Alex Ruben
How To Resolve League of Legends Not Launching
If League of Legends isn’t opening properly, it’s pretty frustrating — especially when you just want to jump into a game. Sometimes it just gets stuck on the loading screen, crashes right after launch, or refuses to respond altogether. This mess can be caused by a bunch of different issues, from background processes conflicting to corrupted files or even graphics driver hiccups. So, here’s a list of some tried-and-true fixes that might help you get back in the game without pulling your hair out.
How to Fix League of Legends Not Opening
Check if the game is already running in the background
This happens more often than you’d think — the game might be stuck in a process or not fully closed. On some setups, the game staying in the background prevents it from launching again.
Why it helps: Ensuring the game isn’t already running can stop weird conflicts or why the launcher refuses to start.
When it applies: You click launch and nothing happens, or you see multiple game icons in your Taskbar.
What to expect: Closing residual processes usually clears the way for a fresh start.
A quick tip from real-world experience: on some machines, it takes two tries or a restart to fully clear out stuck processes.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Look under the Processes tab for any entries called “LeagueClient.exe” or “League of Legends.exe”.
- If you find them, select and click on End Task.
Verify the game’s file location and integrity
Sometimes game files get corrupted or misplaced, especially after updates or crashes. This can prevent the game from launching properly.
Why it helps: Confirming the actual files exist and are intact can fix launch issues caused by corrupted data.
When it applies: The game won’t open after an update or crashes when launching.
What to expect: Running a repair or verifying files should replace any corrupted items, allowing a clean start.
- Open the Riot Client — you can do this by searching “Riot Client” in your Start menu.
- Click on the Settings gear icon (usually in the upper right).
- Select Repair from the options. If the repair option isn’t visible, you might need to go through the game launcher settings or reinstall.
- This process checks and replaces broken files, which sometimes fixes strange startup issues.
Adjust Compatibility Settings — because Windows likes to complicate things
Running the game in compatibility mode can sometimes resolve issues caused by OS updates or driver conflicts.
Why it helps: Old or conflicting display settings that don’t play nice with newer Windows updates get bypassed by setting compatibility modes.
When it applies: You get a “game won’t launch” error after a recent Windows update or if you’re running an older PC.
What to expect: Toggling these options can sometimes make a big difference, and on some setups, it works like a charm.
- Right-click on the League of Legends.exe file — usually found in C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\.
- Select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab.
- Check Disable fullscreen optimizations and Run this program as an administrator.
- Click Change high DPI settings. Check the box for Override high DPI scaling behavior and select Application from the dropdown.
- Click OK to save, then try launching again.
Run a repair through the Riot Client
If files are corrupted or mismatched, a repair could be your best shot. Sometimes updates don’t go smoothly, or things get messed up. This is a low-effort way to fix that.
- Open the Riot Client.
- Click the Settings icon (gear icon).
- Select Repair. The client will then verify your files and replace any corrupted ones.
- Once done, relaunch League of Legends.
Fresh install — because sometimes, old files just won’t cut it
If nothing else works, a clean reinstall might do the trick. It’s annoying, sure, but sometimes that’s all it takes to clear out broken config files or bad registry entries.
- Open Add or remove programs from the Start menu.
- Scroll to find League of Legends.
- Click it, then hit Uninstall.
- Once it’s gone, go to the official website and download the latest installer.
- Run through the installation steps and try launching the game again.
Give your machine a quick restart
Yeah, it sounds simple, but sometimes Windows just needs a reset to clear out lingering software conflicts or stuck processes. Not sure why, but, works more often than you’d expect.
- Close everything and reboot your PC.
Extra tips & common fails
Sometimes, it’s the little things that trip you up. Make sure Windows is fully updated — those patches sometimes fix compatibility issues. Also, take a quick look at your graphics drivers; outdated or buggy drivers can prevent the game from launching. Disable overlays from apps like Discord or GeForce Experience — they can cause conflicts.
Wrap-up
Chasing down why League of Legends won’t open can be a pain — but trying these steps in sequence usually fixes it. If nothing works, Riot’s support is always an option. Usually, a repair or cleanup solves the problem. Good luck, and hopefully, this shaves off a few hours of frustration.
Summary
- Check if the game is already running and kill leftover processes.
- Verify and repair the game files via Riot Client.
- Adjust compatibility settings for better OS support.
- Consider reinstalling if files are corrupted.
- Restart your PC to clear stuck processes or conflicts.
- Keep your Windows and GPU drivers up to date.