Documentation — NVRemote

Prerequisites#

Before you begin, make sure both your host (streaming) PC and client (receiving) device meet the following requirements.

Host Machine (Stream FROM)

Windows 10 or 11 (x64)
NVIDIA GPU (GTX 900 series or newer)
NVIDIA Driver 535 or newer
8 GB RAM minimum
20 Mbps upload speed

Client Machine (Stream TO)

Windows 10 or 11 (x64)
Any GPU with hardware video decode
4 GB RAM minimum
20 Mbps download speed
Controller or keyboard/mouse

Tip

For the best experience, connect both machines to your router via Ethernet. Wi-Fi 6 or newer is acceptable but wired connections will always give the lowest and most consistent latency.

Install Host#

On Windows, host mode is built into the NVRemote app — no separate download needed. On Linux (headless servers, Jetson, DGX), use the standalone host agent.

Windows (one app does everything)

Download NVRemote

Get NVRemote-Setup.exe from the Downloads page. This is the same app used for both client and host.

Switch to Host mode

Open NVRemote, go to Settings → App Mode and select Host or Both (to stream and receive on the same machine).

Follow the setup wizard to enter your bootstrap token and register. Your machine will appear in the dashboard for any of your signed-in devices to connect to.

Linux (headless / Jetson / DGX)

Download the host agent

Get the Linux host bundle from the Downloads page.

Install and run

Extract the tarball and run sudo ./install.sh to install as a systemd service, or run ./NVRemoteAgent directly for interactive setup.

Note

On Windows, NVRemote does not require a separate host service installation. Host mode runs directly inside the Electron app and communicates with the GPU streamer via a local named pipe.

Install Client#

The NVRemote Client connects to your host and renders the stream. It handles input capture, hardware video decode, and display.

Download the client

Get NVRemote-Setup.exe from the Downloads page.

Install and launch

Run the installer and launch NVRemote Client. Sign in with the same account you used on the host.

Connect#

Once both the host and client are installed and signed in with the same account, connecting is straightforward.

Your host appears automatically

Open the NVRemote Client. Your host machine will show up in the dashboard with its online status, GPU info, and current load.

Select a streaming profile

Choose Competitive, Balanced, or Cinematic depending on your workload. You can switch profiles mid-session.

Click Connect

NVRemote establishes a P2P connection, negotiates the optimal codec and settings, and starts streaming. The overlay shows real-time latency and quality metrics.

Connection negotiation (simplified)

Client -> Signaling Server -> Host
  1. Client requests session
  2. Server brokers P2P connection via ICE/STUN
  3. Direct P2P tunnel established (no relay)
  4. Codec negotiation (H.264 / H.265 / AV1)
  5. Streaming begins

Streaming Profiles#

NVRemote offers three streaming profiles, each optimized for different workloads and network conditions. You can switch between profiles at any time during a session.

Competitive

Maximum performance, minimum latency

MAX FPS240

RESOLUTIONUp to 1080p

CODECH.264

BITRATE20–40 Mbps

PRIORITYFPS > Quality

Ideal for: Competitive gaming, real-time collaboration, live coding

Recommended

Balanced

Best of both worlds

TARGET FPS120

RESOLUTIONUp to 1440p

CODECHEVC

BITRATE15–30 Mbps

PRIORITYAdaptive

Ideal for: General desktop use, game development, web browsing

Cinematic

Maximum visual fidelity

MAX FPS60

RESOLUTIONUp to 8K

CODECHEVC / AV1

BITRATE40–200 Mbps

PRIORITYQuality > FPS

Ideal for: Creative work, video editing, 3D rendering, single-player games

Creative

Up to 8K, 4:4:4 chroma, color-accurate for editing

CAD / Engineering

Up to 8K AV1, precision work, text clarity

Mobile Saver

720p, low bandwidth, battery-friendly

LAN

Up to 8K@240fps, 300 Mbps, same-network streaming

Tip

Start with Balanced for most workloads. Switch to Competitive for fast-paced tasks where input latency is critical. Use Cinematic for creative work where visual quality is the priority.

