How to Fix Epic Game Launcher Won’t Open

Do not panic if you see Epic game launcher won’t open on your Windows 10. This guide will explain in detail how to fix epic game launcher not working or Epic game won’t open on Windows 10 2021.

As a fan of Fortnite game and loved to play the 3D game on Windows 10 this guide will detail everything you need to do to fix the epic game launcher not launching when you try to play Epic game Fortnite on Windows 10 2019.

Epic Game Launcher won’t open on Windows 10 2021

We are yet to find a final solution to fix epic games launcher not open Or Epic game launcher not opening the popup.

But, if you are facing the epic game launcher not working when you clicked on the Epic game launcher icon on your Windows 10 to open but refuses to open, the tricks shared here will give you a possible solution to fix the epic game launcher if the epic game launcher app failed to uninstall from your computer.

If epic game launcher not starting after you have tried all the approaches we share here we’ll advise you to uninstall epic game launcher as the final solution.

If the Windows 10 fails to uninstall the Epic game launcher following the Windows software uninstall approach, we’d force to uninstall the epic launcher installer.

Epic Game Launcher not Opening

Epic game launcher not working on Windows 10 solution to start playing Fortnite 3D game that won’t open or won’t let you uninstall. To enjoy playing the Fortnite game, the developers recommended using the Epic game launcher.

However, a lot of players have been complaining that the Epic game launcher black screen won’t open the game after the installation on Windows 10.

If you are facing Epic launcher not working or due to black screen while opening the Fortnite game on your Windows 10 here is a quick way to fix.

With this guide, you will also be able to fix the Epic game launcher not loading properly or stuck at preparing to launch.

Epic Game Launcher not Working

To fix the Epic game launcher not working and unable to uninstall it on Windows 10 disable your Anti-virus if you are using third-party anti-virus that is stopping the launcher from working and enable Windows Defender to protect your computer against a virus or Trojan.

Other approaches to fix Epic launcher won’t open include using task manager to stop the launcher and remove it. Another approach I will discuss with you is to change the game launcher’s property so that you will be able to open it.

1. Disable Anti-Virus

If you are using an anti-virus other than the Windows Defender to block a virus or Trojan from entering into your device it can also block Epic game launcher from working fine.

The first step to undertake for the epic game not opening to play Fortnite on Windows 10 is to disable your anti-virus.

Follow the procedures below to disable your anti-virus and see whether it fixes the launcher not working on your Windows 10.

  1. Open the Start menu.Start menu
  2. Click Settings.Epic Game Launcher won't open
  3. Click System on the Settings menu.Epic launcher not working
  4. Select Apps & Features from the left pane.Windows 10 apps and features
  5. Select your anti-virus you wish to uninstall.Uninstall anti-virus
  6. Click the Uninstall button that appearsUninstall popup
  7. Click on Uninstall from the popup

2. End Epic Launcher via Task Manager

Epic Launcher

At times apps will start misbehaving for no single reason. They will keep hanging and the app won’t work as expected. To end this you can either restart your PC or end the program via the task manager.

Following the procedures below, you will be able to end the Epic launcher won’t open on your Windows 10.

  1. Press the following keys together on your keyboard ” (CTRL + SHIFT + ESC) “
  2. Scroll through the apps and click on the “Epicgamelauncher  icon
  3. Tap on end task
  4. Restart the game launcher and see it working fine.

3. Change Epic Launcher Property

Another approach you can use to fix the launcher not working is adding -OpenGL to the end of the launcher editing its property.

Here is how to change the Epic launcher’s property and add -OpenGL to the end.

  1. Go to your Windows 10 desktop and right-click on the Epic game launcher
  2. Select property from the interface that comes up
  3. Locate shortcut under detail and click on the target
  4. Add -OpenGL to the end of the field. In the end, the field should look like:

“C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Portal\Binaries\Win32\EpicGamesLauncher.exe” –OpenGL

There has been a lot of testimonies that adding OpenGL to the end of the property field fixes the issue.

Which of these procedures work fine for you? Please kindly share your experience if this works for you and if none works for you.

