A modern laptop, in comparison with its older counterparts, is a rather powerful high-tech device. The performance of mobile hardware is growing every day, which requires more and more energy.
To save battery power, manufacturers install two video cards in laptops: one built into the motherboard and having low power consumption, and the second - discrete, more powerful. Users, in turn, also sometimes add an additional card to increase performance.
Installing a second video card can cause certain difficulties in the form of various failures. For example, when trying to configure parameters through the proprietary "green" software, we get an error "The display in use is not connected to an Nvidia GPU". This means that only the built-in video core works for us. AMD also has similar troubles. In this article, we'll talk about how to make a discrete video adapter work.
During normal operation, the powerful adapter turns on when it needs to perform a resource-intensive task. This may be a game, image processing in a graphics editor, or the need to play a video stream. The rest of the time, integrated graphics work.
Switching between GPUs occurs automatically, using laptop software, which is not without all the diseases inherent in software - errors, crashes, file corruption, conflicts with other programs. As a result of malfunctions, a discrete graphics card may remain idle even in those situations when it is needed.
The main symptom of such failures are “brakes” and freezes of the laptop when working with graphic programs or in games, and when you try to open the control panel, a message appears like "NVIDIA Display Settings Unavailable".
The causes of failures lie mainly in drivers that may be installed incorrectly, or completely absent. In addition, an option may be disabled in the laptop's BIOS to allow the use of an external adapter. Another reason that causes Nvidia cards to fail is the related service crashed.
Let's go from simple to complex. First you need to make sure that the service is running (for Nvidia), then turn to the BIOS and check if the option that uses the discrete adapter is disabled, and if these options do not work, then go to software solutions. It will also not be superfluous to check the operability of the device by contacting the service center.
Nvidia Service
BIOS
If initially, a discrete card was not installed in the standard configuration of the laptop, then the option to disable the desired function in the BIOS is quite likely. You can access its settings by pressing the key F2 while loading. However, access methods may differ for different hardware manufacturers, so find out in advance which key or combination opens the BIOS settings in your case.
Next, you need to find the branch containing the appropriate setting. Here it is difficult to determine in absentia how it will be called in your laptop. Most often this will be "Config", or "Advanced".
Again, it is difficult to make any recommendations, but a few examples can be given. In some cases, it will be enough to select the desired adapter in the list of devices, and sometimes you will have to set a priority, that is, move the video card to the first position in the list.
Go to your laptop manufacturer's website and find out the BIOS version. You may be able to get a detailed manual there.
Incorrect driver installation
Everything is extremely simple here: in order to fix the installation, you need to remove the old drivers and install new ones.
- First you need to find out the model of the accelerator, and then download the necessary distributions from the official websites of manufacturers.
So, we have prepared the drivers, we proceed to reinstall.
- Go to "Control Panel", select the display mode "Small Icons" and click on the link "Device Manager".
- After uninstalling all the drivers, restart the computer and proceed with the installation. It is important to follow the sequence here. First you need to install the program for the integrated graphics. If you have an integrated card from Intel, then run the installer obtained from the manufacturer's website.
In the event that you have integrated graphics from AMD, we also run the installer downloaded from the official site and follow the prompts of the Wizard. The process is similar.
- After installing the driver on the built-in video card and rebooting, we put the software on a discrete one. Everything is also simple here: run the appropriate installer (Nvidia or AMD) and install following the instructions of the assistant.
Reinstalling Windows
If all the methods described above did not help to connect an external video card, you will have to try another tool - a complete reinstallation of the operating system. In this case, we will get a clean Windows, on which we will need to install all the necessary drivers manually.
After installation, in addition to the software for video adapters, you will also need to install the chipset driver, which can be found on the same official website of the laptop manufacturer.
The order is also important here: first of all, the program for the chipset, then for the integrated graphics, and only then for the discrete video card.
On this, the working options for solving the problem with the video card in the laptop have been exhausted. If it was not possible to restore the adapter's performance, then you are on your way to the service center for diagnostics and, possibly, repair.
When trying to open the Nvidia Control Panel, the user may encounter the message "NVIDIA display settings are not available. The display being used is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU." The appearance of this notification indicates that there are problems with the PC graphics card drivers, as well as incorrect connection of the system monitor. Below we will analyze the causes of this dysfunction, as well as present options for its solution.
The selected display is not connected to the Nvidia GPU - the essence and reasons
The vast majority of modern laptops (and some stationary computers) can boast of two working video cards at once. In most cases, one of them is built into the motherboard, low power, and used for everyday tasks (usually the Intel HD Graphics series). The second is a powerful discrete one, used for resource-intensive graphic applications with the active use of 3D graphics (video cards from Nvidia and AMD).
Systems with two video cards can effectively save power by using a weaker card from Intel when performing simple operations (surfing the net, working with text, etc.). This feature is called "NVIDIA Optimus", and we can see it working in many modern laptops with Nvidia graphics cards.