Configuration#

NVRemote works out of the box with sensible defaults, but you can fine-tune settings for your specific setup.

Host Configuration#

The host configuration file is located at:

Config location

%APPDATA%\NVRemote\host-config.yaml

host-config.yaml (example)

# NVRemote Host Configuration
capture:
  method: nvfbc          # nvfbc (recommended) or dxgi
  monitor: 0             # Monitor index (0 = primary)

encoder:
  codec: auto            # auto, h264, h265, or av1
  preset: p4             # NVENC preset (p1=fastest, p7=highest quality)
  max_bitrate: 100000    # Max bitrate in kbps
  rate_control: vbr      # cbr or vbr

network:
  port: 42587            # UDP port for streaming
  stun_server: stun:stun.l.google.com:19302

qos:
  mode: balanced         # competitive, balanced, or cinematic
  adaptive: true         # Enable adaptive quality

Client Configuration#

client-config.yaml (example)

# NVRemote Client Configuration
display:
  vsync: false           # Disable for lowest latency
  fullscreen: true
  resolution: native     # native, 1080p, 1440p, 4k, 5k, or 8k

decoder:
  method: hardware       # hardware (recommended) or software
  low_latency: true      # Minimize decode buffer

input:
  mouse_mode: relative   # relative or absolute
  controller: auto       # auto-detect connected controllers

overlay:
  show_stats: true       # Show latency/FPS overlay
  position: top-left     # Overlay position

API Reference#

The NVRemote Control Plane API is available at https://api.nvremote.com/api/v1. All endpoints except authentication use Bearer JWT tokens.

Authentication#

Method	Endpoint	Description
`GET`	/auth/google	Initiate Google OAuth login
`POST`	/auth/refresh	Exchange refresh token for new token pair
`GET`	/auth/me	Get current user profile and preferences
`PATCH`	/auth/me	Update profile and streaming preferences

Sessions#

Method	Endpoint	Description
`GET`	/sessions	List sessions for the current user
`POST`	/sessions	Create a new streaming session
`GET`	/sessions/:id	Get session details with ICE config
`POST`	/sessions/:id/offer	Send SDP offer for WebRTC signaling
`POST`	/sessions/:id/end	End a streaming session

Hosts#

Method	Endpoint	Description
`GET`	/hosts	List registered host machines
`POST`	/hosts/register	Register a new host (bootstrap token)
`POST`	/hosts/heartbeat	Send host heartbeat (X-Host-Token header)

Monitoring#

Method	Endpoint	Description
`GET`	/health	Health check (returns 200 with uptime)
`GET`	/metrics	Prometheus metrics (public)

Example: List your sessions

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <access_token>" \
  https://api.nvremote.com/api/v1/sessions

Tip

Interactive API documentation is available at /api/docs when running the API locally with ENABLE_SWAGGER=true.

Troubleshooting#

Host not appearing in client

- Ensure both devices are signed in with the same account
- Check that the host service is running (system tray icon should be green)
- Verify your firewall allows UDP port 42587
- Try restarting the host service from the system tray

High latency or stuttering

- Switch to a wired Ethernet connection if on Wi-Fi
- Try Competitive mode to reduce quality overhead
- Lower the max bitrate in host configuration
- Ensure no other bandwidth-heavy applications are running
- Check that hardware decode is enabled on the client

Black screen or no video

- Update your NVIDIA driver to version 535 or newer
- Ensure NvFBC is supported (desktop GPUs; most laptops use dGPU passthrough)
- Try switching capture method to DXGI in host config
- Check if another screen capture application is running

Audio not streaming

- NVRemote captures system audio by default; check volume levels
- Ensure the correct audio output device is selected on the host
- Check client audio settings are not muted

Note

For issues not covered here, check the GitHub Issues page or start a Discussion.

Full source code and extended documentation available on GitHub.

View on GitHub