Provided by: nvidia-utils-575_575.64.03-0ubuntu0.25.04.1_amd64 
NAME
nvidia-xconfig - manipulate X configuration files for the NVIDIA driver
SYNOPSIS
nvidia-xconfig [ options ]
DESCRIPTION
nvidia-xconfig is a tool intended to provide basic control over configuration options available in the
NVIDIA X driver.
nvidia-xconfig performs its operations in several steps:
1) The system X configuration file is found and read into memory. If no configuration file can be
found, nvidia-xconfig generates one from scratch using default settings; in this case, nvidia-
xconfig will write the configuration to /etc/X11/xorg.conf
2) The configuration in memory is modified to support the NVIDIA driver. This consists of changing
the display driver to "nvidia", removing the commands to load the "GLcore" and "dri" modules, and
adding the command to load the "glx" module.
3) The configuration in memory is modified according to the options specified on the command line.
Please see the NVIDIA README for a description of the NVIDIA X configuration file options. Note
that nvidia-xconfig does not perform any validation of the X configuration file options requested
on the command line; X configuration file option validation is left for the NVIDIA X driver.
4) The configuration is written back to the file from which it was read. A backup of the original
configuration is created with ".backup" appended. For example, if your X configuration is
/etc/X11/xorg.conf then nvidia-xconfig will copy it to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup before writing
the new configuration. The --post-tree (-T) option can be used to print the new configuration to
standard out in tree form instead. This option is useful to see what nvidia-xconfig will do while
leaving the original configuration intact.
The source code to nvidia-xconfig is released under the GPL and available here:
⟨https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/nvidia-xconfig/⟩
Patches are welcome.
OPTIONS
-c XCONFIG, --xconfig=XCONFIG
Use XCONFIG as the input X config file; if this option is not specified, then the same search path
used by the X server will be used to find the X configuration file.
-o OUTPUT-XCONFIG, --output-xconfig=OUTPUT-XCONFIG
Use OUTPUT-XCONFIG as the output X configuration file; if this option is not specified, then the
input X configuration filename will also be used as the output X configuration filename.
-s, --silent
Run silently; no messages will be printed to stdout, except for warning and error messages to
stderr.
-t, --tree
Read the X configuration file, print to stdout the X configuration data in a tree format, and
exit.
-v, --version
Print the nvidia-xconfig version and exit.
-h, --help
Print usage information for the common commandline options and exit.
-A, --advanced-help
Print usage information for the common commandline options as well as the advanced options, and
then exit.
ADVANCED OPTIONS
--acpid-socket-path=ACPID-SOCKET-PATH, --no-acpid-socket-path
Set this option to specify an alternate path to the Linux ACPI daemon (acpid)'s socket, which the
NVIDIA X driver will use to connect to acpid.
--add-argb-glx-visuals, --no-add-argb-glx-visuals
Enables or disables support for OpenGL rendering into 32-bit ARGB windows and pixmaps.
--allow-glx-with-composite, --no-allow-glx-with-composite
Enable or disable the "AllowGLXWithComposite" X configuration option.
--busid=BUSID, --no-busid
This option writes the specified BusID to the device section of the X configuration file. If
there are multiple device sections, then it adds the BusID field to each of them. To add the
BusID to only a specific device or screen section, use the '--device' or '--screen' options.
--preserve-busid, --no-preserve-busid
By default, nvidia-xconfig preserves the existing BusID in the X configuration file only if there
are multiple X screens configured for the X server. Use '--preserve-busid' or
'--no-preserve-busid' to force the BusID to be preserved or not preserved, overriding the default
behavior.
--cool-bits=COOL-BITS, --no-cool-bits
Enable or disable the "Coolbits" X configuration option. Setting this option will enable support
in the NV-CONTROL X extension for manipulating GPU clock and GPU fan control settings. Default
value is 0. For fan control set it to 4. WARNING: this may cause system damage and void
warranties.
--composite, --no-composite
Enable or disable the "Composite" X extension.
--connected-monitor=CONNECTED-MONITOR, --no-connected-monitor
Enable or disable the "ConnectedMonitor" X configuration option; setting this option forces the X
driver to behave as if the specified display devices are connected to the GPU.
--connect-to-acpid, --no-connect-to-acpid
Enable or disable the "ConnectToAcpid" X configuration option. If this option is set, the NVIDIA
X driver will attempt to connect to the Linux ACPI daemon (acpid). Set this option to off to
prevent the X driver from attempting to connect to acpid.
