Short answer: NVCleanstall is a free tool from TechPowerUp that rebuilds the NVIDIA GeForce driver package with only the components you choose. It can leave out parts that NVIDIA’s own Custom install won’t let you skip, such as telemetry, USB-C and Stereo 3D Glasses support. The only official download is techpowerup.com. The current version is 1.19.0, released April 23, 2025, and TechPowerUp publishes its SHA-256 hash. It is useful if you know what each component does. Its advanced tweaks change how the driver installs, and TechPowerUp hasn’t released an update since April 2025.
Official download and verification
NVCleanstall is TechPowerUp’s own software, listed next to GPU-Z under “Our Software” on techpowerup.com. Download it from the TechPowerUp download page. The file is NVCleanstall_1.19.0.exe, 3.8 MB, and TechPowerUp lists it for Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7, 32-bit and 64-bit.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.19.0 |
| Released | April 23, 2025 |
| SHA-256 (published by TechPowerUp) | 9DD36EF956AF927CF41FA441F91B329A7973E13965E4E7D70E6FA9C1DF1CADE6 |
| Signer | TechPowerUp LLC (EV code signing certificate issued by SSL.com) |
We downloaded the file from TechPowerUp on September 26, 2026. The hash matched and the signature was valid. Check your copy with:
Get-FileHash .\NVCleanstall_1.19.0.exe -Algorithm SHA256Then check Properties > Digital Signatures for “TechPowerUp LLC.” NVCleanstall is portable, so there is nothing to install. Our NVCleanstall app page tracks the current version and hash.
What NVCleanstall does
TechPowerUp describes two modes:
- Online: NVCleanstall fetches the driver files from the internet and downloads only the components you selected.
- Offline: you give it a driver package already on disk, and it customizes the components inside. This mode works without an internet connection.
Either way, the result is a repackaged NVIDIA installer. You can run it right away, or save it and install it later on another PC, including one with no network connection. TechPowerUp’s 1.17.0 release added a note that the -y argument allows an unattended install of the saved package.
Which components you can leave out
TechPowerUp’s point is that NVIDIA treats many components as essential, so its “custom install” won’t let you deselect them. NVCleanstall will. Examples from TechPowerUp’s own page:
- Stereo 3D Glasses support
- USB-C support
- Telemetry
- Notebook Optimizations
The NVIDIA App is optional too. Version 1.18.0 added “full support for NVIDIA App,” so you can include or leave it out. NVIDIA itself says drivers work without the app. See NVIDIA App vs GeForce Experience for what you lose without it. If you keep the app and it won’t open, see NVIDIA App stuck or unable to connect.
NVCleanstall shows a help text for every component and checks dependencies automatically. Read the text before unticking anything you don’t recognize.
One component needs care on laptops. In 1.19.0, TechPowerUp updated the NV Platform Controllers description to make clear it should be used with laptops. On laptops, the “Recommended” selection now includes it.
The advanced tweaks, and what each one changes
Since version 1.3.0, the tweaks sit on their own page after component selection. TechPowerUp’s changelogs describe these options, among others:
| Tweak | What it does | Our note |
|---|---|---|
| Disable driver telemetry | Added as an experimental option in 1.7.0 | Separate from deselecting the telemetry component |
| Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) | Makes the driver use MSI (1.3.0) | A system-level change. Leave it off unless you know you need it |
| Disable Ansel | Added in 1.16.0 | Low risk |
| NVIDIA Control Panel from Microsoft Store without a Microsoft account | For DCH drivers (1.3.0) | NVIDIA has since retired the Control Panel for GeForce drivers |
| Add hardware support (modify the INF) | Lets the driver install on devices without official support, such as some notebooks (1.7.0) | Changes the driver package NVIDIA shipped |
| Rebuild the driver’s digital signature and auto-accept the unsigned warning | Re-signs a modified package so Windows accepts it (improved in 1.9.0, fixed for Windows 11 24H2 in 1.17.0) | If Windows warns about an unsigned driver, you are not installing the package as NVIDIA signed it |
| NVENC Video Encoding Session Limit Patch | A GitHub-based patch; 1.17.0 removed its “experimental” label | A modification to NVIDIA’s driver that NVIDIA doesn’t provide |
Choosing components decides what gets installed. The INF, signature and patch options go further and change the package NVIDIA shipped. Once you use them, TechPowerUp’s support forum is your support channel, not NVIDIA.
