How to set Nvidia as the default graphics card for Windows 10

When I bought my Laptop 3 years ago, I installed GTA V on it, and later I found the game was not running smoothly. I checked for any possible issues, but everything was fine. When I found the main issue, it was just that the Nvidia GPU was not set as the default graphics card. All the time, I was using the Intel HD graphics card.

If you’re using Windows 10 on a device such as a laptop or desktop, there is a good chance that you are using an integrated graphics card instead of an Nvidia graphics card. In this article, we’ll explain to you how to set the Nvidia graphics card as Default.

How to check the Nvidia Graphics card in your Laptop?

To check the installed graphics card in your Laptop, simply follow these steps:

1. Left Click on the “Type here to search (button)” and search Device Manager. After that, click on it.

2. On the Device Manager, Left click on the “Display adapter“. In the below image, you can see it’s showing two GPU options. First, we have Intel(R) HD Graphics 520, which is the integrated graphics, and second, we have the Nvidia graphics card. Now, we’ll set this Nvidia Graphics card as the default GPU.

Now, let’s discuss the main topic.

How to set Nvidia as the default graphics card

To set the Nvidia graphics card as Default, you have to access the Nvidia control panel. These steps will help you accomplish that easily.

1. First, Right-click on the Desktop screen and then Left click on the “Nvidia Control Panel“.

2. You will be taken to the Nvidia Control panel. Once it’s open, click “Manage 3D settings“.

3. In the Manage 3D Settings, you’ll see the “preferred graphics processor” option. Left-click on it and then select “High-performance Nvidia Processor”. After selecting that, Left Click on the “Apply” button.

4. Next, left-click on the “PhysX Configuration” menu option, and that’s just below the Manage 3D settings option. In order to choose the PhysX processor, click “Select PhysX processor” and select “GeForce” Graphics card. Scroll Down and Click on the “Apply Button”.

And that’s all; your Nvidia graphics card is now set as Default.

How to add apps that use the integrated graphics card

Some applications like “OBS Broad Casting software” require your computer’s Integrated Graphics to run properly, So, you have to set OBS to use Intel HD Graphics. Otherwise, the app may not work properly.

1. For that, Go to the Manage 3D settings in Nvidia Control Panel and then left-click on the “Programs settings“.

2. Use the “Select the app to customize” option and in the drop-down menu select the OBS app or the app you want the Integrated to use. After selecting the app, click on the Add button.

3. After that, select the preferred graphics processor for this program to Intel HD Graphics.

Your application will now work properly once you have done all of these steps.

Thanks for reading this guide. I hope it was helpful to you.