--constant-dpi, --no-constant-dpi
Enable or disable the "ConstantDPI" X configuration option, which controls whether the NVIDIA X
driver maintains a constant dots per inch (DPI) value by recomputing the reported size in
millimeters of the X screen when XRandR changes the size in pixels of the X screen.
--custom-edid=CUSTOM-EDID, --no-custom-edid
Enable or disable the "CustomEDID" X configuration option; setting this option forces the X
driver to use the EDID specified.This option is a semicolon-separated list of pairs of display
device names and filename pairs; e.g "CRT-0:mp\did.bin". Note that a display device name must
always be specified even if only one EDID is specified.
--dac-8bit, --no-dac-8bit
Most Quadro parts by default use a 10 bit color look up table (LUT) by default; setting this
option to TRUE forces these graphics chips to use an 8 bit (LUT).
-d DEPTH, --depth=DEPTH
Set the default depth to DEPTH ; valid values for DEPTH are 8, 15, 16, 24, and 30.
--device=DEVICE
The nvidia-xconfig utility operates on one or more devices in the X configuration file. If this
option is specified, the device named DEVICE in the X configuration file will be used. If this
option is not specified, all the devices within the X configuration file will be used.
--disable-glx-root-clipping, --no-disable-glx-root-clipping
Disable or enable clipping OpenGL rendering to the root window via the "DisableGLXRootClipping" X
configuration option.
--damage-events, --no-damage-events
Use OS-level events to notify the X server when a direct-rendering client has performed rendering
that needs to be composited to the screen. Improves performance when using GLX with the composite
extension.
--preserve-driver-name
By default nvidia-xconfig changes the display driver to "nvidia" for all configured X screens;
this option preserves the existing driver name of each X screen.
--egpu, --no-egpu
Enable or disable the "AllowExternalGpus" X configuration option.
-a, --enable-all-gpus
Delete all existing X screens in the current configuration, then configure an X screen on every
GPU in your system.
--exact-mode-timings-dvi, --no-exact-mode-timings-dvi
Forces the initialization of the X server with the exact timings specified in the ModeLine.
-E FILE, --extract-edids-from-file=FILE
Extract any raw EDID byte blocks contained in the specified X log file LOG ; raw EDID bytes are
printed by the NVIDIA X driver to the X log as hexadecimal when verbose logging is enabled with
the "-logverbose 6" X server commandline option. Any extracted EDIDs are then written as binary
data to individual files. These files can later be used by the NVIDIA X driver through the
"CustomEDID" X configuration option.
--extract-edids-output-file=FILENAME
When the '--extract-edids-from-file' option is used, nvidia-xconfig writes any extracted EDID to a
file, typically "edid.bin" in the current directory. Use this option to specify an alternate
filename. Note that nvidia-xconfig, if necessary, will append a unique number to the EDID
filename, to avoid overwriting existing files (e.g., "edid.bin.1" if "edid.bin" already exists).
--flatpanel-properties=FLATPANEL-PROPERTIES, --no-flatpanel-properties
Set the flat panel properties. The supported properties are 'dithering' and 'ditheringmode'.
Please see the NVIDIA README 'Appendix B. X Config Options' for more details on the possible
values and syntax.
--flip, --no-flip
Enable or disable OpenGL flipping
--force-generate
Force generation of a new X config file, ignoring any existing system X config file. This is not
typically recommended, as things like the mouse protocol, keyboard layout, font paths, etc, are
setup by your Unix distribution. While nvidia-xconfig can attempt to infer these values, it is
best to use your Unix distribution's X config file for the basis of anything that nvidia-xconfig
creates.
--force-stereo-flipping, --no-force-stereo-flipping
Normally, stereo flipping is only performed when a stereo drawable is visible. This option forces
stereo flipping even when no stereo drawables are visible.
--handle-special-keys=WHEN, --no-handle-special-keys
Specify when the X server should use the builtin keyboard handler to process special key
combinations (such as Ctrl+Alt+Backspace); see the X configuration man page for details. The
value of WHEN can be 'Always', 'Never', or 'WhenNeeded'.
--include-implicit-metamodes, --no-include-implicit-metamodes
Enable or disable the "IncludeImplicitMetaModes" X configuration option.
--keyboard=KEYBOARD
When generating a new X configuration file (which happens when no system X configuration file can
be found, or the '--force-generate' option is specified), use KEYBOARD as the keyboard type,
rather than attempting to probe the system for the keyboard type. For a list of possible keyboard
types, see the '--keyboard-list' option.
