LoL Not Opening: How To Fix League Not Launching

LoL isn't opening for you? Don’t panic just yet. We are here to show you how to fix the problem so that you can finally play League of Legends again.

League of Legends can be annoying enough in itself, and having to struggle with something that should be very simple but, for some reason, isn’t can add some fuel to the fire. But before we get too annoyed at Rito, let’s try to fix the issue ourselves, shall we?

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LoL Not Opening: How To Fix The Problem

There can be various reasons why League of Legends is not opening. Sometimes, the problem can lie within the Riot client itself, or it could be your internet connection. In this article, we go through some of the main issues and how to fix them so you can finally focus on other annoying aspects of League of Legends, like climbing in the current season or the League of Legends events. Here is a list of different ways to fix the problem of League of Legends not opening. 

First Step: Restart Computer

Yes, we have all heard it. “Have you tried turning your computer off and on?” - It might sound like something someone would say when they have no idea what is going on, but there is actually some logic behind it. 

Restarting your computer will remove all temporary data and refresh the operating system. This means it also deletes all the temporary data that might have been corrupted, which can hinder League of Legends from opening. So why don’t you give restarting your PC a try? If restarting your computer still didn’t help, don’t worry. We still have some tricks up our sleeves.

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Check Windows Firewall 

Sometimes, the issue could be your Windows Firewall. Your computer’s firewall can sometimes block certain applications from opening. You can check if Windows Firewall is blocking League of Legends by finding Windows Defender Firewall in your Control Panel. Once it is found, click on the option “Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall” and look for League of Legends. If the League of Legends box is not ticked off for the private option, this means that the firewall is blocking LoL from opening. To fix this, simply tick of the League of Legends box, and the Windows Firewall should no longer block the application. 

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Check if Graphics Card is Updated

Some players have encountered that they were not able to open League of Legends because their graphics cards were not updated. Here is how to check if this is your issue as well, and how to fix it: 

1. Go to Device Manager: Write “Device Manager” in the Windows search bar.
2. Select “Display adapters” and double-click on your graphics card
3. Go to section “Driver”: Once you are in your Graphics card’s properties, find the “Driver” section, and click on it
4. Select “Update Driver”
   

After finishing step 4, your graphics card should be updated and ready for some League of Legends action. 

Close Running Background Processes 

In some cases, some League of Legends background processes could be running without you knowing, which could be the cause for League of Legends not to open. However, the League of Legends application is not the only background application that could be the reason for the issue. Several players have also had an issue with Steam and Razer Synapse running in the background, so it is a good idea to close those processes as well. Yet again, you don’t have to panic because solving this issue is easier than it might sound. Here are some simple steps to follow to cancel all the relevant background processes:

1. Open Task Manager: Press Ctr+Alt+Del and select “Task Manager”.
2. Cancel all LoL, Steam, and Razer Synapse Processes: Look for any League of Legends, Steam, or Racer Synapse processes that are currently running and cancel them by right-clicking and pressing “End Task”
3. Close Task Manager: Once you are finished with step two, close the task manager. 
   
4. Launch League of Legends through the “LeagueClient”.
   

Launch League of Legends Manually

When League of Legends won’t open, it could be the case that there is nothing wrong with the application per see, and the problem actually lays with the League of Legends Shortcut on your desktop. If you suspect this to be the case for you, you can try to run the game from the installation directory. To do this, try following these simple steps:

1. Go to C:\Riot Games\League of Legends
2. Right-click on League Client.exe and select “Run as Administrator”

If this still doesn’t work, don’t give up yet. We still have some other options.

Move the League of Legends Folder

Sometimes, something as simple as moving your League of Legends directory folder can be the answer to your problem. Don’t know how to do it? Don’t worry. Here are some steps you can follow: 

• Right-click on your League of Legends shortcut on your desktop.
• Select “Open File Location”
• Copy the content of all the files in the just opened folder
• Create a new folder and paste in the content just copied.
• From your new folder, create a shortcut to the LeagueClient.exe on your desktop
• Launch the game from your newly added shortcut on your desktop

Reinstall League of Legends 

If you have tried all the options above, and League of Legends is still not reacting, you can try to reinstall League of Legends as a final solution. Although this option takes a bit longer, it can resolve several technical issues you have had with League of Legends in the past as well. Reinstalling can help you ensure that your League of Legends issue is not a result of corrupted or out-of-date files. Here is how you can reinstall LoL:

1. Open the Windows Start Menu 
2. Open Control Panel 
3. Select “Programs and Features.”
4. Right-click on League of Legends and select “Uninstall”
5. Make sure all Lol files are deleted on the C:drive.
6. Restart your computer.
7. Install League of Legends like you normally would through the Official League of Legends Homepage.

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And with League of Legends newly installed, you should be able to play your favorite game again.

To sum everything up, you can see there could be various reasons to why League of Legends is not opening. This list of options might seem overwhelming for many, but most of the solutions mentioned here are pretty simple to execute and will help you on your way to start playing League of Legends again.