This is how I fix epic game launcher not opening on Windows 8 and 10 after several attempts. It all started when I upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 10, and it has been frustrating using the game store on the device. The game launcher is not only crashing. Some times it keeps closing, and sometimes, it won’t open after several clicks.
So I approach some devices to fix it. Some works, and some didn’t work. For the purpose of this guide, I will only go through what works for me. If you have made several attempts but no result to talk about, this should be of help in its own little way.
How to Fix Epic Game Launcher not Opening
We list a series of approaches to end the epic game launcher on your Windows in this guide. We will advise that after each guide, open the epic launcher to see if it opens. If it doesn’t, it means it has been fixed. But, if it won’t, or it opens and closes again (crashing), then you need to give the next attempt a trial.
Open your Windows Task Manager to Close the Epic Game Launcher
If the epic game launcher is not responding after it has opened or it is hanging after several attempts, you should consider closing the app via the task manager. That is the first attempt to fix it if it won’t respond.
- Right-click on the Windows taskbar or press “Shift + Ctrl + Esc” together to open the task manager.
- Single-click on the “EpicGameLauncher” and tap on “End” to the bottom right of the task manager.
- The game launcher is then closed. Here, you can easily tell whether the launcher is responding or not.
Now, open the epic game launcher to see if it opens. It won’t after closing it, then, the next attempt should be considered.
Launch the Epic Game Launcher from the Windows Start Menu as Against Double-click to Open
We devise this approach, and it works sometimes. If you have been double-clicking on the epic game launcher on your Windows desktop to open it and it won’t, you should open the game via the start menu.
- Press the “Windows” button on your “Keyboard.”
- Type “Epic Game Launcher” and wait for the search result to come up.
- Tap on the “Epic Game Launcher”
- This should open it without closing.
If the epic game launcher opens without crashing or closing, it could mean that the shortcut on your desktop is corrupt. You should delete it and create a new shortcut. To create Epic game launcher shortcut, search for the launcher via the start menu and, right-click on it, and select create a shortcut.
You Should Update your Graphics Drive
Sometimes, the problems with the epic game launcher lie with the device graphics. If the graphics driver is outdated, it might not work with the launcher. And if it doesn’t, you will be frustrating forcing the game launcher to use the outdated graphics driver. At times, the game can close in the middle of the game, or it won’t open at all.
So, you should check to see if the Windows graphics driver is up-to-date.
- Press “Win +R” on your Windows computer.
- Type “devmgmt.msc” without the quotes and tap “OK” on “Enter” on your keyboard.
- Navigate to “Display Adapter,” tap on it, and right-click to select “properties” on it.
- Navigate to “Driver tap” and tap “Update driver.”
- Choose the option that best fit in for you. If you have the driver downloaded on your PC or external drive, choose to browse my computer for driver software, otherwise, select Search automatically for updated driver software.
Make sure you are connected to your WiFi to search the internet and download the compatible graphics driver. If you don’t have a WiFi-enabled device, use the approach in this guide to connect your PC to your WiFi.
Add -OpenGL to the Epic Game Launcher Properties
Another approach we discovered to fix the epic game launcher not opening on Windows is adding -OpenGL to the game shortcut via the launcher’s properties.
- Right-click on the “Epic game launcher” shortcut on your Windows.
- Select “Properties” from the pop.
- Navigate to “Shortcut” under the “launcher’s properties” and click on the “Target” URL and add “-OpenGL” without the quotes after “.exe” and tap “OK.”
Now, close the epic game launcher properties and double-click on the shortcut to see if it has been fixed. If, after this, the epic game launcher still won’t open, proceed to the next fix below.
Add the Epic Game Launcher as an Exception on your Computer Anti-virus OR Disable the 3rd Party Antivirus and Switch to Windows Defender.
I have been using the Windows defender as mu primary antivirus since the 3rd party antivirus I was using won’t let the epic game launcher opens. Depending on the antivirus that you are using, each of the software has a different approach to add an exception. Therefore, you need to check your antivirus documentary to see how to add an exception.
And if you couldn’t find your way around it, uninstall the antivirus and enable Windows defender. Here is how. We have had positive feedback on this when the epic launcher won’t open due to the fact that the antivirus didn’t allow it, and it was not added to the exception tap in the antivirus.
Troubleshoot the Epic Game Launcher to Fix All Internal Error
What you sometimes need to fix the epic game launcher won’t open is to troubleshoot it to fix the error internally. This helps if it keeps crashing due to internal error.
- Press “Win +R” together on your keyboard to launch the Windows dialog box.
- Type “control appwiz.cpl” without the quotes.
- This will take you to the PC control panel and directly to the “Epic Game Launcher.” So, right-click on it, and select “Repair.”
This should take a few minutes to complete depending on the level of the internal damage of the epic game launcher. Once the troubleshooting is completed, close the control panel and double-click on the epic game launcher to see if it open. If this doesn’t fix it, then you need to uninstall the epic game launcher from your PC (Windows), restart the device, and reinstall it again.
How to Uninstall Epic Game Launcher Because it Won’t Open
If when you open the Epic game launcher, it opens successfully, but takes time to load and later return a black screen, you should consider removing it from your PC. However, in other not to keep part of the reason why the epic game launcher keeps crashing or won’t open, you should restart the PC before reinstalling it.
- Go to your Windows Control Panel.
- Search for “Epic Game Launcher.”
- Right-click on it and select “Uninstall.”
- Done.
- Restart your PC.
Now, proceed to your download portal, download, and reinstall the epic game launcher. This should help to fix the epic game launcher not opening.
Which of the approaches works for you? Please, state it in the comment section for others to learn from it. If there is another approach you know, kindly state it to add more to the knowledge.