Why DLSS Override Settings Reset After Restarting the Game
DLSS troubleshooting · Follow the setting through a restart
If DLSS override settings appear to reset after restarting a game, first check whether the saved NVIDIA App selection actually changed. A reverting driver preference, a game forgetting its own graphics settings, and an override that stays saved but never activates need different fixes.
I would capture the same setting before launch and after exit before reinstalling anything. That simple comparison identifies which part of the setup deserves attention and prevents a normal quality-mode label from being mistaken for a failed override.
Three checkpoints · Follow in order
Compare each checkpoint with itself before and after the restart. A difference between checkpoints is not automatically a reset.
Identify what is changing
Write down the complete control name and its value. “DLSS went back” is too broad: a Super Resolution mode, a model preset, and Frame Generation describe different choices. Record the selected game entry as well, especially if you have multiple editions or installations.
| After relaunch | What it tells you | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| App selection changed | A possible saved-preference problem. | Compare the same profile and setting scope. |
| App selection stayed; game menu looks unchanged | The menu alone does not establish failure. | Check runtime override information. |
| Game’s own settings reverted | The game configuration needs investigation. | Check normal saving and other configuration writers. |
| App selection stayed; runtime differs | A possible activation or model-selection issue. | Check feature support and the active component. |
For example, a game can continue to display “Quality” after a model override. Quality describes its rendering mode; it is not the name of the reconstruction model. Treating that unchanged label as proof of a reset sends the investigation down the wrong path.
Find the moment the preference changes
Use one supported game and one override for this comparison. Enable the matching DLSS feature inside the game, save, and exit to the desktop. Then open Graphics → Program Settings in NVIDIA App, select that installation, and find the relevant control under Driver Settings.
Apply with the game closed
Select the intended override and click Apply. Capture the control name, selected value, and whether it is a program-specific or global choice.
Leave the page and return
Select another entry, then reopen the original one. If the value has already reverted, a game restart is not required to reproduce the problem.
Launch the same installation
Use your usual launcher, load gameplay, and record the in-game DLSS options and available runtime status. Keep resolution and quality mode unchanged.
Exit normally and compare
Return to the same app entry without pressing Optimize or Restore. Record whether the saved selection changed. Repeat once to see whether the result is reproducible.
If the value survives those checks, close and reopen NVIDIA App separately. Test a Windows restart only after recording that result. Combining a game restart, app restart, driver update, and reboot in one attempt makes it impossible to know which event matters.
I would keep screenshots named by checkpoint rather than collecting many unlabeled images. A before-and-after pair showing the same control is more useful than a screenshot of an FPS counter with no corresponding settings.
If the NVIDIA App selection really reverts
First confirm that you returned to the same installation and settings scope. NVIDIA App provides both global DLSS overrides and per-game controls. The introduction of global override controls made library-wide configuration easier, but troubleshooting still benefits from recording the individual game’s choice.
Possible confusion
A different entry or inherited choice
A remaster, alternate executable, or global setting can make two screenshots describe different configurations. Similar game names are not sufficient evidence that you are comparing the same profile.
Controlled action
Make one game’s choice explicit
Record the existing global value, select the intended override for the affected game where available, and repeat the timeline. Leave other games alone.
Next, check whether another tool is deliberately applying driver profiles. If you use a profile importer, tuning utility, or startup script, pause only its profile-changing behavior for one comparison after saving its configuration. A changed result is a clue to investigate that tool; it does not prove every utility of that type causes resets.
If the value cannot survive leaving the app page, record any Apply error. Update NVIDIA App and the compatible driver through their official channels, complete any required restart, and try again. NVIDIA has documented override-availability fixes, but those release notes do not establish one universal cause for every reported reset.
Before considering an app reinstall, check another installed game with confirmed support for the same override. One failing title points toward a narrower profile or integration investigation. Several reproducible failures justify investigating shared app or driver state. Neither result alone identifies a corrupted file.
If the game forgets its own DLSS settings
Keep this branch separate from the driver preference. Change one ordinary graphics option inside the game, apply it, exit normally, and reopen. If that option also returns to its previous value, investigate how the game saves or restores its configuration.
Check optimization activity
NVIDIA App’s optimization feature changes game configuration files. If you used Optimize between checks, repeat without that action. If an automatic optimization option is enabled, record it and temporarily pause it for the comparison.
