How to Fix the “Unable to Connect to NVIDIA” GeForce Experience Error in Windows 10 & 11

GeForce Experience is a handy app for gaming optimization. However, some GeForce Experience users have posted on NVIDIA’s forum about the “unable to connect to NVIDIA” error message. Those users see that message when they start GeForce Experience.

GeForce Experience still opens when the “unable to connect to NVIDIA” error occurs. However, users can’t download NVIDIA drivers or utilize other features like ShadowPlay in that software because of this error. As such, here is how you can fix the “unable to connect to NVIDIA” error in Windows 11 and 10.

1. Erase the NSManagedTasks.xml and Restart the NVIDIA Network Service

Users with older GeForce Experience versions have been able to fix the “Unable to connect to NVIDIA” error by deleting an NSManagedTasks.xml file. However, that file doesn’t exist for more recent GeForce Experience versions. So, not all users will be able to apply this potential fix.

If you’re utilizing older GeForce Experience software, you might be able to resolve this issue by erasing the NSManagedTasks.xml file like this:

1. To view File Explorer, press Win + E.
2. Click View > Show > Hidden Items in Windows 11 File Explorer. In Windows 10 File Explorer, you’ll need to select the Hidden Items checkbox on the View tab.

   

3. Clear the current folder path in File Explorer’s address bar. Then input this NetService folder path and hit Enter:

           C:\ProgramData\Nvidia Corporation\NetService\
       

   

4. Input NSManagedTasks.xml in Explorer’s search box to find that file within the folder.

   

5. Right-click the NSManagedTasks.xml file and select its Delete option (the trash can in Windows 11).

Once that's done, it's time to restart the NVIDIA network service.

1. Bring up the Task Manager tool, which has a useful Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey for quick access.
2. Select Task Manager’s Details tab.
3. Then find and select the NvStreamNetworkService.exe (NVIDIA Network Service) there.

   

4. Click End Task to stop the service.
5. Exit the Task Manager window.
6. Next, click a Search box or Type here to search button on the Windows taskbar.
7. Enter a services search phrase.
8. Click Services inside the search tool’s results.
9. Then double-click the NVIDIA Network Service to access its options.
10. Select Start for the NVIDIA Network Service to restart it.
11. Press the NVIDIA Network Service Properties window’s Apply > OK buttons.

Now launch GeForce Experience to see if the “unable to connect” error persists.

If you can’t find a NetService folder or NSManagedTasks.xml file, then this isn’t the “Unable to connect” resolution for you. Proceed with the other potential fixes below.

2. Run the Relevant NVIDIA Services

Some GeForce Experience users have confirmed they’ve been able to fix the Unable to connect to NVIDIA” error by starting NVIDIA services. Thus, this error can seemingly occur because of disabled NVIDIA services.

Here is how you can enable and run NVIDIA services in Windows 10 and 11:

1. Open Services as instructed in steps 11-13 of the first resolution above.
2. Then double-click an NVIDIA service in the window to open its properties window.

   

3. Select the Start option in the properties window if the service isn’t running (stopped).
4. Click Apply and OK to save settings and exit the service’s window.

   

5. Repeat those steps for all NVIDIA services you can find.

3. Manually Update the NVIDIA Graphics Driver With Device Manager

Updating the NVIDIA graphics driver is a potential resolution some users confirm to fix the “Unable to connect” error. However, users can’t update their graphics drivers with GeForce Experience because of the issue. Instead, manually update your NVIDIA GPU’s driver with Device Manager like this:

1. Open the NVIDIA driver download website.
2. Select your graphics card model and PC OS in the drop-down menus and click Search.

   

3. Select Download to obtain the NVIDIA driver pack.
4. Then open Device Manager, which you can access by right-clicking your Start button in Windows and selecting the shortcut for that tool. You can also use one of the other ways to open the Device Manager.
5. Next, click the arrow beside the Display adapters to view that category.
6. Right-click the NVIDIA GPU to select Update driver on the context menu.

   

7. Select Browse my computer to locate a driver package.
8. Click Browse to select the downloaded driver package.
   
9. Select Next to install the selected NVIDIA driver.

4. Edit the Hosts File

Hosts is a file for mapping domain names. The “Unable to connect to NVIDIA” error occurs when the localhost value in it equals 0.0.0.0. Some GeForce Experience users have fixed the “Unable to connect to NVIDIA” error by changing the localhost value to 127.0.0.1 in the hosts file like this:

1. Open File Explorer and input this folder location in the folder address bar:

           C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
       

2. Click the hosts file with the mouse’s right button and select Open with.

   

3. Then click Notepad to view the hosts file in that text editor.
4. If the localhost is set to 0.0.0.0, or another value, change it to 127.0.0.1 as shown in the image below.

   

5. Then click File at the top of Notepad to select a Save option.
6. Select All Files on the drop-down menu and click Save.

   

If you can’t edit hosts because of permission restrictions, copy and paste the file onto the desktop. To do so, right-click hosts and select Copy. Then right-click the desktop and select Paste.

Next, edit and save hosts as outlined above. Copy the edited hosts file on the desktop. Open the etc folder that includes the original hosts file again and press the Ctrl + V hotkey. Click the Replace option to overwrite the original file.

5. Reinstall GeForce Experience

Outdated GeForce Experience software is one of the most common causes of the “Unable to connect to NVIDIA” error. Many users have resolved the issue by uninstalling GeForce Experience and installing the latest version. You can uninstall GeForce Experience within the Control Panel as instructed in this guide to removing Windows software.

When you’ve uninstalled the old software version, open the GeForce website. Click Download Now to obtain the setup wizard for the latest GeForce Experience version. Go into File Explorer, open the folder containing the downloaded setup file, and double-click GeForce_Experience_v3.27.0.112.exe. Then select Agree and Install within the setup wizard.

Get the “Unable to connect to NVIDIA” Error Sorted

The “unable to connect to NVIDIA” error is an old issue GeForce Experience users have talked about on the NVIDIA forum for many years. A lot of users have been able to fix that issue by applying the potential resolutions outlined above. So, it’s likely one of them will get the same “unable to connect to NVIDIA” error sorted on your Windows PC.