EXPLAINER · NPI 3.0.2.3 · CHECKED 8 NOV 2026
What NVIDIA Profile Inspector is, and what it does
NVIDIA Profile Inspector is a free, open-source Windows program that reads and edits the profile database inside the NVIDIA driver: the per-game settings the driver applies when a game starts. It shows every setting the driver knows, not only the few the NVIDIA App exposes. It does not run in the background and does not overclock: you change values, click Apply and close it.
NPI in one picture
NPI and the NVIDIA App both talk to the driver through NVIDIA’s own interface. The driver keeps one profile database, and a game picks up its profile when it starts. NPI is only a window onto that database.
The same diagram as a list
- NVIDIA Profile Inspector calls NVAPI DRS functions.
- NVAPI lives in
nvapi64.dll, part of the NVIDIA driver. - The driver reads and writes the database files in
C:\ProgramData\NVIDIA Corporation\Drs. - The NVIDIA App writes to the same database through the driver.
- When a game starts, the driver looks up the game's profile in that database.
Closing NPI undoes nothing, because it is not running when your game runs. The NPI 3.0.2.x data lists 928 setting IDs, and 117 of them have friendly names in its built-in list. CODE · NPI 3.0.2.3 source
What you can do with it
- Force a DLSS preset for one game, for example ↗.
- Cap the frame rate per game.
- Set Resizable BAR where NVIDIA has not already.
- Change the shader cache size.
- Set the G-SYNC and low latency recipe.
- Back up and share profiles as .nip files.
- Restore defaults if a change goes wrong.
- Use legacy anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion bits for older games.
What it is not
- Not an overclocking tool. That was the older NVIDIA Inspector, see NVIDIA Inspector and NPI.
- Not a game mod or DLL injector. It changes driver profile values only. DLSS Swapper and similar tools work differently.
- Not a performance booster by itself. Most changes are trade-offs, see which settings matter.
- Not for AMD or Intel GPUs, see alternatives.
- Not something that has to stay open.
NPI, the NVIDIA App and the old Control Panel
| Feature | NPI | NVIDIA App | Old Control Panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-game settings | Yes, any game | A short list per game | A short list per program |
| Hidden driver settings | Yes | No | No |
| DLSS override per game | Yes | Yes | No |
| Backup and export | Yes, .nip files | No | No |
| Still receiving changes | Yes, community project | Yes | Retired |
The full comparisons are NPI versus the NVIDIA App and the Control Panel mapped to NPI.
Who makes it
NPI began as the profile-editor part of NVIDIA Inspector, a freeware tool by Orbmu2k. It became its own program in March 2016 and was published as open source under the MIT licence. COMMUNITY · Guru3D Development was quiet from 2021 to 2024 and picked up again in 2025. The 3.0 rewrite arrived in March 2026 and the first stable 3.x release, 3.0.2.1, is dated 2026-07-05. The About dialog credits Orbmu2k, emoose, Warkratos and DarkStarSword. LAB · About dialog, F18 The repository showed 7.6k stars on 8 Nov 2026. See the release history and forks.
Do you need it?
- You only change global DLSS settings: the NVIDIA App is enough.
- You want per-game control, hidden settings, backups or the settings the retired Control Panel had: NPI.
- You play only competitive online games and want free FPS: read which settings matter first.
Is it safe?
It is open source, not code-signed and always asks for administrator rights. LAB · F02, F03, F06 Microsoft Defender found no threats in the four releases we scanned. Anti-cheat vendors rarely comment on driver profiles. The details are on is NPI safe.
Questions people ask
Is NVIDIA Profile Inspector made by NVIDIA?
No. It is an independent open-source project, created by Orbmu2k and published under the MIT licence. It uses NVIDIA's own driver interface to read and write the driver's profile settings, and NVIDIA does not make or support it.
Do I need to keep NVIDIA Profile Inspector open?
No. The settings are stored in the driver's profile database when you click Apply Changes. You can close NPI and the games still use them. The program is not running when the game runs.
Does NVIDIA Profile Inspector work with AMD?
No. It talks to the NVIDIA driver only, so it does nothing on AMD or Intel graphics.
Is it the same as NVIDIA Inspector?
Not today. NVIDIA Inspector was an older tool by the same author that also showed GPU information and overclocked. The profile editor was split out as its own program in 2016, and that program is what people now call NVIDIA Profile Inspector.
What does NPI mean?
NPI is short for NVIDIA Profile Inspector. Some people also write nvpi.
Does it increase FPS?
Not by itself. Most driver settings trade one thing for another, and many are already tuned by NVIDIA. Our best settings page lists the few that matter.
Sources
- NVIDIA Profile Inspector repository (MIT licence github.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · upstream
- NVIDIA Inspector 1.9.7.4 release thread forums.guru3d.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · community