TOOL · NIP STUDIO · SETTINGS DATA FROM NPI 3.0.2.3
Open, read and compare .nip files
Drop a .nip file below to see what it really contains, including each profile, the game executables it targets, and every setting with its name, value and meaning. Risky or unknown values are flagged, and you can compare two files. The file never leaves your browser.
NIP Studio
Open, explain and compare NVIDIA Profile Inspector .nip files.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. How to read the result
Open a file in View, compare two in Compare, or read the XML in Raw. Samples are our own test files.
Results appear below the drop zone.
Drop a .nip file here
Try a sample:
How to read the result
Profiles and executables
Each card is one profile. The name is the key NPI matches on import. “Base Profile” is the Global profile, so a file that changes it changes every game; see profiles explained. An executable listed in a profile moves into that profile on import, and an exe that another profile already owns makes that profile’s import fail. The card also says whether NVIDIA already ships a profile with that name, which means the import changes NVIDIA’s profile instead of creating a new one.
Settings and values
The file stores SettingID as a decimal number and NPI shows hex. In our sample, SettingID 277041154 is 0x10835002, Frame Rate Limiter V3, and the value 141 is 0x0000008D, which NPI labels 141 FPS.
LAB · CLI · F25 The value types are Dword (a 32-bit number), Qword (64-bit, used by rBAR - Size Limit), String and AnsiString (text) and Binary (Base64).
CODE · NPI 2994194
Flags and what they mean
| Level | Flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| high | A behaviour-changing setting in the Global profile | Resizable BAR, a frame cap, power mode, forced V-Sync, negative LOD bias or a DLSS preset applies to every game without its own value. |
| high | Unknown setting ID | The ID is not in NPI 3.0.2.3's lists. It may be new, private or mistyped. |
| high | Needs a newer driver than yours | Only shown if you enter your driver version. |
| high | A setting we mark high risk | Our summary for the setting says why. |
| medium | Same executable in two profiles | An import fails with EXECUTABLE_ALREADY_IN_USE. |
| medium | Value outside the named values | The driver may ignore or mishandle it. |
| medium | Duplicate setting in one profile | What an import does with duplicates is untested. |
| info | String, binary or hidden setting | Not an error; it is shown for completeness. |
Before you import a .nip
See the .nip files page for export, Merge versus Replace and failed imports.
Compare two files
Use Compare before and after a driver update, for example your two -exportCustomized exports, or to see how a shared file differs from your own. For each profile in both files the table lists changed values (old to new), settings only in one file, and added or removed executables. The summary line counts them, such as “1 profile changed, 2 settings changed”.
What NIP Studio can’t do
- It applies nothing: only NPI can import a file into your driver.
- It cannot see NVIDIA’s predefined values on your PC, so it never shows the effective value; the cascade explains why.
- It does not edit or generate
.nipfiles. A wrong executable or setting ID can do real harm. - Meanings come from NPI’s definitions and our notes, so a setting without a note says so.
Why some .nip files fail to import
A profile NVIDIA renamed or removed, settings the driver no longer knows, an exe that already belongs to another profile, XML broken by a text editor (NIP Studio shows the line), and a Qword value in NPI 2.x. Exact messages are on the errors page.
Privacy and method
The browser’s own XML parser reads the file in memory and nothing is sent anywhere. Nothing is stored unless you tick “Remember last file on this device”, which keeps the file in your browser’s local storage until you untick it or press Forget. The setting data comes from NPI’s CustomSettingNames.xml and Reference.xml at commit 2994194 (NPI 3.0.2.3) and NVIDIA’s header, plus our notes, refreshed with each NPI release (releases, how we test). The encoding is detected from the file’s bytes and the XML header is ignored, because NPI 3.0.2.1 writes UTF-8 under a utf-16 header.
LAB · CLI · F24
Questions people ask
Is it safe to import a .nip file from YouTube or Discord?
Not by default. A .nip can change settings for every game or force values that cause problems. Open it here first, check the flags, keep a backup and know how to undo it. No file is safe just because it is popular.
What does a .nip file contain?
A list of profiles. Each has a name, the game executables it applies to and the settings stored in it, written as decimal setting IDs with values. NIP Studio turns those into names and meanings.
Will importing a .nip overwrite my current settings?
That depends on Merge or Replace. Replace resets the profile first, Merge overwrites only the settings in the file and keeps the rest. A file that changes the Base Profile affects every game.
Why does NPI say my .nip could not be imported?
Common causes are an exe that another profile already owns, a profile NVIDIA renamed, broken XML after editing, or a Qword value in an old NPI. NIP Studio shows where broken XML stops.
Can I open a .nip without NVIDIA Profile Inspector?
Yes. It is plain XML, so a text editor shows it, and NIP Studio explains it. Only NPI can import it into your driver.
Can NIP Studio read NVIDIA text-format exports?
No. It recognises them and tells you to open them with NPI's Import, NVIDIA text format option. It does not parse them.
Sources
- NPI setting definitions at commit 2994194 github.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · upstream
- NVIDIA NVAPI SDK header github.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · official