Editing GeForce (section)

== Graphics device drivers ==

=== <span class="anchor" id="PROPRIETARY"></span>Official proprietary ===
Nvidia develops and publishes GeForce drivers for [[Windows 10]] [[x86]]/[[x86-64]] and later, [[Linux]] x86/x86-64/[[ARMv7-A]], [[Mac OS X Leopard|OS X 10.5]] and later, [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] x86/x86-64 and [[FreeBSD]] x86/x86-64.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4373/~/os-support-for-geforce-gpus |title=OS Support for GeForce GPUs |publisher=[[Nvidia]] |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=June 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603012425/https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4373/~/os-support-for-geforce-gpus |url-status=live }}</ref> A current version can be downloaded from Nvidia and most Linux distributions contain it in their own repositories. Nvidia GeForce driver 340.24 from 8 July 2014 supports the [[EGL (API)|EGL]] interface enabling support for [[Wayland (display server protocol)|Wayland]] in conjunction with this driver.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/76884/en-us | title = Support for EGL | date = 2014-07-08 | access-date = 2014-07-08 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140711235236/http://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/76884/en-us | archive-date = July 11, 2014 | df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.archlinux.org/packages/multilib/x86_64/lib32-nvidia-utils/files/ | title = lib32-nvidia-utils 340.24-1 File List | date = 2014-07-15 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140716215458/https://www.archlinux.org/packages/multilib/x86_64/lib32-nvidia-utils/files/ | archive-date = July 16, 2014 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> This may be different for the [[Nvidia Quadro]] brand, which is based on identical hardware but features OpenGL-certified graphics device drivers. On the same day the [[Vulkan (API)|Vulkan]] graphics API was publicly released, Nvidia released drivers that fully supported it.<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-02-16 |title=Nvidia: Vulkan support in Windows driver version 356.39 and Linux driver version 355.00.26 |url=https://developer.nvidia.com/vulkan-driver |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408024142/https://developer.nvidia.com/vulkan-driver |archive-date=April 8, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Nvidia has released drivers with optimizations for specific video games concurrent with their release since 2014, having released 150 drivers supporting 400 games in April 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mason |first1=Damien |title=Nvidia GPU drivers are better than AMD and Intel, says Nvidia |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/gpu-drivers-amd-intel |website=[[PCGamesN]] |date=27 April 2022 |access-date=October 26, 2022 |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026234804/https://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/gpu-drivers-amd-intel |url-status=live }}</ref>

Basic support for the [[Direct Rendering Manager#Kernel mode setting|DRM mode-setting interface]] in the form of a new kernel module named <code>nvidia-modeset.ko</code> has been available since version 358.09 beta.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/884727/linux-solaris-and-freebsd-driver-358-09-beta-/ | title = Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD driver 358.09 (beta) | date = 2015-12-10 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160625072211/https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/884727/linux-solaris-and-freebsd-driver-358-09-beta-/ | archive-date = June 25, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>
The support of Nvidia's [[display controller]] on the supported GPUs is centralized in <code>nvidia-modeset.ko</code>. Traditional display interactions (X11 modesets, OpenGL SwapBuffers, VDPAU presentation, SLI, stereo, framelock, [[Nvidia G-Sync|G-Sync]], etc.) initiate from the various user-mode driver components and flow to <code>nvidia-modeset.ko</code>.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/925605/linux/nvidia-364-12-release-vulkan-glvnd-drm-kms-and-eglstreams/ | title = NVIDIA 364.12 release: Vulkan, GLVND, DRM KMS, and EGLStreams | date = 2016-03-21 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160613223432/https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/925605/linux/nvidia-364-12-release-vulkan-glvnd-drm-kms-and-eglstreams/ | archive-date = June 13, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

