Are you among those players who need to fix Genshin Impact not starting in Windows 11? If so, there are numerous ways you can feasibly get the game up and running again. Try these potential resolutions for fixing Genshin Impact when it doesn’t start.

1. Run Genshin Impact as an Administrator

One reason Genshin Impact might not start is that it doesn’t have the required admin permissions. You can fix that by configuring the game to always run as an administrator so that it has full system access.

Here is how you can run Genshin Impact as an administrator:

Bring up File Explorer’s window by clicking its folder taskbar button. Open Genshin Impact’s installation folder within Explorer. If you installed it with a default directory, the game’s folder will probably be within the Programs Files. Right-click the GenshinImpact EXE (application) file to select Properties. Click the Compatibility tab to bring up the options in the snapshot directly below. Select the checkbox for the Run this program as an administrator option. Also, select the Disable full-screen optimizations checkbox. Press the Apply button to save the new settings. Click OK to close the GenshinImpact Properties window.

Read also: How to Always Run Apps as Administrator on Windows

2. Run Genshin Impact With Your Dedicated Graphics Card

If you’re utilizing a PC with dual graphics cards, make sure you’ve configured Genshin Impact to utilize the dedicated high-performance GPU. You can change the GPU settings for specific software via your graphics card’s control panel or Settings. This is how to select a high-performance graphics preference option for Genshin Impact in Settings:

Click the magnifying glass icon on Windows 11’s taskbar. Type Graphics Settings in the search box. Click Graphics Settings to bring up graphics options. If Genshin Impact isn’t listed there, click the Browse button. Select Genshin Impact in the Open window, and click the Add button. Then select Genshin Impact, and click its Option button. Click the High performance option to select it. Press the Save button.

3. Update Your PC’s Graphics Card Driver

If your PC’s graphics card has an outdated driver, you might need to update it to fix Genshin Impact not starting. However, Windows 11’s built-in Update Drivers tool is no longer sufficient for updating them because it doesn’t search online anymore. You can instead utilize a reputable third-party driver updater tool to update drivers.

The best way to ensure you install the very latest driver for your dedicated GPU, however, is to manually download it from NVIDIA download page or AMD’s support site. To do so, you’ll need to be clear about what your PC’s graphics card model is beforehand. You can find and download the latest driver for your PC’s graphics card on the driver download sections of the NVIDIA or AMD websites. Then open the downloaded driver package in File Explorer to open its setup window and install it.

Read also: How to Update Your Graphics Drivers in Windows 10

4. Repair Game Files for Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact might not start because some of its files are missing or corrupted. Reinstalling the game could resolve such an issue. However, the Genshin Impact launcher also includes a Repair Game Files option that might be worth a try.

ou can repair game files with that option like this:

Open the Genshin Impact launcher. Click the Settings (cog) button at the top right of the launcher. Select Repair Game Files tab. Press the Repair Now button.

If you’re installed Genshin Impact with Epic Games, you can still select a similar option. Open the Epic Games window, and select the Library tab. Then click the three dots button for Genshin Impact to select its Verify option.

5. Install All the Latest DirectX Runtime Components and Visual C++ Packs

Some Genshin Impact players have posted on forums about an MSVCP140.dll error that arises when they try to start the game. If a similar DLL error message pops up when you try to launch Genshin Impact, you might need to update Visual C++ packages or DirectX runtime components on your PC.

Here is how you can update such packages in Windows 11:

Open the Visual C++ redistributable download page in your browser. Click the X64 link for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 to download that package. Launch File Explorer to open the folder that includes the downloaded Visual Studio package. Double-click the Visual C++ package’s file to open its setup window. Click the Install (or Repair) option on that window. To update DirectX components, open the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer page. Press the Download button there to save the dxwebsetup. exe package. Open the folder that includes the dxwebsetup. exe package. Then double-click the dxwebsetup. exe to open the DirectX setup window. Select the accept the agreement option and click Next to install.

6. Disable Windows Defender Firewall and Third-Party Antivirus Software

When Genshin Impact doesn’t start, Windows Defender Firewall or third-party antivirus software might be blocking the software. The game can’t establish a connection if a firewall starts blocking it. Disabling Windows Defender Firewall before you try starting the game will prevent that firewall from blocking it.

Launch the search tool with its Win + S key combination. Enter the keyword Windows Defender Firewall to find that applet. Click Windows Defender Firewall to open the Control Panel. Select the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off option. Click both the public and private Turn off Windows Defender Firewall options. Press the OK button to save settings. Restart Windows 11 after disabling the firewall.

If you’ve installed third-party antivirus software, that might incorporate a firewall too. Temporarily disable third-party antivirus software before attempting to start Genshin Impact. To do so, right-click your antivirus utility’s system tray icon and look for and select some kind of disable option there. If you can’t find such an option there, look through the settings window for your antivirus utility.

7. Clean Boot Windows 11

Conflicting background apps and services are another potential cause for Genshin Impact not starting. The best way to fix such an issue is to perform a clean boot. Clean booting involves changing the boot settings so that the Windows startup doesn’t include third-party software and services.

Fortunately, we’ve previously covered how to clean boot Windows 11, so follow those steps to get a fresh start.

8. Reinstall Genshin Impact

The last resort resolution is to reinstall Genshin Impact. Doing so will likely fix file issues for the game. You can reinstall Genshin Impact as follows.

Press Run’s Win + R keyboard shortcut. Type appwiz. cpl in Run and click OK. Select Genshin Impact in the Programs and Features applet. Click the Uninstall option to remove the game. Restart Windows before reinstalling Genshin Impact. Open the Genshin Impact download page in your browser. Click Windows on that webpage to download the game’s setup wizard. Reinstall Genshin Impact with its setup wizard.

If you’ve installed Genshin Impact with Epic Games, you can’t uninstall it via Programs and Features. You’ll need to open Epic Games, select Library, and click the … button for Genshin Impact. Select the Uninstall option there to remove the game.

Kick-Start Genshin Impact With These Fixes

Try applying all those potential fixes for Genshin Impact not starting in the order specified. There’s a pretty good chance one or more of them will kick-start the game.

However, we can’t promise that those resolutions will fix Genshin Impact for all players. If you need more potential fixes for the game not starting, try contacting the game’s general support service with the genshin_cs@hoyoverse.com email address. You can click Contact Us at the bottom of the Genshin Impact website to send an email to that address.