How to resolve nvcpl.dll error in Windows 10?

Nvcpl.dll is a DLL file commonly found on Windows devices. DLL is an acronym for Dynamic Link Library. DLL files typically contain instructions, codes, or procedures that Windows programs can employ. Basically, applications load up DLL files during runtime and use them when they need to perform specific tasks.

NVCPL is probably an acronym for NVIDIA Display Properties Extension. Hence, the Nvcpl.dll file is often present on PCs with NVIDIA graphic cards since it was developed by NVIDIA Corporation.

Is Nvcpl.dll safe?

Nvcpl.dll is a safe file. It is completely harmless.

Windows is programmed to load the Nvcpl.dll file when your system is booting. NVIDIA Control Panel (or the equivalent program on your device) cannot start up normally without the file. The file is involved in the management of your hardware settings.

If you saw an error message with Nvcpl.dll as the key term, then the file is most likely corrupted or missing (from its usual location). It is difficult to figure why or how the file went missing. It is also difficult to understand the events that resulted in the file becoming corrupt.

You might have seen one of the following error messages below:

• Nvcpl.dll Not Found
• This application failed to start because Nvcpl.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
• Cannot find [PATH]\Nvcpl.dll
• The file Nvcpl.dll is missing.
• Cannot start [insert name of the application here]. A required component is missing: Nvcpl.dll. Please install [insert name of the application here] again.
• Cannot register Nvcpl.dll
• Nvcpl.dll Access Violation

Nvcpl.dll error messages can come up during the installation operations for certain programs. They can also appear when you are shutting down your PC or when you are booting up your computer. In fact, some users have reported seeing error messages with Nvcpl.dll when they were installing Windows on their devices.

The outlined error messages started to show on Windows PCs as far back as Windows 2000. The error messages involving Nvcpl.dll can also appear on PCs running relatively recent versions of Windows like Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.

How to fix the Nvcpl.dll is missing issue and similar problems?

You probably came to this page to find out what you can do to replace or restore the missing Nvcpl.dll file. Well, it is imperative we warn you against downloading the file online (especially from questionable sources). The downloaded file is unlikely to solve the problem in any case.

You are better off restoring the original (or legitimate) file, using standard procedures. We will guide you through some of them now. It is best you begin with the first solution on the list and carry on with the other fixes in the order they have been listed here (if you have to).

1. Try to recover the Nvcpl.dll file from the Recycle Bin:

Here, we are going to assume you deleted Nvcpl.dll unknowingly or mistakenly. In that case, the file (like other deleted items) should end up in your Recycle Bin first. If these assumptions hold true in your case, all you have to do is restore the file from the Recycle Bin to fix the issue.

Go through the steps below:

• First, you have to open the Recycle Bin. Its program icon should be available on your desktop screen. Double-click on it once you have found it to launch the needed app.
• The Recycle Bin program window should be up by now. Go through the list of files displayed and try to locate the Nvcpl.dll file.

If your Recycle Bin is holding far too many items for you to check through, you can perform a quick search for the needed file by inputting Nvcpl.dll into the text field present and hitting the Enter key.

Windows should now display the available Nvcpl.dll file (if it exists in your Recycle Bin).

• Now, assuming you have located the file, right-click on it to see the options available, then click on Restore. With this action, Windows will now act to place the file back in its original location (before it got deleted).

If you did everything correctly, Windows should stop displaying messages to inform you of problems due to the missing Nvcpl.dll file.

2. Use System Restore:

If you could not find the Nvcpl.dll file in your Recycle Bin, there is a good chance the file got removed in a process or operation of which you are unaware. There is also a reasonable probability that the file did end up in the Recycle Bin, but Windows eventually deleted it permanently after it had spent a considerable amount of time there.

Your best bet to resolving the issue now requires you to use System Restore, which is a program that allows you to revert your PC to an old state (a configuration where Nvcpl.dll file was still residing in its rightful location). In other words, you are going to reverse the changes that caused your system to lose the Nvcpl.dll.

Follow the instructions below to carry out the restoration process:

• Press the Windows button on your device’s keyboard, and the Windows Start menu screen should come up. You can achieve the same result by clicking on the Start icon on your desktop screen.
• Type Create a restore point into the text field available to perform a quick search, using the inputted keywords.

