There’s nothing more frustrating than coming home after a long day and finding that the only thing standing between you and a game of League is some unspecific “technical difficulty.” We want to get you back into the game (or get started if you’re new!) as fast as possible, and while Riot Support agents are always here to help, there’s a lot you can try on your own first.

Here are some symptoms you might recognize - and the tools to help you fix things every step of the way.

Unfortunately, game crashes can happen for a lot of reasons related to both hardware and software. Take a look at the list of possible fixes below.

Click a Fix to be teleported instantly:

Fix 1: Check your system requirements

Fix 2: Update your drivers

Outdated drivers are also a common reason League might crash. Unfortunately, it’s outside the scope of this guide to personally connect you with each of the many unique drivers used by your hardware. Instead, you’ll have to visit the various support websites of each manufacturer for the latest driver updates. Be sure to check and update your drivers for each of the following:

Basics: CPU Motherboard BIOS	Inputs: Keyboard Mouse	Display: GPU Monitor
Network: Wi-fi adapter Network card Modem	Sound

Fix 3: Update your Operating System

This fix is one of the easiest there is! 

For Windows:

1. Press the Windows Start button  in the corner of your screen.
2. Click the Settings gear icon
3. Click into Updates & Security
4. Click “Check for Updates”

For Mac: 

1. From the Apple menu   in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Software Update. (If your System Preferences doesn't include Software Update, use the App Store to get updates instead.)
3. Click Update Now or Upgrade Now:
   1. Update Now installs the latest updates for the currently installed version, such as an update from macOS Big Sur 11.5 to macOS Big Sur 11.6. 
   2. Upgrade Now installs a major new version with a new name, such as macOS Monterey.

Fix 4: Enable Low Spec Mode

We’re probably all familiar with why lowering a game’s display settings might improve performance, but did you know you can press one little checkbox to automatically reduce all variable settings to “low?” It’s called Low Spec mode and you can access it from the Settings of your client while outside of game. 

1. Open the League Client
2. Click the Setting Gear icon in the upper right
3. In the General tab, scroll to the top
4. Click the “Enable Low Spec Mode” checkbox

Note: Low Spec mode cannot be activated while in game. 

Are you stuck on a black, Loading, or Lobby screen?

Click a Fix to be teleported instantly:

Fix 1:  Close and run League “as an Administrator” [Windows]

For Windows:

1. Right click on your game shortcut and click Properties at the bottom
2. Click the compatibility tab and check "Run this program as an Administrator"
3. Click Apply and OK

Fix 2: Update your Operating System

If you're a bit outdated, then you can run into any number of unexpected errors.

For Windows:

1. Press the Windows Start   button in the corner of your screen
2. Click the Settings gear icon
3. Click into Updates & Security
4. Click “Check for Updates”

For Mac: 

1. From the Apple menu   in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Software Update. (If your System Preferences doesn't include Software Update, use the App Store to get updates instead.)
3. Click Update Now or Upgrade Now:
   1. Update Now installs the latest updates for the currently installed version, such as an update from macOS Big Sur 11.5 to macOS Big Sur 11.6. 
   2. Upgrade Now installs a major new version with a new name, such as macOS Monterey.

Fix 3: Perform a “Clean Boot” of your system [Windows]

Sometimes, other applications, especially software that uses an overlay (i.e. Discord, OBS, Steam), can cause League to crash. You can exit or disable those applications and see if this resolves the issue with crashing by trying out a custom game in League of Legends.

Alternatively, if you want to be 100% sure that no other application is interfering with League of Legends, you should try performing a clean boot in Windows.

For the latest, most precise version of these instructions, please visit the Microsoft Support article found here:

How to Perform a Clean Boot

(Microsoft Support Website)

 

How to Disable All Non-Essential Processes:

1. Press  key + R
2. Type “msconfig” into the text bar (without quotation marks)
3. Click on the Services tab
4. !! Check “Hide all Microsoft services” so you don't accidentally disable a key process !! (If you also play VALORANT: Find “vgc” and re-check that service. This is required for VALORANT to work!)
5. Click the Disable All button
6. Click on the Startup tab
7. Click on the Disable All button
8. Click on the Apply button
9. Click on the OK button
10. Restart your computer

Fix 4: Reinstall League of Legends

Like the Internet has been saying for years, sometimes all it takes is “turning it off and back on again!” A clean removal and reinstallation of League can solve a lot of problems that fussing with settings can only imitate. (Note: The Riot Repair Tool can both re-patch and reinstall League automatically!)