Risks to know before using it
- Last updated April 2025. NVIDIA has changed its driver package since then. On May 26, 2026, NVIDIA retired the classic Control Panel for Game Ready and Studio drivers. Past releases show why this matters: 1.18.0 “fixed compatibility with 566.36 and newer” and 1.19.0 fixed installation not starting on 576.02. If a new driver fails to package or install, a newer NVCleanstall may be needed. Check the TechPowerUp download page before you rely on it.
- Modified packages lose NVIDIA’s signature. That is why NVCleanstall has options to rebuild the signature and auto-accept Windows’ unsigned-driver warning. If you don’t need the INF or patch tweaks, leave them off.
- Removing something you need. Laptops are the obvious case (NV Platform Controllers). If a feature stops working after an install, reinstall with NVIDIA’s full package.
- It isn’t a repair tool. If a driver install is broken, clean up first. Use NVIDIA’s “Perform a clean installation” option, or DDU for stubborn cases, then install your NVCleanstall package.
NVCleanstall vs NVIDIA’s own custom install
NVIDIA’s installer offers Custom (Advanced) with a “Perform a clean installation” checkbox, and it lets you skip the NVIDIA App. That covers most people. NVCleanstall is worth the extra step when you want to skip components NVIDIA won’t let you deselect, build one package for several offline PCs, or install on a laptop GPU that NVIDIA’s driver doesn’t list.
How to use NVCleanstall
- Download
NVCleanstall_1.19.0.exefrom TechPowerUp and verify the hash and signer as shown above. - Run it. On the first screen, pick a driver version to download, or point it at a driver installer you already have. Version 1.19.0 added a checkbox to bypass Cloudflare’s content delivery network, for regions where Cloudflare is blocked.
- Select components. Start from “Recommended” and remove only what you understand.
- On the tweaks page, leave anything you don’t need switched off.
- Build the package. Install now, or save it for later. For a clean start, use the clean-install option your package offers or clean up with DDU first.
- Reboot when the installer finishes.
Questions
Is NVCleanstall safe?
The official file is signed by TechPowerUp LLC and matches the hash TechPowerUp publishes. Leaving out components you understand is the low-risk use. The INF, signature and NVENC patch options modify what NVIDIA shipped, so use them only if you understand the trade-off.
Is NVCleanstall made by NVIDIA?
No. It is made by TechPowerUp, the site behind GPU-Z.
What is the latest version?
1.19.0, released April 23, 2025, as of September 26, 2026.
Does NVCleanstall remove telemetry?
It lets you deselect the telemetry component and offers a separate, experimental option to disable driver telemetry.
Can I install a driver without the NVIDIA App using NVCleanstall?
Yes. But NVIDIA’s own installer lets you skip the app too, so you don’t need NVCleanstall for that alone.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Feed it a driver installer you already downloaded, and the finished package can be saved and installed on a PC without network access.
Does it work with the newest NVIDIA drivers?
TechPowerUp’s changelog lists no release after April 2025, and past NVIDIA driver changes have needed NVCleanstall updates. Test it with your driver, and fall back to NVIDIA’s installer if packaging fails.
Should I use DDU before NVCleanstall?
Only if your current install is broken or you are switching GPU brands. For a normal update, a clean install is enough.
Sources
- NVCleanstall v1.19.0 Download and version history, TechPowerUp
- NVCleanstall – NVIDIA Driver Customizer, TechPowerUp
- TechPowerUp Releases NVCleanstall 1.3.0, TechPowerUp (February 3, 2020)
- TechPowerUp NVCleanstall 1.7.0 Released, TechPowerUp (July 9, 2020)
- TechPowerUp NVCleanstall v1.9.0 Released, TechPowerUp (March 31, 2021)
- TechPowerUp Releases NVCleanstall v1.17.0, TechPowerUp (November 28, 2024)
- 007 First Light GeForce Game Ready Driver Released, NVIDIA GeForce News (May 26, 2026)
- How do I manually clean install the NVIDIA driver for my graphics card?, NVIDIA Support