--keyboard-driver=DRIVER
In most cases nvidia-xconfig can automatically determine the correct keyboard driver to use
(either 'kbd' or 'keyboard'). Use this option to override what nvidia-xconfig detects. Typically,
if you are using an X.Org X server, use 'kdb'; if you are using an XFree86 X server, use
'keyboard'.
--keyboard-list
Print to stdout the available keyboard types recognized by the '--keyboard' option, and then exit.
--layout=LAYOUT
The nvidia-xconfig utility operates on a Server Layout within the X configuration file. If this
option is specified, the layout named LAYOUT in the X configuration file will be used. If this
option is not specified, the first Server Layout in the X configuration file is used.
--mode=MODE
Add the specified mode to the mode list.
--mode-debug, --no-mode-debug
Enable or disable the "ModeDebug" X configuration option; when enabled, this option causes the X
driver to print verbose details about mode validation to the X log file.
--mode-list=MODELIST
Remove all existing modes from the X configuration's modelist and add the one(s) specified in the
MODELIST string.
--remove-mode=MODE
Remove the specified mode from the mode list.
--metamodes=METAMODES
Add the MetaMode X configuration option with the value METAMODES which will replace any existing
MetaMode option already in the X configuration file.
--mouse=MOUSE
When generating a new X configuration file (which happens when no system X configuration file can
be found, or the '--force-generate' option is specified), use MOUSE as the mouse type, rather than
attempting to probe the system for the mouse type. For a list of possible mouse types, see the
'--mouse-list' option.
--mouse-list
Print to stdout the available mouse types recognized by the '--mouse' option, and then exit.
--multisample-compatibility, --no-multisample-compatibility
Enable or disable the use of separate front and back multisample buffers.
--nvidia-cfg-path=PATH
The nvidia-cfg library is used to communicate with the NVIDIA kernel module to query basic
properties of every GPU in the system. This library is typically only used by nvidia-xconfig when
configuring multiple X screens. This option tells nvidia-xconfig where to look for this library
(in case it cannot find it on its own). This option should normally not be needed.
--only-one-x-screen
Disable all but one X screen.
--overlay, --no-overlay
Enable or disable the "Overlay" X configuration option.
--cioverlay, --no-cioverlay
Enable or disable the color index overlay.
--overlay-default-visual, --no-overlay-default-visual
Enable or disable the "OverlayDefaultVisual" X configuration option.
--transparent-index=INDEX, --no-transparent-index
Pixel to use as transparent when using color index overlays. Valid values for TRANSPARENT-INDEX
are 0-255.
-T, --post-tree
Like the '--tree' option, but goes through the full process of applying any user requested updates
to the X configuration, before printing the final configuration to stdout in a tree format.
Effectively, this option just causes the configuration to be printed to stdout as a tree instead
of writing the results to file.
--power-connector-check, --no-power-connector-check
Disable or enable the "NoPowerConnectorCheck" X configuration option.
--probe-all-gpus, --no-probe-all-gpus
Disable or enable the "ProbeAllGpus" X configuration option.
--query-gpu-info
Print information about all recognized NVIDIA GPUs in the system.
--registry-dwords=REGISTRY-DWORDS, --no-registry-dwords
Enable or disable the "RegistryDwords" X configuration option.
--render-accel, --no-render-accel
Enable or disable the "RenderAccel" X configuration option.
--render-extension, --no-render-extension
Disable or enable the "NoRenderExtension" X configuration option.
--screen=SCREEN
The nvidia-xconfig utility operates on one or more screens within a Server Layout in the X
configuration file. If this option is specified, the screen named SCREEN in the X configuration
file will be used. If this option is not specified, all screens within the selected Server Layout
in the X configuration file will be used used.
--separate-x-screens, --no-separate-x-screens
A GPU that supports multiple simultaneous display devices can either drive these display devices
in a single X screen, or as separate X screens. When the '--separate-x-screens' option is
specified, each GPU on which an X screen is currently configured will be updated to have two or
more (depending on the capabilities of that GPU) X screens configured. The
'--no-separate-x-screens' option will remove any extra configured X screens on each GPU. Please
see the NVIDIA README description of "Separate X Screens on One GPU" for further details.
--x-screens-per-gpu=X-SCREENS-PER-GPU
A GPU that supports multiple simultaneous display devices can either drive these display devices
in a single X screen, or as separate X screens. When the '--x-screens-per-gpu=<quantity>' option
is specified, each GPU on which an X screen is currently configured will be updated to have
<quantity> X screens. <quantity> has to be greater than 0. Setting <quantity> to 1 is equivalent
to specifying the '--no-separate-x-screens' option. Please see the NVIDIA README description of
"Separate X Screens on One GPU" for further details.
