Like the ever-evolving Kha'Zix, League of Legends is always adding new Champions, graphic updates, and particle effects. Those additions usually use the latest available software that Graphics Card and Operating System manufacturers have available at the time.Because of this, you may experience the symptoms described below if you software is not up to date.
- The game crashes to desktop
- The game closes, resulting in a crash report
- The screen is black when the game is launched
- The game freezes completely without crashing to desktop
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Why is it important to keep your video drivers up to date?
Video card drivers (software that interfaces with your graphics card) often include vital bug fixes and/or optimizations. Your card is generally shipped with a driver pre-packaged, but this driver is usually out of date by the time it reaches your computer. One of the most important steps you can perform when installing a new video card or using a new computer is installing the most up-to-date driver.
The update process will vary depending on the specific video card you have, but many players will find that they likely own a card from one of three major product lines: NVIDIA, AMD or Intel. Since these are the most common types of graphics cards, we will cover the basic update process for each.
How to Identify your Graphics Card
- Press [Windows Key] + R (this will open up a "Run" window).
- Type dxdiag and then hit Enter.
- Select the Display tab.
- Note the name and manufacturer of your card in the top left corner of the window.
Most common graphics card manufacturers have a solution that scans your computer and updates drivers automatically. They can be found here:
AMD
NVIDIA
Intel
Updating your DirectX
DirectX is a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) developed by Microsoft. This API allows various applications to interact with hardware on your computer without knowing ahead of time what that hardware is. Many applications use DirectX, however it is most commonly used in running games, because they tend to be hardware intensive.
DirectX9 Support Ending
In order to better maintain overall game stability, we will be removing DirectX9 support for League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics on May 1, 2024 with Patch 14.9 (This may be pushed, in which case we will update this article). Please update your version of DirectX or upgrade your hardware if necessary before that time to continue playing.
What does it mean to me?
If you are using an outdated version of DirectX, League of Legends is going to have problems interacting with your hardware (your graphics card, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc.). This can result in a variety of errors, ranging from driver crashes, keyboard or mouse inputs failing to register, or sound cutting out.
Update link
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179113
Please keep in mind that the highest version of DirectX that you can get depends on your version of Windows, as described in the above Microsoft article.
Note: Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft as of April 8, 2014. That means that if you cannot get the appropriate version of DirectX from the above link, you will need to upgrade your Operating System. You can find more info here:
Make sure your Windows is fully updated
Windows updates often address issues within the Operating System and DirectX, which may lead to application crashes. You can find the relevant instructions from Microsoft here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/install-windows-updates
Note: Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft as of April 8, 2014. That means you will not be able to get automatic updates for this version of Windows and will need to upgrade your Operating System. You can find more info here:
Manually install .Net Framework 3.5:
.NET Framework is a software library developed by Microsoft that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. One of the dependencies of League of Legends is .Net Framework 3.5. Even if you have 4.0, you may need to also have the 3.5 version installed to properly play League of Legends. You can download and install it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=22
Clean boot guide
Note: For performing a clean boot on Windows 8, 8.1, and 10, please see the following Microsoft article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
Sometimes, other applications, especially software that uses an overlay (i.e. Skype, Teamspeak, Steam), can cause League of Legends 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. To do so, please follow the instructions below:
Disabling all non-essential processes:
- Press [Windows Key] + R
- Type msconfig into the text bar at the bottom of the menu
- Click on the Services tab
- Check Hide all Microsoft services so you don't end up accidentally disabling a key process
- Click the Disable All button
- Click on the Startup tab
- Click on the Disable All button
- Click on the Apply button
- Click on the OK button
- Restart your computer
Make sure your graphics card software isn't interfering with League of Legends
NVIDIA comes with the NVIDIA Control Panel and AMD comes with the Catalyst Control Center. Both of these programs allow users to set up graphics profiles that can override application settings and sometimes interfere with League of Legends as a result. Resetting the software to default values usually gives control of graphics back to the applications. Here's how to do it:
NVIDIA Control Panel
- Right-click on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Select Manage 3D Settings.
- Click on Restore Defaults.
Catalyst Control Center
- Right-click on your desktop and select Catalyst Control Center (also called VISION center).
- Select Preferences.
- Click on Restore Factory Defaults.
Adjusting video settings
Minimizing the video options will reduce the amount of effects on screen and could help you avoid crashing. Playing around with these settings will help you find a sweet spot between performance and quality. As a starting point, try setting each option to its lowest value. You can access them in-game by pressing ESC and selecting VIDEO.