In May 2022, Nvidia announced that it would release a partially open-source driver for the (GSP enabled) [[Turing (microarchitecture)|Turing]] architecture and newer, in order to enhance the ability for it to be packaged as part of Linux distributions. At launch Nvidia considered the driver to be alpha quality for consumer GPUs, and production ready for datacenter GPUs. Currently the userspace components of the driver (including OpenGL, Vulkan, and CUDA) remain proprietary. In addition, the open-source components of the driver are only a wrapper (CPU-RM{{efn|name=RM|"RM" stands for "Resource Manager".}}) for the GPU System Processor (GSP) firmware, a RISC-V [[binary blob]] that is now required for running the open-source driver.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=2022-05-12 |title=Nvidia takes first step toward open-source Linux GPU drivers |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/05/nvidia-takes-first-step-toward-open-source-linux-gpu-drivers/ |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531155359/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/05/nvidia-takes-first-step-toward-open-source-linux-gpu-drivers/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Corrigan |first=Hope |date=2022-05-17 |title=Nvidia's moved most of the code to firmware before releasing Open-Source Linux drivers |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-moved-most-of-the-code-to-firmware-before-releasing-open-source-linux-drivers/ |access-date=2022-05-31 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531155359/https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-moved-most-of-the-code-to-firmware-before-releasing-open-source-linux-drivers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The GPU System Processor is a [[RISC-V]] coprocessor codenamed "Falcon" that is used to offload GPU initialization and management tasks. The driver itself is still split for the host CPU portion (CPU-RM{{efn|name=RM}}) and the GSP portion (GSP-RM{{efn|name=RM}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git – Repository of firmware blobs for use with the Linux kernel |url=https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/commit/?id=f4a3c72e5c413a601d1e21f9606f1c94a610d05d |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=git.kernel.org}}</ref> Windows 11 and Linux proprietary drivers also support enabling GSP and make even gaming faster.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CSGO running smooth for a couple seconds, then HEAVILY dropping, then going back to normal, repeat · Issue #335 · NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules |url=https://github.com/NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules/issues/335 |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=GitHub |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Aaron Klotz |date=2022-01-18 |title=Nvidia Driver Unlocks Performance Boosting GPU System Processor |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-gpu-system-processor-introduction |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en}}</ref> [[CUDA]] supports GSP since version 11.6.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NVIDIA CUDA 11.6 Brings Convenient "-arch=native", Defaults To New "GSP" Driver Mode |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/NVIDIA-CUDA-11.6 |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=www.phoronix.com |language=en}}</ref> Upcoming Linux kernel 6.7 will support GSP in [[Nouveau (software)|Nouveau]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NVIDIA Pushes 62MB Of GSP Binary Firmware Blobs Into Linux-Firmware.Git |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/NVIDIA-Big-GSP-Firmware-Dump |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=www.phoronix.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nouveau Linux DRM Driver Making Progress On NVIDIA GSP Support |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/NVIDIA-GSP-Nouveau-Progress |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=www.phoronix.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Third-party free and open-source ===
{{See also|Free and open-source graphics device driver#Nvidia}}
Community-created, free and open-source drivers exist as an alternative to the drivers released by Nvidia. Open-source drivers are developed primarily for Linux, however there may be ports to other operating systems. The most prominent alternative driver is the [[Reverse engineering|reverse-engineered]] free and open-source ''[[nouveau (software)|nouveau]]'' graphics device driver. Nvidia has publicly announced to not provide any support for such additional device drivers for their products,<ref name="NvidiaNouveau">{{cite web | url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NzgwNQ | title = Nvidia's Response To Recent Nouveau Work | publisher = [[Phoronix]] | date = 2009-12-14 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161007001143/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NzgwNQ | archive-date = October 7, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> although Nvidia has contributed code to the Nouveau driver.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTczOTg | title = NVIDIA Contributes Re-Clocking Code To Nouveau For The GK20A | last1 = Larabel | first1 = Michael | date = 2014-07-11 | website = Phoronix | access-date = 2014-09-09 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140725081426/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTczOTg | archive-date = July 25, 2014 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Free and open-source drivers support a large portion (but not all) of the features available in GeForce-branded cards. For example, {{As of|2014|1|lc=yes}} nouveau driver lacks support for the GPU and memory clock frequency adjustments, and for associated dynamic power management.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTU4MDU | title = Nouveau 3.14 Gets New Acceleration, Still Lacking PM | publisher = [[Phoronix]] | date = 2014-01-23 | access-date = 2014-07-25 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140703101418/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTU4MDU | archive-date = July 3, 2014 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Also, Nvidia's proprietary drivers consistently perform better than nouveau in various benchmarks.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_nouveau_linux316&num=1 | title = Benchmarking Nouveau and Nvidia's proprietary GeForce driver on Linux | publisher = [[Phoronix]] | date = 2014-07-28 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160816063214/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_nouveau_linux316&num=1 | archive-date = August 16, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> However, {{As of|2014|8|lc=yes}} and version 3.16 of the [[Linux kernel mainline]], contributions by Nvidia allowed partial support for GPU and memory clock frequency adjustments to be implemented.{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}}

