Alt + Z is the default shortcut for opening the NVIDIA Overlay.
That is still the key combination used by the current NVIDIA app, not just the older GeForce Experience software. NVIDIA’s redesigned Overlay contains recording, Instant Replay, screenshots, Game Filters, performance statistics, microphone controls, and your capture gallery.
For most people, that answers the question. The rest of this guide is for changing the shortcut, finding the other useful NVIDIA hotkeys, or fixing Alt+Z when nothing happens.
The NVIDIA shortcuts I would actually remember
You do not need to memorize every binding in the Overlay. These are the ones that are most useful during normal gaming or recording:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Alt + Z | Open or close NVIDIA Overlay |
| Alt + R | Show or hide performance statistics |
| Alt + F1 | Take a screenshot |
| Alt + F3 | Open Game Filters in supported games |
| Alt + F9 | Start or stop manual recording |
| Alt + Shift + F10 | Save an Instant Replay clip on current NVIDIA app configurations |
Your installation is the final authority because NVIDIA allows these keys to be reassigned.
There is an important reason to check rather than rely on an old shortcut chart: NVIDIA’s current app documentation lists Alt + Shift + F10 for saving Instant Replay, while older GeForce Experience configurations and guides may show Alt + F10.
Open the shortcut screen if a key in an older tutorial does something different on your PC.
Where the shortcut settings live now
The current NVIDIA app calls these controls Shortcuts.
Press Alt + Z, open the Settings gear, then select Shortcuts.
That screen shows the bindings currently assigned on your computer. It is more useful than a static list because it reflects changes you have already made and changes NVIDIA may introduce in later app versions.
To replace Alt+Z, select the command for opening/closing NVIDIA Overlay and press the new combination you want to use.
I would choose something that is easy to reach but uncommon enough that a game will not use it accidentally.
For example, NVIDIA has previously recommended Ctrl + Alt + Z as an alternative when its local NVIDIA Overlay and GeForce NOW overlay conflict.
Avoid assigning shortcuts that you already use heavily in editing, streaming, or gaming software.
Alt+Z opens two NVIDIA overlays
This can happen if you use both the NVIDIA app and GeForce NOW.
The two products can respond to overlapping hotkeys, so one key press may open more than you intended.
You do not need to uninstall either application.
Change the shortcut for one overlay instead. For example, keep Alt+Z for the NVIDIA app and assign a different combination to the other overlay.
This is also a good reason not to confuse NVIDIA Overlay with the GeForce NOW in-game overlay. They are separate features even though both come from NVIDIA.
Alt+Z does nothing
Instead of running through a long generic troubleshooting checklist, answer one question first:
Does the NVIDIA Overlay open from the NVIDIA app itself?
Open the NVIDIA app and go to Settings > Features.
Make sure NVIDIA Overlay is enabled.
The current NVIDIA app also provides an Overlay button in the upper-right area of the application. Try opening it there.
The Overlay opens from the app
The NVIDIA components are running, so the keyboard binding is the more likely issue.
Open Settings > Shortcuts inside the Overlay and see what is assigned to Open/close NVIDIA Overlay.
If it is no longer Alt+Z, either use the displayed shortcut or change it back.
Also test the Alt and Z keys individually. Keyboard remapping software, gaming profiles, accessibility tools, or macro utilities can intercept combinations before NVIDIA receives them.
The Overlay will not open at all
Now the problem is larger than the shortcut.
Restart the NVIDIA app, then restart Windows if necessary.
Install an available NVIDIA app update and check the driver page for a current compatible graphics driver.
Do not reinstall the entire graphics driver simply because someone changed the hotkey. Driver repair makes sense only when the Overlay itself is failing or other NVIDIA features are also malfunctioning.
Alt+Z works on the desktop but not in one game
That changes the diagnosis again.
A shortcut that works on the Windows desktop proves that the binding and Overlay can function.
For the affected game, check for:
- Another overlay using the same keys
- Game-specific keyboard bindings
- Anti-cheat restrictions
- An unusual display mode
- The game being forced to run as administrator
- Mods or graphics hooks that interact with overlays
Try borderless windowed and fullscreen modes if the game supports both.
You can also temporarily close Steam Overlay, Discord Overlay, Xbox Game Bar, Overwolf, MSI Afterburner/RTSS, or other recording software.
