How to Remove NVIDIA Control Panel from Your Right-Click Menu in Windows 11

Updated February 2026 — Works with NVIDIA Driver 560+, AMD Adrenalin 24.x, Intel Arc

Few things are as annoying as right-clicking your desktop and seeing entries you never use. “NVIDIA Control Panel”, “AMD Radeon Software”, and “Intel Graphics Settings” are among the most common unwanted context menu items — and they are not just visual clutter. These entries are powered by Shell Extensions that load DLLs into explorer.exe, consuming memory and adding latency to every right-click.

This guide covers every method to remove GPU-related context menu entries safely, explains the underlying Shell Extension mechanisms, and extends the techniques to other stubborn menu items from any application.

Why GPU Entries Appear in Your Context Menu

When you install GPU drivers, the installer registers Context Menu Handler shell extensions. These are COM objects (DLL files) that explorer.exe loads every time you right-click the desktop or a file.

NVIDIA

NVIDIA registers a handler called NvCplDesktopContext via:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\NvCplDesktopContext

The DLL file is typically located at:

C:\Windows\System32\nvcpl.dll

AMD

AMD Radeon Software registers ACE (AMD Control Extension) via similar context menu handler keys. The DLL is usually atiacmxx.dll or a similarly named AMD file.

Intel

Intel Graphics registers igfxDTCM (Intel Graphics Desktop Context Menu):

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\igfxDTCM

The Performance Impact

Each of these handlers adds measurable overhead to your right-click:

These DLLs remain loaded in explorer.exe for the entire session, contributing to the overall memory footprint of your desktop environment.

Pro Tip: If you have a laptop with both Intel integrated and NVIDIA discrete graphics, you may have both NVIDIA and Intel shell extensions loaded simultaneously, doubling the overhead.

Method 1: Remove via NVIDIA/AMD/Intel Settings

The cleanest method is to use the GPU software’s own settings to disable the context menu entry.

NVIDIA Control Panel

1. Open NVIDIA Control Panel (search for it in Start Menu or open it once from the context menu).
2. Go to Desktop menu in the top menu bar.
3. Uncheck “Add Desktop Context Menu”.
4. The entry will be removed immediately — no restart needed.

NVIDIA GeForce Experience (Newer Systems)

On newer NVIDIA setups using the NVIDIA App (replacement for GeForce Experience):

1. Open the NVIDIA App.
2. Go to Settings → General.
3. Toggle off “Show in Desktop Context Menu”.

AMD Radeon Software

1. Open AMD Radeon Software (right-click desktop → AMD Radeon Software, or search in Start).
2. Click the Settings gear icon.
3. Go to the General tab.
4. Toggle off “Show gaming overlay notification” and related context menu options.

Note: Some AMD driver versions do not provide a setting to disable the context menu entry. In that case, use Method 2 or 3 below.

Intel Graphics

1. Open Intel Graphics Command Center (search in Start).
2. Go to System → Settings.
3. Disable “Show in Context Menu” if the option is available.

Method 2: Disable via ShellExView (Recommended)

If the application settings do not offer a disable option, or if you want to manage multiple extensions at once, use ShellExView.

1. Download and run ShellExView (64-bit) as Administrator.
2. Find the handler:
   • For NVIDIA: Search for “NvCplDesktopContext” or filter by company “NVIDIA”.
   • For AMD: Search for “ACE” or filter by company “Advanced Micro Devices”.
   • For Intel: Search for “igfxDTCM” or filter by company “Intel”.
3. Select the handler.
4. Press F7 to disable it.
5. Go to Options → Restart Explorer.

The context menu entry will be gone. The GPU driver and control panel continue to work normally — you simply lose the right-click shortcut.

How to Re-enable

Open ShellExView, find the disabled handler (it will appear in pink/red), select it, and press F8 to re-enable. Restart Explorer.

Method 3: Registry Removal (Manual)

For users comfortable with the Windows Registry, you can directly remove the handler registration.

Remove NVIDIA Context Menu

reg delete "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\NvCplDesktopContext" /f

Remove AMD Context Menu

reg delete "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\ACE" /f

Remove Intel Context Menu

reg delete "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\igfxDTCM" /f

Warning: Driver updates will often re-register these keys. If you use this method, you may need to re-run the command after each driver update. Consider creating a batch file and placing it in your Startup folder.

Method 4: Prevent Re-registration After Driver Updates

GPU driver installers silently re-add context menu handlers during updates. To prevent this:

Option A: Custom Driver Installation

When updating NVIDIA drivers:

1. Download the driver from nvidia.com.
2. During installation, choose “Custom (Advanced)”.
3. Uncheck “NVIDIA Control Panel” or “Desktop Integration” if the option is available.

Option B: NVCleaninstall (Third-Party Tool)

For NVIDIA users, NVCleaninstall allows you to select exactly which driver components to install:

1. Download NVCleaninstall.
2. Select your driver version.
3. Uncheck “Shell Integration” to prevent the context menu handler from being installed at all.

Option C: Post-Install Cleanup Script

Create a batch file with the registry deletion commands and run it after every driver update:

@echo off
echo Removing GPU context menu entries...
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\NvCplDesktopContext" /f 2>nul
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\ACE" /f 2>nul
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\igfxDTCM" /f 2>nul
echo Done. Restarting Explorer...
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
echo Context menu cleaned!
pause

Extending This to Other Stubborn Context Menu Items

The same techniques work for removing context menu entries from virtually any application:

Common Unwanted Entries and Their Registry Locations

The Universal Approach

1. Identify the handler with ShellExView (sort by Type = “Context Menu Handler”).
2. Disable with F7 to test if it’s the right one.
3. If confirmed, either keep it disabled or remove the registry key for a permanent fix.

Troubleshooting

Context Menu Entry Returns After Reboot

This usually means the GPU driver service is re-registering the handler on startup. Solutions:

• Use the NVIDIA/AMD settings method (Method 1) which persists across reboots.
• Create a startup task that runs the cleanup script.

ShellExView Shows “Access Denied”

Run ShellExView as Administrator. If it still fails, the registry key may be protected by TrustedInstaller. In that case:

1. Open regedit as Administrator.
2. Navigate to the handler key.
3. Right-click → Permissions → Advanced → Change owner to your user account.
4. Grant yourself Full Control, then delete the key.

Right-Click Menu Is Still Slow After Removal

Other shell extensions may still be causing slowdowns. Use our comprehensive guide on fixing slow right-click menus for a complete diagnosis.

Summary

GPU context menu entries are powered by Shell Extension DLLs that load into explorer.exe and consume resources. To remove them:

1. Use the GPU app’s settings (cleanest, survives updates)
2. Disable via ShellExView (quick, reversible)
3. Delete registry keys (permanent, but may return after driver updates)
4. Use custom install tools (prevents re-registration entirely)