The use of this technology allows you to extend the battery life of your laptop
When starting the Nvidia control panel, the system tries to identify the Nvidia card used to create the image on the PC screen. If authentication fails, the user receives the message "The display in use is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU."
The causes of dysfunction may be as follows:
- The user plugged the monitor plug into the built-in graphics card slot instead of a discrete one (in the case of a stationary PC);
- Instead of native laptop drivers, the user (or Windows OS) installed basic drivers from Intel or Nvidia. Your laptop manufacturer may have modified the standard drivers for your specific laptop model, allowing the system to optimally switch between integrated and discrete graphics. These drivers are called "OEM drivers" (the abbreviation "OEM" stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer). OEM drivers are usually bundled with a laptop on a CD or PC hard drive, and enabling them is the key to the successful operation of both video cards. If the user installs standard drivers from Nvidia or Intel, then such a switch may not work correctly;
- The user did not correctly install drivers for system video cards. In particular, you first need to install drivers for the built-in card from Intel, and then for the discrete one (Nvidia). Many do exactly the opposite;
- Video card drivers are outdated or not working correctly.
Below we will analyze the ways to solve the problem.
Let’s take a look at the solutions to fix the “Nvidia display settings not available” error on your PC.
Method 1. Connect your monitor's cable to the Nvidia card connector
For a desktop PC and a standalone monitor, make sure the monitor cable is connected to the Nvidia video card connector and not to the built-in Intel card connector.
Method 2: Check if the integrated Intel graphics card is disabled
On some laptops, the work of a discrete Nvidia card is not possible without the integrated Intel graphics card enabled, so it says “NVIDIA display settings are not available. The display being used is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU."
- Go to Device Manager (press Win+R, type devmgmt.msc there and hit enter).
- Here, find the "Display adapters" tab, double-click on it to open it.
- Hover over the Intel card, right-click, and select Enable Device.
Method 3. Install original OEM drivers on your PC
An effective solution to the problem is to install original OEM drivers for your PC video card. Do the following:
Get-WmiObject win32_bios
And press enter. The displayed parameters will contain " SerialNumber", The value of which will need to be entered in the appropriate search field on the website of the manufacturer of your device. You will be able to download drivers and other updates for your laptop.
- Download drivers for the version of your Windows OS (do not confuse 32 or 64-bit versions). The specified drivers may be of an earlier date than the drivers you already have installed, but this is not a problem;
- Install the drivers for the Intel video card first;
- Then install the drivers for the Nvidia video card. Make sure you do a clean install for Nvidia drivers;
- Restart your PC.
If you are worried that Windows will install its drivers again, then you can disable this feature. To do this, go to, then to "System and Security", then "System" - on the left "Advanced system settings" - tab "Hardware" - "Device installation settings". Here select the "No" option, click on "Save", and restart your PC.
Method 4: Check the operation of the Nvidia service
- Click on Win + R, type services.msc there and press enter.
- In the list of services that opens, find the Nvidia Display Container LS service, make sure it is running and its startup type is set to Automatic.
- If necessary, start the service, this can help resolve the "The display in use is not connected" error on your PC.
Method 5: Check your BIOS settings
In some cases, incorrect BIOS settings can interfere with the correct operation of the Nvidia card. Go to BIOS, find the "Graphics Device" option there and set the value to "Auto" or "Optimus" if any.
Method 6: Update your Nvidia drivers (for desktops)
Desktop users should try installing the Nvidia drivers from geforce.com. You can manually find the drivers for your card on the site by selecting the card model and operating system, or let Nvidia's dedicated tool do it by clicking on "AUTO DETECT YOUR GPU".
Also make sure that you have activated the "clean install" option when installing the drivers.
Method 7. Use special programs
Specialized programs of the DriverPak Solution level, Driver Easy and other analogues that scan PC components and install the latest driver versions for them can also help in installing the latest drivers.
Conclusion
The message "The display in use is not connected to an NVIDIA GPU" usually indicates that there are some problems with the Nvidia drivers on the user's PC. Follow the tips in this article to get rid of the “NVIDIA display settings not available” error on your computer.
Often, when opening settings, a window appears with the text "The display in use is not connected to the Nvidia GPU." We will tell you what to do in such a situation.
1. Turn on your graphics card
Sometimes the Nvidia display settings are not available for the simple reason that the graphics card is not enabled. Do not try to understand how she could suddenly turn off.
Here is what you need to do to fix the problem:
- Launch Device Manager. The easiest way to find it is in the Start menu.
- Expand the Display Adapters section. One of the devices will definitely be called Nvidia.
- Right-click on it and in the menu that appears, click "Disable", and then "Enable" (right-click on the device again - the drop-down menu will be slightly modified). Or maybe you will immediately have only the “Enable” option. Choose it.
Rice. No. 1. Enabling the video adapter in Device Manager
- It happens that this method of inclusion does not work. Therefore, the same must be done in the services and in the BIOS. For the first, open the Start menu item Control Panel, then go to Administrative Tools, and then open Services. In the list, you will find at least one item in which the name Nvidia will appear. Most likely, it will be "NVIDIA Display Container LS". Right-click on it and select "Restart" first, then "Update".
