How can we help?

Will NOVA work on my PC?

You need Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, and an administrator account, because NOVA changes system settings.

It works with Intel and AMD processors and with NVIDIA, AMD and Intel graphics. The Checkup reads all three makes of graphics card. AMD Radeon and Intel Arc driver settings are in beta; power limit, clock presets and the fan curve currently need an NVIDIA card.

The quickest way to see what NOVA does is the live demo: it runs in your browser and changes nothing.

How much FPS will I gain?

It depends on how your PC is set up today. A PC with XMP off, a monitor left at 60 Hz or background recording running has a lot to gain; one that's already tuned gains less. We don't promise a number, because nobody can without seeing your PC.

What NOVA does instead: the Checkup shows what's holding your PC back, every tweak carries a rating for how well its effect is proven, and Proof mode measures your own games before and after.

Will this get me banned?

NOVA only changes Windows, driver, device and in-game settings, the same ones you can change yourself in Settings, your graphics control panel or the game's own menu. It never modifies a game's program files or runs inside a game.

The one thing to keep in mind is the optional controller and mouse polling overclock: it installs a signed USB filter driver, and some anti-cheat systems and tournament rules restrict drivers or modified input devices. Check your games' rules before overclocking; one click puts the device back to stock.

Refunds

If NOVA won't start or activate on your PC and we can't fix it together, we refund you in full. Ask within 3 days of purchase, from your account page or by email. Other purchases aren't refunded except where the law requires it.

That's why everything you need to decide is here before you pay: the live demo, the requirements, and questions answered by email.

"Windows protected your PC"

Windows shows this for new apps it hasn't seen many times yet. Click More info, then Run anyway. A code-signed release is on the way, which removes the warning.

If your PC has Smart App Control turned on, there's no Run anyway button. Don't turn Smart App Control off for us: contact us and we'll sort it out with you.

Check your download

NOVA is only downloaded from novatuned.com: from your account page, or the link in your purchase email. The Check your download page shows the current release's SHA-256 fingerprint and how to compare it with one PowerShell command.

The sign-in code didn't arrive

1. Use the same email you bought with. Codes only go to an email that has a NOVA license.
2. Look in spam or promotions, then wait a minute and send a new code.
3. Still nothing? Contact us with the email you think you used.

Lost my download or key

Open your account and sign in with the email you bought with: we email you a code, no password needed. Your key, your PCs and the latest download are all there. The key is also in your purchase email.

Move NOVA to a new PC

Each license works on one PC at a time, and you move it yourself:

1. On the old PC, open NOVA and go to Settings › License › Move to another PC.
2. If the old PC is gone, open your account and press Free this PC instead.
3. Install NOVA on the new PC and enter your key.

Your account shows how many moves are left this year.

Reinstalling Windows

Reinstalling Windows on the same PC doesn't use up a move. Install NOVA again and enter your key.

Updates

NOVA checks for new versions and shows Update to … at the top of the window when one is ready. Install it from Settings › Updates. Every update is signed, so NOVA only installs updates that really come from us, and your settings, tweaks and license stay as they are. Updates are included in the price.

Your first ten minutes

1. Checkup reads your PC and lists what's worth changing, with the reason for each. It changes nothing.
2. Optimize now shows every change and the exact value it writes before anything happens.
3. Benchmark › Proof mode measures a game before and after, and tells you honestly whether it helped.

Did it help? Proof mode

Open Benchmark › Proof mode. It repeats the same test before and after your change and runs a statistics test on the results, so the verdict says whether the difference is real or within the noise, including when a change made no difference.

What the A–D ratings mean

Every tweak says how well its effect is proven: A measured by several labs, B by one lab or tester, C documented by the maker or Microsoft, D not measured or no performance claim. Every tweak lists its rating and exactly what it changes.

Undo everything

NOVA backs up every setting before it changes it.

• One tweak: switch it off. Your saved value goes back, not a Windows default.
• Everything: open History and press Revert all. History lists everything NOVA changed, with undo for each.
• A restore point: NOVA can create one before one-click optimization, and History has your restore points and backups.

Before you uninstall NOVA, revert what you want back: changes stay in place until you undo them.

Is it NOVA or something else?

1. Open History and look at what changed around the time the problem started.
2. Undo the most recent changes, one at a time, and try again after each.
3. Check Known issues: some problems come from a driver or a Windows update.
4. Still there with everything undone? It's probably not NOVA, but send us a diagnostics file and we'll look.

Antivirus flagged NOVA

Don't turn your antivirus off, and don't add an exclusion. NOVA never asks for either.

1. Check the file is ours on Check your download.
2. If it matches, report it to your antivirus as a false positive (for Microsoft Defender: the Microsoft submission portal).
3. Tell us which antivirus and what it said, so we can report it too.

If another tool switched part of Defender off, the Checkup says so and can put Windows' own setting back.

What NOVA never does

It never asks you to turn off Defender, SmartScreen or any antivirus, never changes a game's program files or runs inside a game, never turns off a security feature by default, and sends no telemetry or usage data, only your license check with your PC's specs and NOVA version.

A game won't start

1. Run the Checkup: it reads what anti-cheat systems ask for, such as Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 and Memory Integrity.
2. If you overclocked a controller or mouse, put it back to stock and try again.
3. Undo recent changes in History, as in Is it NOVA or something else?

Send us a diagnostics file

In NOVA, open Settings › Support › Create diagnostics file. It saves a zip to your desktop with NOVA's activity log, your PC's specs, which tweaks are on and the Checkup results. It contains no personal files and only the last 4 characters of your license key.

Checkup › Share report saves a page with your specs and the Checkup's findings, without computer name, user name or serial numbers.

Attach either to a request on your account page.