4. Uninstall Epic Game Launcher

If Epic game launcher won’t uninstall or the Epic games launcher not responding didn’t disappear, there is room to force uninstall the launcher from your PC and completely shut down the Epic game launcher from your Windows 10.

If the Fortnite launcher not working after all the above procedures, another option you have left is to force uninstall the Fortnite game and the launcher completely.

However, as part of our commitment to fix the epic games launcher won’t open, we’ll teach you how to uninstall the Epic game launcher from your device.

There is no way that the epic game launcher won’t uninstall if you follow these procedures.

Note that you can use this approach to remove Epic game launcher is not Mac. It’s strictly for Windows 10 PC.

1. From your Windows 10 home screen, launch the  search bar and search for Add or Remove Programs

2. Search for  Epic Games Launcher and click on the uninstall option

After this, if the Epic Game launcher is closed the launcher will be successfully uninstalled. However, if the launcher is opened, you will get a popup message that says you need to close the Epic game launcher completely to be able to uninstall it completely.

To proceed with the uninstallation, you need to accept the popup and proceed as explain below. Else, you won’t be able to further get rid of the launcher.

3. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to open task manager or right-click on your computer taskbar and select task manager from the popup.

4. Under the task manager process tab, click on the Epic Game Launcher to highlight it as shown below.

Epic Game Launcher

5. Hover your mouse pointer to the bottom right and click on end task to kill the launcher. You can also right-click on the Epic game launcher and click on end task from the popup.

6. Once you have successfully ended Epic game launcher from running the background section of your Windows 10 PC you can then proceed to the first and second steps above to uninstall the launcher fully.

Question for you

Do you save your data before you uninstall Epic Game launcher if it’s not working or opening? Or what precaution measure do you take to save your data on Epic game?

5. Fix KB915597 Windows Defender Update

KB915597 could be causing the Fortnite game launcher to be crashing if your Windows Defender is outdated. And if you are unable to update your Windows Defender as often as possible the error KB915597 could be stopping the epic game launcher from opening.

So, another approach you’d want to try to fix the epic game launcher won’t open or not starting is to update your Windows Defender.

  1. Click on your Windows 10 Start menu
  2. Click on the search button and type “Windows Defender” and hit the search button
  3. Click on the Windows Defender logo
  4. Connect to the internet and update your Windows Defender

You can update Windows Defender manually though. But, going to update it online will helps you to upgrade to the latest release.

6. Delete the Web cache Folder

Another approach to consider to fix Epic game launcher black screen or epic launcher crashing on startup is to delete the web cache folder from your Windows computer.

  • Open the “Run” with “Win + R” on your Windows computer.
  • Type “%localappdata%”  without the quotes to locate the web cache and click on the “Enter” button.
  • Open the “Epic Game Launcher” from the local app data.
  • Delete the “WebCache” folder.
  • Done.

This should fix the Epic game launcher black screen or Epic game launcher not working and opening on your Windows computer.

Is Epic Game Launcher a Virus?

After the above attempt to fix Epic game launcher won’t open, you may be thinking that the reason why the Epic launcher isn’t opening is that the launcher is a virus. Like is Epic game launcher a virus?

However, from our findings, the Epic game launcher isn’t a virus. And the only reason it has to do with the virus is that most Anti-virus block the Epic game launcher from opening.

As such, when you are faced with Epic game launcher not launching or Epic game launcher not working, you should first check your anti-virus setup and the Windows 10 Defender to make sure that the launcher is not blocked from running on your Windows 10.

So, Epic game launcher is not a virus.

2 thoughts on “How to Fix Epic Game Launcher Won’t Open”

  1. I just contacted Epic with a simple question: Why can I not play Outer Planets offline? It took two more repeats of the question before I got this bogus answer with attitude from some idiot employee: they made the game to play with others. As though that’s a real answer, and delivered with attitude. My feeling about Epic is: I bought one game from them, and will never buy another. I’ll wait for Metro Exodus to come to Steam, who runs a professional service and does not get in the way.

    Reply

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