What Causes the Epic Games Launcher to Not Load?
The Epic Games Launcher may fail to load for many different reasons. These include issues with the Epic Games servers, issues with how your PC or Mac is set up, as well as problems with the installation of the software itself. Many fixes only take a few minutes to complete, but if the issue is with the Epic Games servers, all you can do is wait it out.
It’s worth troubleshooting the issue to find out where the problem lies so you know whether it’s something you can fix or not.
Troubleshoot When the Epic Games Launcher Isn’t Working
If the Epic Games Launcher won’t open or crashes upon opening, try these troubleshooting tips to get it back up and running.
Check the Epic Games server status page. Before you start delving into if the problem is with you, check that the Epic Games servers are operational. If they’re down, there’s nothing you can do but wait for them to come back up. Check that the Epic Games Launcher process isn’t already running in Task Manager. If you’re wondering how to close Epic Games Launcher most effectively, it’s by force-closing it. Force-close the program to ensure it’s completely closed. If the Epic Games Launcher doesn’t load from your desktop shortcut, try opening it via the Start Menu or Launchpad instead. Run the launcher as an administrator. If the program only opens while you run as an administrator, you may need to change the user permission settings on the Epic Games Launcher. Update your graphics drivers. Updating your graphics drivers regularly ensures you don’t have to worry about any graphical conflicts because of outdated software. Disable your antivirus software. Antivirus software can incorrectly think that the Epic Games Launcher is a virus. Disable antivirus software such as Norton or McAfee to check if that’s where the issue lies. Disable your firewall software. Like with antivirus software, it can conflict with software. Temporarily disable it to see if that’s what’s causing Epic Games Launcher to refuse to load. Reinstall Epic Games Launcher. Uninstalling the software and reinstalling it often fixes common issues. Uninstalling the Epic Games Launcher also uninstalls all your games so you’ll need to redownload them afterward if you try this fix. Clear the Epic Games Launcher’s web cache. Clearing the web cache often resolves any display issues that may stop the software loading. Scroll down for instructions for Windows and Mac computers. Contact Epic Games customer support. If none of these fixes have worked, try contacting Epic Games support if there’s an issue with your account.
How to Clear the Epic Games Launcher’s Web Cache.
Clearing the cache takes a few advanced steps, but it’s worth trying if nothing else works.
Scroll down for instructions for Windows and Mac computers.
Windows
The process is different for Windows vs. Mac computers. First, fully exit the Epic Games Launcher.
Press Windows key + R, type “%localappdata%” and then press Enter to open a File Explorer window. Open the Epic Games Launcher folder. Open the Saved folder. Click the webcache folder, and then delete it. Restart your computer, and then relaunch the Epic Games Launcher.
Mac
Exit the Epic Games Launcher, then follow the steps below to clear the web cache on Mac.
Open Finder. Click Go, then Go to Folder. . . Type ~/Library/Caches/com. epicgames. EpicGamesLauncher and press Enter. Drag the webcache folder to the Trash. Press control and click Trash. Click Empty Trash. Relaunch the Epic Games Launcher.