Check the game’s save path
Use the developer’s instructions to identify the actual settings file. Check whether it updates after a normal exit. Back it up before following any game-specific reset procedure; avoid deleting a whole folder that might contain saved progress.
Steam Cloud is relevant only when the game syncs the affected configuration data. It synchronizes files selected by the developer, and Valve advises developers to avoid syncing machine-specific video settings. Do not assume that every Steam game uploads its graphics options or that Steam Cloud overwrites NVIDIA’s driver profiles.
If the developer confirms that the relevant file is synced, first back up local saves and settings. A temporary per-game cloud-sync comparison can then help isolate that path. Record which copy is current before re-enabling synchronization; blindly accepting an older cloud copy can undo useful changes.
A blocked file write is another conditional lead. Controlled folder access can prevent an untrusted application from changing protected files. Check for a notification naming the game and the relevant location. If you are unsure which protection software is active, identify your antivirus before looking for its event history. Investigate a specific block rather than disabling protection as a general DLSS fix.
I would not make the settings file read-only to “lock in” the result. That prevents legitimate future writes and can hide the underlying problem. Likewise, running everything as administrator is not a diagnosis of why a particular setting failed to save.
If the setting stays saved, verify activation
Open the NVIDIA overlay with Alt+Z, then choose Statistics → Statistics View → DLSS. Toggle the configured statistics with Alt+R during gameplay. Record the available override and model information for the feature you changed. An unavailable readout is inconclusive; it is not evidence that a saved preference was erased.
What can mislead
A different model letter
Recommended is a selection policy rather than a promise of one Super Resolution model in every mode. Changing the quality mode can change the selected model while the saved preference remains Recommended.
What to compare
The same active component
Hold the quality mode and feature combination steady. Compare the relevant runtime field with your intended change, then investigate any remaining mismatch.
Current app guidance uses Recommended where older instructions show Latest. If the preference persists but you are unsure which model should appear, follow the model preset checks. That is an activation question, so repeatedly reapplying the same saved choice adds little evidence.
Also confirm that the intended DLSS feature remains enabled in-game. A model selection cannot help if the game returns to another upscaler. Evaluate image quality and performance after establishing activation; similar FPS or a subtle visual difference does not show that the preference reset.
Turn a persistent reset into a useful report
If the same app control still changes reproducibly, send the checkpoint evidence through NVIDIA App’s feedback or issue-reporting feature. Include the precise event that triggers it. “Reverts when I leave the profile, before launching” describes a different failure from “survives game restarts but changes after Windows restarts.”
Copy this plain-text template into a note and replace each bracketed field. It is a diagnostic record, not a command to run.
Game / edition / launcher: [details]
GPU / Windows version: [details]
NVIDIA App / driver version: [versions]
Setting name / scope: [control; program or global]
Requested value: [value]
After Apply and revisiting profile: [value]
In-game DLSS mode / features: [settings]
Runtime override status: [observed or unavailable]
After normal game exit: [value]
After reopening NVIDIA App: [value or not tested]
After Windows restart: [value or not tested]
Other profile or optimization tools: [details]
Second supported game: [result or not tested]
Smallest repeatable trigger: [steps]
Attach only the relevant screenshots and remove personal information from file paths before posting publicly. Keep a copy of your original settings. If support recommends a reset or reinstall, this record gives you a defined behavior to retest before restoring other customizations.
Frequently asked questions
Should I test after a crash or a normal exit?
Start with a normal exit to establish a repeatable baseline. Record crash-only failures separately: an interrupted session can complicate the game’s own saving behavior, and it should not be treated as equivalent to every restart.
What if the override disappears completely?
That is different from a visible control reverting. Note whether the disappearance followed an app, driver, or game update, and check detection and feature support before treating it as a persistence failure.
Should I replace the DLSS DLL to fix saving?
I would not start there. Replacing the game’s DLSS files does not establish why an app preference changed, and adds another variable. Diagnose the saved control first and keep the official integration as your baseline.
Fix the checkpoint that fails
A durable result means the intended preference remains saved and the game uses the intended supported feature after relaunch. Follow the same profile through the timeline, change one cause at a time, and stop once those two conditions hold.
