Riot Client Not Opening? 6 Easy Ways to Fix the Problem

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What to do when the Riot client won't launch

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: March 17, 2026 Fact Checked

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Restart Your Computer

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Force Close Riot

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Change Program Settings

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Change Display Settings

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Allow Riot Through Your Firewall

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Flush Your DNS

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Is your Riot client not starting up? This can be frustrating, especially since there isn't one singular fix that works for everyone. However, there are a handful of easy and quick fixes you can try to get you back into the game. In this article, we go over six easy troubleshooting tips to fix a Riot client that won't open.

Fixing a Riot Client When it Won't Open

If your Riot client won't open, restart your computer first. You can also force-close any Riot processes in Task Manager. If that doesn't work, try changing Riot's program settings, adjusting your display settings, or allowing Riot through your firewall. You can also try flushing your DNS to fix network issues.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Restart Your Computer

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1
Turn your computer off and back on to fix a number of problems. While it might not seem like it, turning your computer off and back on again can fix a number of random glitches and bugs, including any glitches that are keeping the Riot client from opening properly.
- It's best to restart your computer from the power menu. If you hard shut down your computer by pressing the power button, you may lose any unsaved data you have open.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Close Riot in Task Manager

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1
Open Task Manager. The easiest way to do this is to right-click the taskbar and click Task Manager.
- One of the most common reasons the Riot client won't open is that a Riot process is still running in the background.
2
Look for any open Riot processes. You can find them easily by searching for riot using the search bar at the top of the Task Manager window.
3
Right-click any Riot processes and select End task. This will automatically force any open Riot processes to close. You should end any Riot Launcher processes, as well as the Riot Crash Handler (if it doesn't automatically end when you end the Riot launcher process). These processes will restart when you launch Riot.
4
Try starting Riot again. If the Riot client doesn't open, you'll need to try one of the other fixes in this article.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Change Riot's Program Settings

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You must do this from the desktop. If the Riot launcher isn't on your desktop, you should add it before continuing with this section.
2
Click Properties. This will open a new window with a number of settings you can adjust for the program.
3
Click the Compatibility tab. It's at the top of the window.
4
Check the box next to "Disable fullscreen optimization." It's near the bottom of the window, under the "Settings" header.
5
Check the box next to "Run this program as an administrator." It's right under the "Disable fullscreen optimization" option.
6
Enable compatibility mode (optional). Some users have found that enabling compatibility mode for their Riot client fixed the issue of it not launching. To do this, check the box under "Compatibility mode," then select which operating system you want to enable the compatibility mode for. Users have found success with selecting Windows 7, but try different options to see what works best for you.^{[1]
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7
Click Apply > OK. Your Riot client settings will be saved.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Check Your Display Settings

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1
Open your Display Settings. The easiest way to do this is to type display settings in the taskbar search bar, then click Display Settings in the Start menu that pops up.
- Some users with multi-monitor setups have found that their Riot client is launching, but they just can't see it due to it not being visible on their monitor. You can fix this by changing your display settings.^{[2]
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2
Click on a monitor that's not your main monitor. Your main monitor will be the one highlighted when you open Display Settings.
3
Click the checkbox next to "Make this my main display." This option is the first one under the section where you can click on and rearrange your monitors.
4
Launch the Riot client. You should see it pop up in the monitor you set as your new main monitor.
5
Change your main monitor back. Simply click on the monitor that is your main monitor at the top of the Display Settings window and check the "Make this my main display" box again.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Allow Riot Through Your Firewall

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1
Open your Windows Defender Firewall. The easiest way to do this is to search windows defender firewall in the taskbar search bar, then click Windows Defender Firewall in the Start menu that pops up.
2
Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall. It's the first option on the left-hand side, under "Control Panel Home."
3
Click Change settings in the upper-right corner. This will allow you to edit your Windows Firewall settings so you can open the ports required by Riot. If you're not signed in to an admin account, an admin will need to give you access to these settings.
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Click Allow another app…. It's under the list of allowed apps and features.
5
Navigate to your Riot launcher file location. If you're not sure where that is, search for the Riot launcher in your Start menu, then right-click and select Open file location. Then, copy the filepath to the Riot launcher location at the top of the window and paste it into the address bar of the Explorer window that Windows Firewall opened up.
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Double-click on RiotClientServices.exe. This will select the Riot launcher as the program you want to add to your firewall settings.
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Click Add. Ensure that "Riot Client" is selected on this screen.
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Find Riot Client in the list of allowed apps and features. Since this list is alphabetical, you may have to scroll a bit to find it.
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Ensure both "Private" and "Public" options are checked. By default, the "Private" column will be checked for the Riot Client. Click the check in the "Public" column to enable it.
10
Click OK. This will save your firewall settings. Check the Riot launcher to see if it opens. If it doesn't, you'll have to try one of the other options in this article.^{[3]
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Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Flush Your DNS

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1
Open Command Prompt as an administrator. To do this, type cmd in the taskbar search bar, then right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
- Random connection problems may be causing your Riot client to not open. You can easily fix this by flushing your DNS and clearing out your network cache.^{[4]
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2
Run the command ipconfig /flushdns. Type the command into Command Prompt and press Enter. This will flush your DNS resolver cache. It should only take a few seconds, and you'll see a message that says "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache" when the process is done.
3
Run the command netsh winsock reset. Type the command into Command Prompt and press Enter. This will clear out the Winsock Catalog. It should only take a few seconds, and you'll see a message that says "Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog" when the process is done.
After flushing your DNS and resetting the Winsock Catalog, you'll need to restart your computer to finish the reset. After this, try starting up the Riot client again to see if it is working. If it isn't, go back and try one of the other options in this article.