Rice. No. 2. Enable Nvidia service
- Now let's talk about BIOS. First you need to open BIOS or UEFI. How to do this, read this article. After that, you need to open the menu that is responsible for the connected devices. Look for something related to graphics. In BIOS, most often something like this can be found in the "Config" or "Advanced" tabs. As you can see in the picture below, there is a setting called "Graphics Device" and there you can select Nvidia.
Clue: If you can't handle it, try to find information in the instructions or on the manufacturer's website.
Rice. No. 3. Graphics settings in BIOS
Now you know how to connect a video card if it suddenly turns off. If it doesn't work, move on.
2. Update your drivers
In general, this method is relevant for a huge variety of different computer problems.
To update drivers, the following is usually done:
- Go to the device manager in the way you already know.
- Open the "Display adapters" section and on the Nvidia device, right-click and select "Update drivers ...". You can also right-click on the entire "Display adapters" section and click "Update hardware configuration".
Rice. No. 4. Updating the configuration of video adapters in the manager
- Reboot your machine. If nothing has changed, right-click on the Nvidia device and select Properties. Next, go to the "Driver" tab in the window that opens and click "Uninstall".
Rice. No. 5. Driver removal
- Restart your PC or laptop again. The system should independently find the most current driver and install it. If not, you will have to find it yourself. This is usually done on the official website of the computer manufacturer (not the video card, if nothing is there, then go to the website of the video adapter manufacturer). Download the driver and install it. This is done in exactly the same way as in the case of any other programs - run the exe extension file, agree to the terms and follow all the instructions.
In the event that this did not work either or you have some problems with the installation, you can use special software to automatically install drivers. The list of the best samples is given here.
3. Reinstall or roll back the system
If none of the above works, then the problem is with the operating system. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of Nvidia GPU activity and when things stopped working.
In any case, if everything was fine a week ago, you should first roll back the system to this time. How this procedure is performed, read in this article.
Advice: Try several available restore points. Move from closest to you in time to furthest. Probably, at some stage, everything will be fine.
And if even then nothing changes, you will have to reinstall the operating system. For this, it is advisable to take a completely different assembly than the one you have now and completely clean the hard drive. In other words, you need to format it.
Step-by-step instructions for reinstalling Windows are given here.
What does it mean and how to remove the error "Nvidia display settings are not available. The display in use is not connected to the nvidia GPU"
What does "The display in use is not connected to the nvidia GPU" mean?
Some PC and laptop users are experiencing an issue where when trying to enter Nvidia graphics settings through the control panel or through the desktop context menu, the error “nvidia display settings not available. The display being used is not connected to the nvidia GPU."
This error means that at the moment your main Nvidia graphics card is not used by the system and all games are launched from the integrated graphics card, which cannot provide proper performance. As a result, having a decent video card, with the error "the display in use is not connected to the nvidia gp", you simply do not use it.
In this article, you will learn why this error occurs and how you can fix it on your own.
Reasons for the error "The display in use is not connected to the nvidia GPU"
There are several options for this error to occur. Moreover, it is worth noting that it appears only on laptops and computers that have two video cards - integrated and discrete.
- Incorrect cable connection from the monitor;
- Incorrect video card priority settings in the BIOS;
- Incorrect or incomplete installation of drivers for video cards;
- Failure of the system service responsible for switching the operation of video cards.
Checking the cable connection from the monitor to the video card
This option is possible only in the case of a desktop computer. This option does not work with a laptop.
Check where the cable from the monitor is connected. If you connect it to, then your discrete card will not work and when you try to enter the Nvidia settings, it will display the message "The display in use is not connected to the nvidia GPU."
The back wall of the system unit with the VGA connector of the integrated video card on the motherboard
External video card of the system unit
In this case, switch the monitor cable to the discrete card below. An integrated video card has a vertical connector, while a discrete one has a horizontal one.
Video card priority settings in BIOS
In all BIOS of motherboards with integrated video cards there is an option responsible for switching the operation of video cards - Only built-in, only external, Auto and sometimes Optimus - simultaneous operation of both video cards.
Switching the operating mode of video cards in the BIOS
It is necessary to have Auto or Optimus, if any. Switch, save and test.
Reconnecting the Nvidia graphics card
Sometimes, for unspecified reasons, simply disabling and then enabling the Nvidia video card helps in solving this problem.
To do this, go to the task manager, open the "Display Adapters" submenu, right-click on the Nvidia card and select "Disable".
Disabling and enabling the video card
Then again right-click - "Enable".
Reinstalling drivers in the correct order
The final step in resolving the error "The display in use is not connected to the nvidia GPU" is to uninstall the drivers for the integrated (Intel) and external (Nvidia) video cards, reboot and install in the correct order - first the Intel HD Graphics driver (integrated card), reboot, and then Nvidia card driver (discrete).