--sli=SLI, --no-sli
Enable or disable SLI. Valid values for SLI are 'Off' and 'Mosaic'.
--stereo=STEREO, --no-stereo
Enable or disable the stereo mode. Valid values for STEREO are: 0 (Disabled), 1 (DDC glasses), 2
(Blueline glasses), 3 (Onboard stereo), 4 (multi-display clone mode stereo), 5 (SeeReal digital
flat panel), 6 (Sharp3D digital flat panel), 7 (Arisawa/Hyundai/Zalman/Pavione/Miracube), 8 (3D
DLP), 9 (3D DLP INV), 10 (NVIDIA 3D VISION), 11 (NVIDIA 3D VISION PRO), 12 (HDMI 3D), 13
(Tridelity SL).
--thermal-configuration-check, --no-thermal-configuration-check
Disable or enable the "ThermalConfigurationCheck" X configuration option.
--tv-standard=TV-STANDARD, --no-tv-standard
Enable or disable the "TVStandard" X configuration option. Valid values for "TVStandard" are:
"PAL-B", "PAL-D", "PAL-G", "PAL-H", "PAL-I", "PAL-K1", "PAL-M", "PAL-N", "PAL-NC", "NTSC-J",
"NTSC-M", "HD480i", "HD480p", "HD720p", "HD1080i", "HD1080p", "HD576i", "HD576p".
--tv-out-format=TV-OUT-FORMAT, --no-tv-out-format
Enable or disable the "TVOutFormat" X configuration option. Valid values for "TVOutFormat" are:
"SVIDEO" and "COMPOSITE".
--metamode-orientation=ORIENTATION, --no-metamode-orientation
Specify the MetaModeOrientation. Valid values for ORIENTATION are: "RightOf" (the default),
"LeftOf", "Above", "Below", or "Clone".
--nvidia-xinerama-info, --no-nvidia-xinerama-info
Enable or disable providing Xinerama information from the NVIDIA X driver.
--nvidia-xinerama-info-order=NVIDIA-XINERAMA-INFO-ORDER, --no-nvidia-xinerama-info-order
Enable or disable the "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" X configuration option.
NVIDIA-XINERAMA-INFO-ORDER is a comma-separated list of display device names that describe the
order in which nvidiaXineramaInfo should be reported. E.g., "CRT, DFP, TV".
--ubb, --no-ubb
Enable or disable the "UBB" X configuration option.
--use-edid, --no-use-edid
Enable or disable use of the EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) from your display
device(s). The EDID will be used for driver operations such as building lists of available modes,
determining valid frequency ranges, and computing the DPI (Dots Per Inch). This option defaults
to TRUE (the NVIDIA X driver will use the EDID, when available). It is NOT recommended that you
use this option to globally disable use of the EDID; instead, use '--no-use-edid-freqs' or
'--no-use-edid-dpi' to disable specific uses of the EDID.
--use-edid-dpi, --no-use-edid-dpi
Enable or disable use of the physical size information in the display device's EDID, if any, to
compute the DPI (Dots Per Inch) of the X screen. This option defaults to TRUE (the NVIDIA X
driver uses the EDID's physical size, when available, to compute the DPI).
--use-edid-freqs, --no-use-edid-freqs
Enable or disable use of the HorizSync and VertRefresh ranges given in a display device's EDID, if
any. EDID provided range information will override the HorizSync and VertRefresh ranges specified
in the Monitor section. This option defaults to TRUE (the NVIDIA X driver will use frequency
information from the EDID, when available).
--use-display-device=DISPLAY-DEVICE, --no-use-display-device
Force the X driver to use the display device specified.
--use-events, --no-use-events
Enable or disable "UseEvents" X configuration option. Setting this option will enable the X driver
to use the system events in some cases when it is waiting for the hardware. With this option X
driver sets an event handler and waits for the hardware through the poll() system call. This
option defaults to FALSE.
--virtual=WIDTHxHEIGHT, --no-virtual
Specify the virtual screen resolution.
--x-prefix=X-PREFIX
The X installation prefix; the default is /usr/X11R6/. Only under rare circumstances should this
option be needed.
--xinerama, --no-xinerama
Enable or disable Xinerama.
--color-space=COLORSPACE, --no-color-space
Enable or disable the "ColorSpace" X configuration option. Valid values for "COLORSPACE" are:
"RGB" and "YCbCr444".