=== Licensing and privacy issues ===
{{Original research section|date=May 2022}}
The license has common terms against reverse engineering and copying, and it disclaims warranties and liability.<ref name="license">{{Cite web |url=https://www.geforce.com/drivers/license |title=License For Customer Use of NVIDIA Software |website=Nvidia.com |access-date=2017-08-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810210731/https://www.geforce.com/drivers/license |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>{{Original research inline|date=May 2022}}

Starting in 2016 the GeForce license says Nvidia "SOFTWARE may access, collect non-personally identifiable information about, update, and configure Customer's system in order to properly optimize such system for use with the SOFTWARE."<ref name="license"/> The privacy notice goes on to say, "We are not able to respond to "Do Not Track" signals set by a browser at this time. We also permit third party online advertising networks and social media companies to collect information... We may combine personal information that we collect about you with the browsing and tracking information collected by these [cookies and beacons] technologies."<ref name="privacy">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/about-nvidia/privacy-policy/ |title=NVIDIA Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights |date=2016-06-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225074701/https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/about-nvidia/privacy-policy/ |archive-date=February 25, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The software configures the user's system to optimize its use, and the license says, "NVIDIA will have no responsibility for any damage or loss to such system (including loss of data or access) arising from or relating to (a) any changes to the configuration, application settings, environment variables, registry, drivers, [[BIOS]], or other attributes of the system (or any part of such system) initiated through the SOFTWARE".<ref name="license"/>

=== GeForce Experience ===
GeForce Experience is a software suite developed by Nvidia that served as a companion application for PCs equipped with Nvidia graphics cards. Initially released in 2013, it was designed to enhance the gaming experience by providing performance optimization tools, driver management, and various capture and streaming features.

One of its core functions was the ability to optimize game settings automatically based on the user's hardware configuration, helping to strike a balance between visual quality and performance. It also allowed users to manage driver updates seamlessly, particularly through the distribution of "Game Ready Drivers," which were released in sync with major game launches to ensure optimal performance from day one.

GeForce Experience included Nvidia ShadowPlay,<ref>{{Citation |title=Nvidia ShadowPlay |date=2024-08-22 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_ShadowPlay |access-date=2025-04-24 |language=en}}</ref> a popular feature that enabled gameplay recording and live streaming with minimal performance impact. It also featured Nvidia Ansel, a tool for capturing high-resolution, 360-degree, and HDR in-game screenshots, as well as Nvidia Freestyle, which allowed gamers to apply real-time visual filters. Laptop users benefited from features like Battery Boost, which helped conserve battery life while gaming by intelligently adjusting system performance.

By August 2017, the software had been installed on over 90 million PCs,<ref name=":3" /> making it one of the most widely used applications among gamers. Despite its broad adoption, GeForce Experience faced ongoing criticism for its resource usage, mandatory login requirement, and occasional user experience issues. One major controversy stemmed from a critical security vulnerability discovered before a patch released on March 26, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NVIDIA Patches High Severity GeForce Experience Vulnerability |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nvidia-patches-high-severity-geforce-experience-vulnerability/ |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=BleepingComputer |language=en-us}}</ref> The vulnerability exposed users to remote code execution, denial of service, and privilege escalation attacks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NVIDIA Support |url=https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4784/~/security-bulletin:-nvidia-geforce-experience-%E2%80%93-march-2019 |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=nvidia.custhelp.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, the software was known to force a system restart after installing new drivers, initiating a 60-second countdown that offered no option to cancel or postpone.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-27 |title=Nvidia Patches GeForce Experience Security Flaw |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-patches-geforce-experience-security-flaw,38930.html |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en}}</ref>

On November 12, 2024, Nvidia officially retired GeForce Experience<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-24 |title=Nvidia bids goodbye to GeForce Experience — Nvidia App officially replaces it in the latest driver update |url=https://ground.news/article/nvidia-bids-goodbye-to-geforce-experience-nvidia-app-officially-replaces-it-in-the-latest-driver-update |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=Ground News |language=en}}</ref> and launched its successor, the Nvidia App, with version 1.0. The new application was designed to modernize the user interface and streamline the experience, offering faster performance, better integration of features, and a more intuitive layout. It consolidated key tools like game optimization, driver updates, and hardware monitoring into a single platform, while also enhancing support for content creators through deeper integration with Nvidia Studio technologies.

This transition marks a new chapter in Nvidia's software ecosystem, with the Nvidia App aiming to deliver a more efficient and user-friendly experience tailored to the needs of modern gamers and creators.