Do this as a test, not as a permanent recommendation to disable everything.
If Alt+Z starts working, re-enable the other software one at a time until you identify the conflict.
Alt+R is for performance statistics
Pressing Alt + R toggles NVIDIA’s statistics overlay.
Depending on your hardware and NVIDIA app configuration, it can show metrics such as frame rate, GPU utilization, temperatures, latency, or other performance information.
If Alt+R is putting numbers on your screen unexpectedly, you probably do not need to disable NVIDIA Overlay completely. Press Alt+R again or change that one shortcut.
That keeps recording, screenshots, Game Filters, and Instant Replay available.
Alt+F3 opens NVIDIA Game Filters
On supported games, Alt + F3 opens the Game Filter/Freestyle controls.
If Alt+Z works but Alt+F3 does not, the Overlay itself is probably not the main problem.
The current NVIDIA app has a separate Game Filters and Photo Mode control under its Overlay features, and Game Filter availability also depends on the game and GPU features.
I cover that separately in NVIDIA Filters Not Working because filter compatibility and RTX HDR issues need different troubleshooting from a broken Alt+Z shortcut.
Recording shortcuts are independent of Alt+Z
You do not have to open the entire Overlay every time you want to record.
Alt + F9 starts or stops manual recording.
Instant Replay is different. It continuously keeps a rolling capture when enabled, and its save shortcut can write the recent footage to disk without starting a conventional recording first.
Check Settings > Shortcuts for the current Instant Replay bindings on your installation.
If Instant Replay itself keeps switching off, changing its shortcut is unlikely to fix the underlying problem. See NVIDIA Instant Replay Keeps Turning Off for protected-content, Desktop Capture, Discord, storage, and driver-related causes.
Laptop function keys can make the F-key shortcuts confusing
Alt+Z usually behaves normally on laptops because it does not depend on a function key.
Alt+F1, Alt+F3, Alt+F9, and similar bindings can be different.
Some laptop keyboards assign brightness, volume, keyboard lighting, or other hardware controls to the F-row. Depending on Fn Lock and the manufacturer’s keyboard configuration, you may need to include Fn for NVIDIA to receive the actual F-key.
If Alt+F9 changes a laptop setting instead of starting a recording, test:
Fn + Alt + F9
or change Fn Lock so the F-row sends standard function keys.
The exact behavior is determined by the laptop, not NVIDIA.
You can change one shortcut without disabling the Overlay
Accidentally opening the Overlay during a game is annoying, but turning off the whole feature is unnecessary when Alt+Z is the only problem.
Change the Open/close NVIDIA Overlay binding and leave everything else alone.
That preserves:
- Instant Replay
- Manual recording
- Screenshots
- Game Filters
- Performance statistics
When you genuinely want all Overlay features disabled, open the NVIDIA app and switch NVIDIA Overlay off under Settings > Features.
My How to Turn Off NVIDIA Overlay guide covers that broader task.
GeForce Experience users will recognize Alt+Z
Alt+Z is not new. GeForce Experience also used it for the old In-Game/Share Overlay.
That is why older tutorials still get the main shortcut right even though their screenshots and menu paths can be outdated.
The important difference is the software around the shortcut. NVIDIA has replaced GeForce Experience with the NVIDIA app, and the redesigned Overlay is where current recording, filters, statistics, screenshots, and capture tools are being developed.
For a current installation, use the NVIDIA app’s own Shortcuts page rather than trying to reproduce old GeForce Experience menus.
When a shortcut changes after an NVIDIA app update
First open the Shortcuts page and verify the actual binding.
NVIDIA continues to update the Overlay and has fixed shortcut-related bugs in recent NVIDIA app releases, including an issue that prevented Numpad keys from being used for Overlay shortcuts.
If a custom binding stops working after an update:
- Assign a different temporary combination.
- Test it on the Windows desktop.
- Reassign your preferred combination.
- Install a newer NVIDIA app update if one is available.
Only move to driver repair when the Overlay itself is malfunctioning. A shortcut preference problem is much narrower than a damaged graphics driver.
The key point is simple: Alt+Z opens NVIDIA Overlay, but you rarely need to open the panel just to perform a common action. Alt+R handles statistics, Alt+F9 handles recording, and the current Shortcuts page shows the exact bindings for everything else on your PC.