From the results that show up, click on System Properties.

• You must navigate to the System Protection tab (click on it), and there, click on the System Restore button. The System Restore window should come up now.

Click on the Next button there.

• Now, Windows will allow you to choose your preferred restore point. We advise that you choose a point that is far enough in the past to ensure that your system ends up being restored to a state where the current problems are non-existent.

Click on the Scan for affected programs button (if you care enough to know which applications might become affected by the restoration process). You are expected to lose applications that were installed after the creation of the restore point you chose. Click on Close once you have satisfied your curiosity.

• Click on the Next button. On the next screen, you should see the Finish button, which you have to click on to allow Windows to initiate the restoration operations.

If everything goes well, your PC should end up in a state or condition where Nvcpl.dll is no longer missing or corrupted.

3. Fix existing issues with the NVIDIA graphics card driver by updating its software:

If the Nvcpl.dll error message shows up when you try to run certain applications (especially games or other graphics-demanding apps), the issues in play might have something to do with the drivers for your video card. We already explained how the Nvcpl.dll file is related to NVIDIA graphics cards, and now, you are going to try to fix the problem as regards to its software.

• You must update your NVIDIA graphics card driver. You might be able to do this by launching the Device Manager app, navigating through the categories listed to find the NVIDIA graphics card, then using the Update option to download and install the latest driver version instead of the outdated or problematic driver.
• You can also get the job done through the NVIDIA utility on your system. Here, after you launch the required program, you have to go into its settings or configuration menu. There, you should find the option that allows you to check for updates. We advise you download and install all the latest driver updates available for your NVIDIA card.
• If you could not get your system to download and install the latest NVIDIA driver, using either of the procedures we outlined earlier, you must consider installing Auslogics Driver Updater. This program provides you with an alternative and easy means of doing the same thing. It will help you search for, download, and install the required driver in no time.

After you finish installing the driver software, you have to restart your PC to allow the changes to become effective. After the reboot, the new driver will have replaced the old one, which means you are now unlikely to see the error messages that troubled you earlier about the missing DLL file.

4. Roll back your driver:

If the update operation for the NVIDIA driver failed to deliver the result you needed, then perhaps, a roll-back to an old version may do you some good. After all, NVIDIA sometimes releases buggy driver updates, which are notorious for causing more problems than they solve on many systems.

There is a good chance the missing Nvcpl.dll issue only manifested because Windows downloaded and installed a recent driver version that is incompatible with your system. To this end, you have to restore or bring back the old driver version (which was functioning without issues) to resolve the problem at hand.

Fortunately, the procedure of rolling back drivers on Windows is relatively easy to carry out. Go through these steps:

• First, you must open the Device Manager application. Right-click on the Windows Start icon that is often visible on your desktop screen. Windows will display some apps or options from which you must click on Device Manager.
• You have to go through the listed categories on the Device Manager program window to locate the device whose driver you intend to roll back.

You can expand a category (to see its contents) by double-clicking on it. The NVIDIA device is likely to be found in the Display Adapters category.

• Once you have found the NVIDIA device, you must right-click on its name or icon to see some options, then click on Properties.
• The Properties window for the selected NVIDIA device should be up by now. There, you must navigate to the Driver tab (click on it).
• You should see the Roll Back Driver button. Click on it. Windows will display a dialog box to ask you a question to confirm your intention to proceed with the operation you just initiated.
• Click on the Yes or Roll Back button to proceed with things. Windows will now act to reinstall the old driver version. As a consequence, the Roll Back button will become disabled (unavailable to use since there is no old driver to fall back to again).

If the Roll Back button appears grayed out on the Properties window for the selected driver even before you carried out the operation, then your computer, unfortunately, does not have the old driver version. The file might have been moved, deleted or made inaccessible. Perhaps, your PC is still using the old driver.

• Finally, here, you have to restart your PC to let the old driver begin its work. After Windows boots up, you can try running the game or application with which you experienced the error earlier and see how things have changed.

