Uplay is a digital distribution platform like Steam and hosts numerous multiplayer games like Assassins Creed and other famous records. Surprisingly, Uplay officials didn’t have anything to comment on and the support staff was not cooperative as well in the threads. In this solution, we will go through all the reasons why this occurs and what the workarounds are to fix the problem.
What causes Uplay to not Launch?
The causes of Uplay not launching are mostly related to issues with third-party applications, corrupt cache, Antivirus softwares etc. Here are some of the main causes which may be causing issues and force Uplay not to launch: Before we start with the solutions, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator and have credentials of Uplay at hand.
Solution 1: Installing Universal C Runtime
The very first troubleshooting step which we will carry out will be installing the missing DLL/libraries which are required by Uplay for successful launching. Uplay usually installs all the dependencies on your computer automatically when you install it. However, there are instances where some are missed because they are already present or some error occurs during the installation. One of the most common external files which is required is Universal C Runtime which we will be installed as outlined in the steps below.
Solution 2: Clearing Uplay Cache
As mentioned earlier, Uplay maintains a local cache in your computer where all your preferences and temporary configurations are stored. Whenever Uplay launches, these configurations are fetched from the cache and then loaded in the application. But there are numerous instances where the cache itself becomes corrupt and since it is corrupt, the launch sequence fails as well. In this solution, we will delete Uplay cache and see if this does the trick.
Solution 3: Launching through Shortcut (For launching games)
Another workarounds if a game isn’t launching through Uplay is launching it directly through the shortcut. There are a lot of instances where because of some dependencies not installed, Uplay doesn’t launch the game when you click the Play button. In this solution, you can easily launch the game using the game shortcut. If there was some dependency not installed, it will be conveyed to you and the download process will begin. If this method was successful, you can try launching the game directly from Uplay next time and see if this does the trick.
Solution 4: Running in Compatibility mode
Uplay is developed keeping in mind the current operating system even though there is backward support for other operating systems. In the cases of Uplay not launching, we saw instances where launching it in compatibility mode worked perfectly and the launcher worked. This helped us conclude that because of some bad updates to Windows OS, Uplay was unable to launch at all. When you select an older version of Windows, its settings are kept in mind while launching. The compatibility settings of Windows 8/7 work because Windows 10 itself supports backwards compatibility of previous OS versions. Here, in this solution, we will set an older version of Windows as compatibility and then launch Uplay. You can always revert the changes in the future.
Solution 5: Disabling Antivirus/Firewall Software
Antivirus/Firewall software constantly analyze your internet traffic and the application status in the background when you are doing your tasks. After analyzing all the information, they either let the applications run or block them according to some set of rules. However, Uplay is known to get blocked by Antivirus software such as BitDefender etc. This is known as a false positive. So in this solution, we will temporarily disable the Antivirus software on your computer and then launch Uplay again.
Solution 6: Starting Computer in Clean-Boot state
If none of the above methods work and you are still unable to launch Uplay, there might be chances that because of some problematic services or applications, it is not able to launch. This was seen very frequently in the past through feedback by various users. In this solution, we will disable all services (except system services) and then launch Uplay. Then we can try enabling the services one by one to see which one is problematic.
Solution 7: Updating Graphics Drivers
One of the most obvious and common cause of Uplay not launching is because the graphics drivers on your computer are not installed to the latest version or they are corrupt. Graphics drivers are the main driving components of any gaming engine like Uplay and if they are not working properly, Uplay will either not launch at all or launch with a very sluggish behaviour. In this solution, we will install DDU and then through safe mode, remove the current drivers. Then we will install the latest ones available and see if this does the trick for us.
Solution 8: Reinstalling Uplay
If none of the above methods work and you are still unable to launch Uplay, we will attempt at reinstalling the entire gaming engine from scratch. If there were any corrupt or missing installation files, they will be fixed. Do note that through this method, all the installation files of your games will be removed as well. You can always back them up beforehand. Note: You can also uninstall the game using Blizzard’s application.
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