions to resolve the NVIDIA Control Panel “Access Denied” error on Windows. In addition you can try a clean installation of the NVIDIA driver and see if it help you or not.