For Windows:

1. Press the Windows Start   button in the corner of your screen
2. Click the Settings gear button
3. Click into the Apps (Apps & Features) pane
4. Uninstall League of Legends (But we’re not done yet!)
5. Go to your Riot games folder and delete the whole thing (The default location is "C:\Riot Games") Just send it to the recycle bin and empty it!
6. Next, type “%localappdata%” (no quotation marks) into the address bar of Windows Explorer
7. If you have just League of Legends and no other Riot game installed, you can delete the entire Riot Games folder. If you have more than one Riot game installed, click into the Riot Games folder and delete the League of Legends folder entirely.
8. Restart your computer.
9. Redownload League of Legends. (The site language can be adjusted using the upper-right dropdown menu.)
10. Once downloaded, right click and select "Run as Administrator" (if on Windows) and follow the prompts to install.

For Mac:

1. Open Finder
2. Locate the Applications folder from the left-side menu or type “/Applications/” without quotation marks into the address bar at the top
3. Drag League of Legends from the Applications folder to the Trash Can
4. Next, hit CMD+Shift+C, and go to “Macintosh HD/Users/Shared/Riot Games,” and drag that folder into your Trash Can as well.
5. From the Dock, right click the Trash Can and “Empty”
6. Redownload League of Legends.

Are you experiencing internet connection issues?

Click a Fix to be teleported instantly:

We have two separate guides that cover all kinds of Basic and Advanced connection issues and potential fixes, but here are a few common ones:

Fix 1: Switch to a wired connection

Wireless connections tend to be difficult to troubleshoot due to potential interference from the environment and other radio signals. This often causes lag spikes and/or packet loss in the game. In order to eliminate this factor from our troubleshooting, we recommend switching to a wired (Ethernet) connection whenever it is possible.

Fix 2: Don’t use proxies or VPN connections

Please make sure that you are not using a VPN or a Proxy to connect to a League of Legends server, as they can cause a number of connection issues which will be impossible to resolve!

A VPN should only be used to test your connection routing path in very specific cases when advised by our Technical Specialists.

Fix 3: Update your Network drivers (Windows and Mac)

One often overlooked solution to connectivity issues is outdated network drivers. Here’s how to do it!

For Windows:

1. Press the Windows Start   button in the corner of your screen
2. Type "device manager" and hit enter
3. Expand the "Network adapters" category
4. Right click the network adapter you're using and click "Update driver"
5. If you're not sure which adapter you're currently connected with, try updating each one in the list.

For Mac:

1. Click the Apple icon  in the top left, and select "System Settings" followed by "Software Update"
2. Check for updates and apply all required updates, especially if an update appears for your wireless or ethernet adapter

Are you having trouble installing or reinstalling?

Click a Fix to be teleported instantly:

Fix 1: Update your Operating System

By now you’ve — uh — probably seen in reviewing this article that updating your OS is a common, go-to fix for a lot of issues. So, one more time for the players in the back! 

For Windows:

1. Press the Windows Start   button in the corner of your screen
2. Click the Settings gear icon
3. Click into Updates & Security
4. Click “Check for Updates”

For Mac: 

1. From the Apple menu  in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Software Update. (If your System Preferences doesn't include Software Update, use the App Store to get updates instead.)
3. Click Update Now or Upgrade Now:
   1. Update Now installs the latest updates for the currently installed version, such as an update from macOS Big Sur 11.5 to macOS Big Sur 11.6. 
   2. Upgrade Now installs a major new version with a new name, such as macOS Monterey.

Fix 2: Run installation “as Administrator” [Windows]

 For Windows:

1. Once the game file has been downloaded, right click the installer
2. Click the compatibility tab and check "Run this program as an Administrator"
3. Click Apply and OK

Fix 3: Temporarily disable your firewalls [Windows]

If you've installed a third-party firewall, try disabling them before installing or starting a patch. Windows comes with its own firewall, which you can disable by following these steps:

1. Press the Windows Start   button in the corner of your screen
2. Click the Settings gear icon
3. Click into Updates & Security
4. From the left-side menu, click Windows Security
5. From the list below, click “Firewall & Network Protection”
6. Click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off (You may be prompted to enter the Admin password at this step)
7. Under each network location, click the toggle button to disable each Firewall
8. Don’t forget to REENABLE all your firewalls when you’re done!

Still having issues? 

If none of the above points helped, please grab your logs and submit them with a ticket to Player Support. We'll do everything we can to resolve your issues and get back to dominating the Rift!

Submit a Ticket