=== Nvidia App ===
The Nvidia App is a program that is intended to replace both GeForce Experience and the Nvidia Control Panel<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacob |first=Ridley |date=2024-02-22 |title=The new Nvidia App killing GeForce Experience: new overlay, system monitoring, 120fps capture, and lets you add HDR to any game |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-app-beta-release/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |language=en}}</ref> which can be downloaded from Nvidia's website. In August 2024, it was in a [[Beta (software development)|beta]] version. On November 12, 2024, version 1.0 was released,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andermahr |first=Wolfgang |date=2024-11-12 |title=Die Nvidia App: Control Panel & GeForce Experience vereint |url=https://www.computerbase.de/artikel/grafikkarten/nvidia-app-angesehen.90216/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=ComputerBase |language=de}}</ref> marking its [[stable release]].

New features include an overhauled [[user interface]], a new in-game overlay, support for [[Nvidia ShadowPlay|ShadowPlay]] with 120 fps, as well as RTX HDR<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacob |first=Ridley |date=2024-02-22 |title=Nvidia's game filter for RTX GPUs lets you enable HDR in games that never supported it |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-game-filter-for-rtx-gpus-lets-you-enable-hdr-in-games-that-never-supported-it/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-22 |title=RTX HDR and RTX Dynamic Vibrance use AI to dramatically improve the look of thousands of games |url=https://www.tweaktown.com/news/96343/rtx-hdr-and-dynamic-vibrance-use-ai-to-dramatically-improve-the-look-of-thousands-games/index.html |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=TweakTown |language=en-US}}</ref> and RTX Dynamic Vibrance,<ref name=":1" /> which are [[Artificial intelligence|AI]]-based in-game filters that enable [[High dynamic range|HDR]] and increase [[color saturation]] in any [[DirectX 9]] (and newer) or [[Vulkan]] game, respectively.

The Nvidia App also features Auto Tuning, which adjusts the GPU's [[clock rate]] based on regular hardware scans to ensure optimal performance.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-03 |title=NVIDIA App gets built-in automatic overclocking for GeForce GPUs which will not invalidate warranty |url=https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-app-gets-built-in-automatic-overclocking-for-geforce-gpus-which-will-not-invalidate-warranty |website=www.videocardz.com}}</ref> According to Nvidia, this feature will not cause any damage to the GPU and retain its warranty.<ref name=":2" /> However, it might cause instability issues.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mujtaba |first=Hassan |date=2024-06-03 |title=NVIDIA App Adds 1-Click "Auto GPU" Tuning & 120 FPS AV1 Recording, G-Assist Can Also Dynamically Tune GPU, Record Statistics & Change Game Settings On The Fly |url=https://wccftech.com/nvidia-app-1-click-auto-gpu-tuning-120-fps-av1-recording-g-assist-dynamically-tune-gpu-record-statistics-change-game-settings/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Wccftech |language=en-US}}</ref> The feature is similar to the GeForce Experience's "Enable automatic tuning" option, which was released in 2021, with the difference being that this was a one-off overclocking feature<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trevisan |first=Thiago |date=2021-05-10 |title=How to use Nvidia's performance tuning tool for one-click GeForce overclocking |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/394678/how-to-use-nvidias-performance-tuning-tool-for-one-click-geforce-overclocking.html |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=[[PCWorld]] |language=en}}</ref> that did not adjust the GPU's clock speed on a regular basis.

In January 2025, Nvidia added Smooth Motion to the Nvidia App, a feature similar to [[Frame Generation]] which generates an extra frame between two natively randered frames.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |title=NVIDIA DLSS4, DLSS4 Overrides and Smooth Motion now available |url=https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-dlss4-dlss4-overrides-and-smooth-motion-now-available |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=VideoCardz.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Because the feature is driver-based, it also works in games that do not support DLSS's Frame Generation option.<ref name="auto1"/> As of its release, the feature is only available on [[GeForce 50 series]] GPUs, though Nvidia stated they will add support for [[GeForce 40 series]] GPUs in the future as well.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Sarfraz |date=2025-01-31 |title=NVIDIA Smooth Motion Will Be Available On GeForce RTX 40 GPUs Soon, Frame-Gen Enablement Via NVIDIA App |url=https://wccftech.com/nvidia-smooth-motion-will-be-available-on-geforce-rtx-40-gpus-frame-gen-all-games/ |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Wccftech |language=en-US}}</ref>