--color-range=COLORRANGE, --no-color-range
Sets the "ColorRange" X configuration option. Valid values for "COLORRANGE" are: "Full" and
"Limited".
--3dvision-usb-path=3DVISION-USB-PATH
Set this option to specify the sysfs path of the connected USB dongle.
--3dvisionpro-config-file=3DVISIONPRO-CONFIG-FILE
Set this option to specify the NVIDIA 3DVisionPro configuration file. Ensure X server has a read
and write access permissions to this file. NVIDIA X driver stores the hub and the pairing
configuration in this file to re-use across X restarts. If this option is not provided, 3D
VisionPro configuration will not be stored.
--3dvision-display-type=3DVISION-DISPLAY-TYPE, --no-3dvision-display-type
When NVIDIA 3D Vision is enabled with a non 3D Vision ready display, use this option to specify
the display type. Valid values are: 0 (Assume it is a CRT), 1 (Assume it is a DLP) and 2 (Assume
it is a DLP TV and enable the checkerboard output).
--base-mosaic, --no-base-mosaic
Enable or disable the "BaseMosaic" X configuration option.
--restore-original-backup
Restore a backup of the X configuration that was made before any changes were made by
nvidia-xconfig, if such a backup is available. This type of backup is made by nvidia-xconfig
before it modifies an X configuration file that it has not previously touched; this is assumed to
be an X configuration file that predates the involvement of the NVIDIA X driver. As an example,
nvidia-xconfig will copy an X configuration file at /etc/X11/xorg.conf to
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.nvidia-xconfig-original the first time it makes changes to that file.
--allow-empty-initial-configuration, --no-allow-empty-initial-configuration
Allow the X server to start even if no connected display devices could be detected.
--inband-stereo-signaling, --no-inband-stereo-signaling
Enable or disable the "InbandStereoSignaling" X configuration option.
--force-yuv-420, --no-force-yuv-420
Enable or disable the "ForceYUV420" X configuration option. If the current display and GPU both
support uncompressed RGB 4:4:4 output and YUV 4:2:0 compressed output with the current mode, then
RGB 4:4:4 output is selected by default. This option forces the use of YUV 4:2:0 output (where
supported) instead.
--force-composition-pipeline=FORCE-COMPOSITION-PIPELINE, --no-force-composition-pipeline
Enable or disable the "ForceCompositionPipeline" X configuration option.
--force-full-composition-pipeline=FORCE-FULL-COMPOSITION-PIPELINE, --no-force-full-composition-pipeline
Enable or disable the "ForceFullCompositionPipeline" X configuration option.
--allow-hmd=ALLOW-HMD, --no-allow-hmd
Enable or disable the "AllowHMD" X configuration option.
--prime, --no-prime
Enable PRIME for the generated X config file. Cannot be run with --no-busid or
--no-allow-empty-initial-configuration. On a system with more than 1 GPU, specify the GPU to use
for PRIME with --busid or the first available will be chosen. Note that to enable PRIME it is
necessary to run "xrandr --setprovideroutputsource modesetting NVIDIA-0" and "xrandr --auto" after
completion.
EXAMPLES
nvidia-xconfig
Reads an existing X config file and adapts it to use the NVIDIA driver. If no X config file can
be found, a new one is created at /etc/X11/xorg.conf with default settings.
nvidia-xconfig --post-tree --metamode-orientation=clone
Reads the existing X configuration file, adds the MetaModeOrientation option, and then prints the
resulting config file to standard out in tree form. The configuration file is not modified.
nvidia-xconfig --enable-all-gpus
Examines the system and configures an X screen for each display device it finds.
nvidia-xconfig --mode=1600x1200
Adds a 1600x1200 mode to an existing X configuration.
nvidia-xconfig --mode-list=1600x1200 1280x1024
Removes any existing modes from the X configuration file, replacing them with "1600x1200" and
"1280x1024".
nvidia-xconfig --metamodes=1024x768 +0+0, 1024x768 +1024+0
Adds the MetaMode "1024x768 +0+0, 1024x768 +1024+0" to the existing X configuration file,
replacing any existing MetaModes X configuration option.
nvidia-xconfig --only-one-x-screen --sli=Auto
Configures the X server to have just one X screen that will use SLI when available.
AUTHOR
Aaron Plattner
NVIDIA Corporation
SEE ALSO
nvidia-settings(1), /usr/share/doc/NVIDIA_GLX-1.0/README.txt
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2005-2010 NVIDIA Corporation.
nvidia-xconfig 575.64.03 2025-06-25 nvidia-xconfig(1)