5. Reinstall the program affected by the missing Nvcpl.dll file:

If the missing or corrupted Nvcpl.dll error messages continue to show up to trouble you even after you fixed the issue with your NVIDIA driver, then there is a good chance the problem is now exclusive to the game or app you are trying to run. If this holds true, then the problem should no longer exist after you uninstall and reinstall the application.

Well, the removal and reinstallation process comprises of operations that cause a lot of changes to the state of any application. Some of these changes might help eliminate the inconsistencies or faults in the program’s relationship with the Nvcpl.dll file.

The instructions below will guide you to uninstall the affected program and reinstall it:

• First, to uninstall the program, you have to open the Control Panel program. It is one of the apps on the Power User menu list, which you can access using this keyboard shortcut: Windows button + Letter X key.

Alternatively, you can press the Windows button on your PC’s keyboard, then type in Control Panel into the text box to perform a quick search. You should see Control Panel as the first item on the result list. Click on it or tap the Enter key.

• Now, you have to click on the Uninstall a program option or link (usually under the Programs heading). You might also find it under the Add or Remove programs menu.

If the option or link is missing, you can type in Uninstall a program in the text box on the top right corner of the Control Panel program window to do a quick search, using the inputted keywords.

• You should end up on a screen where Windows lists the applications that are currently installed on your PC. Go through them and locate the program affected by the missing Nvcpl.dll issue.
• Click on the program to select (or highlight it), then click on the Uninstall or Remove button. Windows might display a prompt to get confirmation for the uninstallation operation. Click on the Yes or Uninstall button there to confirm things and proceed.

Besides the Windows prompt, depending on the application you are trying to remove, you might see an uninstallation wizard or uninstaller window. Any of these utilities should guide you to uninstall the application correctly. Follow their instructions carefully.

• Once you are done uninstalling the application, we recommend you reboot Windows (even if no prompt comes up to request you do this).

After the restart, you check and confirm that the program is no longer installed.

• At this stage, you must move on to reinstall the app you just removed. We recommend you search for and download the newest version of the program available.

Launch your web browser and visit the appropriate website or download center.

• Run the executable file or installer for the program. Follow the instructions as they show up to complete the installation. Restart your PC the last time to round up things.
• Now, you can test the reinstalled program and see how it holds up.

6. Reregister the affected DLL file manually:

Some of the missing Nvcpl.dll file errors that come up are a result of Windows failure to register some files correctly. Perhaps, some inconsistencies or shortcomings in the code of the affected program caused its installer to fail at its job of registering important entries.

Here, you are going to try to register the file through manual operations. This procedure is hardly convenient, but its application might succeed where other fixes have failed. Follow these steps to register the Nvcpl.dll file manually:

• You need to open a Command Prompt window with administrative powers. You can do this by searching for the keyword cmd in Search on the Windows Start menu screen, right-clicking on the first result, which is Command Prompt (Desktop app), then clicking on Run as administrator.

Click on the Yes button when the prompt or dialog box from User Account Control (UAC) comes up to get confirmation for this move.

• Now, once the elevated Command Prompt window is running on your screen, you must type in the following code: regsvr32 /u Nvcpl.dll

Hit the Enter key. With this move, you have deregistered the Nvcpl.dll file.

• Here, you must type in the following code: regsvr32 /i Nvcpl.dll

Hit the Enter key to execute the inputted code. With this move, Windows will act to reregister the file.

• It is time you closed the elevated Command Prompt window. Exit other programs, restart your computer, then check if the Nvcpl.dll errors are still active.

Other things you can try to fix Nvcpl.dll problems

You most likely came here to find out how to remove an Nvcpl.dll error on Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or whatever version of Windows your device is running. Well, if you are yet to solve the problem associated with the missing or corrupted Nvcpl.dll file, you can do worse than check out this additional list of solutions.

7. Run the SFC (System File Checker) utility to scan for and fix issues with your system files.
8. Check for, download, and install all the Windows updates that have been released for your device.
9. Perform intensive scans for malware.
10. Use the built-in diagnostic tools on Windows to check the state of your hardware devices (especially your hard disk drive and temporary memory).
11. Repair or reset your Windows installation if all else fails.