How to Completely Uninstall NVIDIA Drivers in Windows 10

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NVIDIA develops software drivers for Windows PCs that control graphics cards and graphics processing units (GPUs). In the event you want to install a new GPU from another manufacturer or simply uninstall NVIDIA from your computer, you can do so from the Control Panel. You can also manually delete NVIDIA's hidden folders, and remove any NVIDIA folders from the Registry.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Deleting NVIDIA Folders

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  1. It has an icon that resembles a folder with a blue clip. It's in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
  2. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
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  3. This will display all files and folders on your computer that are hidden by default, including folders that contain registry keys.
  4. It's in the menu bar to the left next to an icon that resembles a computer screen. This displays all the drives connected to your computer.
  5. It's next to an icon of a hard drive with the Windows logo over it. This is most likely the C: drive. It may be labeled "OS (C:)", "Local Disk (C:)", "System (C:)" or the name of your computer.
  6. If you see an NVIDIA folder in your root folder, click it and press the Delete key to remove the folder.
  7. It's one of the hidden folders in the root drive.
  8. Look for any NVIDIA or NVIDIA Corporation folders in the ProgramData folders and click them to select them. Then press the Delete key.
  9. ) drive. Click the back arrow at the top of Windows Explorer to navigate back to the Windows Install disk.
  10. It's in the Windows install (C:) drive.
  11. Click any folders from NVIDIA or the NVIDIA Corporation in Program Files and press the "Delete" key. Then navigate back to the Windows Installation drive.
  12. If you have the 64-bit version of Windows, you will also have a "Program Files (x86)" folder. Click this folder to open it. It's in the Windows install (C:) drive.
  13. Click any folders from NVIDIA or the NVIDIA Corporation in Program Files (x86) and press the Delete key. Then navigate back to the Windows Installation drive.
  14. The "Users" folder is in the Windows Install Drive. It contains a folder for each Windows user on your machine. Click the folder that has your username.
  15. It's in the Users folder.
  16. It's in the AppData folder.
  17. Click any folders from NVIDIA or the NVIDIA Corporation and press the Delete key.
  18. It's at the top of the Windows Explorer window. This navigates back to the AppData folder.
  19. It's in the AppData folder.
  20. Click any folders from NVIDIA or the NVIDIA Corporation and click them. Then press the Delete key to remove the folders.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Uninstalling NVIDIA Drivers

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  1. It's below "Programs" in the Control Panel. A complete list of all programs and applications installed on your computer will display on-screen.
    • If you are using Windows 8, right-click the Start menu and click Programs and Features . [1]
  2. All programs are listed in alphabetical order in the Programs and Features page. "NVIDIA graphics driver" is the main component.
  3. It's the second tab at the top of the software list. This opens the NVIDIA uninstall program.
  4. This uninstalls the NVIDIA component.
    • Your screen may turn black a couple of times while uninstalling. Don't worry, this is normal.
  5. When you are finished uninstalling your graphics driver, your computer will need to restart. Go ahead and do that now. [2]
  6. Use the following steps to open the Control Panel:
    • Click the Windows Start menu in the lower-left corner.
    • Type Control Panel .
    • Click Control Panel in the list of search results.
  7. It's below "Programs" in the Control Panel. This opens the Programs and Features list.
  8. There are likely some additional NVIDIA components still remaining. These include, "NVIDIA GeForce Experience", "NVIDIA PhysX System Software", "NVIDIA 3D Vision Controller", ect. Click one of these components and click Uninstall/Change . Follow the instructions to uninstall the component. Repeat for each NVIDIA component in the Programs and Features list.
    • If asked to restart your computer, go ahead and do so.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Deleting NVIDIA Registry Keys (Advanced Users Only)

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  1. It's the icon with the Windows logo in the Windows taskbar
  2. This displays the Registry Editor at the top of the Windows Start menu.
    • WARNING: Deleting items from the Registry can cause permanent damage to your operating system. Proceed at your own risk!
  3. This will open the Registry Editor window.
  4. It's to the left of the folder in the sidebar to the left. This displays all folders in the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" folder.
  5. The software folder is listed below "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" in the sidebar to the left.
  6. Look for any NVIDIA or NVIDIA Corporation folders in the sidebar to the left. Click on them and then press the Delete key.
  7. It's to the left of the "HKEY_USERS" folder to the left. This folder contains a number of additional registry folders, including a “.DEFAULT” folder and several other folders with numerical titles.
  8. It's the first folder under “HKEY_USERS" folder in the sidebar to the left. The arrow is to the left of the folder in the sidebar.
  9. It's in the ".DEFAULT" folder.
  10. Look for any folders from NVIDIA or the NVIDIA Corporation and click them. Then press the Delete key.
  11. Click the arrow, and then the "Software" folder under any other folders in the "HKEY_USERS" folder. Then delete any NVIDIA or NVIDIA Corporation folders in these folders.
  12. All existing NVIDIA drivers will now be completely removed from your Windows registry. [3]
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      Tips

      • Consider creating a system restore point in Windows prior to uninstalling NVIDIA drivers. This will help create a system backup in the event you accidentally make changes to Windows registry files and corrupt your system. A system restore will restore your computer to an earlier date in time prior to your making changes to the registry.
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      Warnings

      • Do not change the values of any registry keys in Registry Editor, since doing so could cause major software problems or corrupt your Windows operating system. In the event, you accidentally modify registry keys, follow these steps to do a system restore or reinstall Windows to wipe your hard drive and resolve problems with your OS.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://www.custompcreview.com/articles/guides/guide-properly-remove-nvidia-amd-ati-gpu-drivers/19972/
      2. ↑ http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_13955.html
      3. ↑ https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-completely-uninstall-all-amd-nvidia-gpu-drivers.1953757/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Click on the Windows Start Menu.
      2. Type "Control Panel".
      3. Click on the Control Panel icon.
      4. Click Uninstall a program.
       5. Click NVIDIA graphics driver .
      6. Click Uninstall/Change .
      7. Click Uninstall .
      8. Restart your computer.
      9. Open the Control Panel again.
      10. Click Uninstall a program .
      11. Uninstall any remaining NVIDIA programs.
      .

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