The “League of Legends failed to launch” error is a gaming issue many LoL players have reported. This is how one player described that gaming issue in a Reddit post, “I have been having this problem when I launch League for a while now, when I open the client I can log in and press play, but then when I press play it sends the message ‘League of Legends failed to launch;’ and however many times I press play the same message sends.” These are some ways you can fix the LoL failed to launch error on a Windows PC.
Restart Riot Vanguard
Some players have said they’ve fixed the “League of Legends failed to launch” error by restarting Riot Vanguard. This is a very straightforward fix you can apply simply by exiting Vanguard to restart that software. You can restart Vanguard like this.
- Right-click the Vanguard icon in the system tray and select Exit Vanguard.
- Click Quit to confirm.
- Go into the Riot software to click the Play button for League of Legends.
The Exit option for Vanguard
Remove the Citrix App
Do you have Citrix Workspace installed on your PC? If you do, try to uninstall Citrix on your PC. Citrix Workspace is an app known to conflict with League of Legends and cause startup issues for that game. You can uninstall Citrix via the Control Panel, as instructed on this Microsoft webpage.
The Programs and Features Control Panel applet
Troubleshoot Compatibility
The “League of Legends failed to launch” error can sometimes occur because of Windows compatibility issues. Running the Windows compatibility troubleshooting for the League of Legends game can remedy such issues. This Microsoft webpage includes instructions for how users can utilize the compatibility troubleshooter. Select to troubleshoot these LoL game files inside the Riot Games > League of Legends folder:
- LeagueClient
- LeagueClientUx
- LeagueClientUxRender
The compatibility troubleshooter
Edit the Registry
Players have also confirmed they’ve fixed the “League of Legends failed to launch” error by editing a DevOverideEnable DWORD. However, I recommend trying other potential fixes first because this is a slightly more technical resolution to apply. This is how you can edit the DevOverideEnable DWORD to apply this potential solution.
- First, close Riot Games if it is running on your PC. You can do that by clicking the Riot Games icon in the system tray and selecting Exit.
- Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to bring up the Run dialog.
- Input regedit into the Run box and click OK to access the Registry Editor.
- Next, navigate to the Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options registry key.
The Image File Execution Options registry key
- Now double-click the DevOverideEnable DWORD.
- Input 0 inside the Value box for the DWORD and click OK.
The Edit DWORD option
- Finally, click Restart on the Start menu to reboot.
Disable Third-Party Firewalls
Third-party firewall blocks can also potentially cause the “League of Legends failed to launch” error to arise. To remedy this, try disabling any third-party firewall installed on your PC before playing League of Legends. If this works, turn your firewall back on after playing the game. Alternatively, add an exception for the League of Legends game file and Vanguard to your firewall software.
There aren’t many confirmed ways to fix the “League of Legends Failed to Launch” error on Windows PCs. However, the possible solutions covered above have worked for many players who’ve needed to fix that LoL error message. League of Legends has a support service you can contact from this Riot page if more potential fixes are required for this gaming issue.