- Settings: Custom
- Resolution: Match desktop resolution
- Character Quality: Very Low
- Environment Quality: Very Low
- Shadows: No Shadow
- Effects Quality: Very Low
- Frame Rate Cap: 60 FPS
- Wait for Vertical Sync: Unchecked
- Anti-Aliasing: Unchecked
You can also change some of the interface options to reduce the amount of stress on your hardware. To access these options press ESC in-game and select INTERFACE.
Adjusting interface options
- Uncheck Enable HUD animations
- Uncheck Show Target Frame on attack
- Uncheck Enable line missile display
- Uncheck Show Attack Range
Note: Please test any new changes in a custom game (with bots or by yourself) first.
What is the Direct X Debug Version?
The Debug version of DirectX is used by developers to solve and troubleshoot a wide variety of issues with games that use DirectX. It is usually not intended for casual use, but some players might turn on this setting on and then forget to turn it off.
If you want to learn more about DirectX Debug and Development, you can read Microsoft's own article here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/hh309467(v=vs.85).aspx
How does it affect League of Legends?
Here are common examples of how a debug version of DirectX adversely affects League of Legends:
- The entire map will be covered in Fog of War
- You will not see any animations (i.e. brush movement)
How do I disable the Debug Version?
- Press the Windows key and type DirectX Control Panel.
- Open the DirectX Control Panel (Be sure not to select the 64-Bit one)
- Click on the Direct3D 9 Tab
- Make sure you select "Use Retail Version of Direct3D 9"
- Click Apply and then click Ok to close the Window.
Still having issues?
If none of the above points helped, you can submit a ticket to Player Support. In order to help us resolve your issue quickly, please include the following logs in your ticket:
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Updating your Operating System
Many updates to the Operating System include critical bug fixes and extensions to graphical software that allow games to run with fewer problems. If you're experiencing frequent crashes, a software update may help.
- Click the Apple icon on the top left of the screen, click on "About This Mac", and choose "Software Update..."
- The App store will open and display any software updates available for OS X and the App Store. OS X updates will be at the top of the list.
- Click "Update All" to install all available software updates. If prompted, enter an admin name and password, then your Apple ID and password
- If required, restart your system
Mac Administrator Settings and File & Folder Permissions
League of Legends on the Mac requires you to have administrator privileges. Not having administrator privileges may cause issues with installation, patching, as well as playing League of Legends. Also, in some cases, you may not have the correct file or folder permissions in your League of Legends installation.
You can follow the steps below to verify that you have the correct access level:
Modifying User Admin Privileges:
- Click the Apple icon on the top left of the screen, and choose "System Preferences..."
- Double-click "Users & Groups"
- You can view a list of accounts in the left pane of this screen. If you don't see "Admin" by your account, you'll need to enable administrator access:
- First, click the lock icon on the bottom left of the window
- In the resulting popup, log in with an Administrator account
- Under your user account, check the box marked "Allow user to administer this computer"
- Relaunch League of Legends to see if you are able to patch without issues
Setting Folder Permissions from the Info Window:
- Find your League of Legends install location. If you installed to the default location, press the command button+Shift+G, and paste in: /Applications/League of Legends.app/Contents
- Use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+i to bring up the Info Window
- Expand the "Sharing & Permissions" section of the info window
- Ensure that the "Privilege" column next to your account says "Read & Write". If not:
- Click the lock icon on the bottom right of the window and enter your password
- Click the entry in the "Privilege" column next to your user account (It should say (Me) next to the account name)
- Select "Read & Write" from the dropdown
Resetting the System Management Controller
The System Management Controller (SMC) is a low-level system on your Mac that controls power to system components. The SMC interacts with components such as the fans, display and keyboard backlights, power button responsiveness, and the graphics card.
Corruption of the SMC may occur due to bad software updates, power surges or overheating. Resetting the SMC will reset the voltage to your graphics card.
To learn more about how to reset the SMC for your specific Mac, see Apple's official SMC Reset page:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964Note: When running on battery power and the battery charge is low, you may notice significant loss of FPS. This can be remedied by plugging in the power adapter for your laptop. When using the discrete graphics processor and playing with higher video quality settings, you may find that your battery will drain more quickly. When possible, it is best to leave the laptop lugged into a power source while playing League of Legends.
Resetting the NVRAM:
Your Mac stores certain settings in special memory called NVRAM even if it is turned off. Those settings might interfere with League of Legends, so resetting them can sometimes solve issues. You can do so by following the instructions below:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (?), Option, P, and R (you will need to hold these keys down simultaneously during the bootup sequence later).
- Turn on the computer.
- Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
- Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the start-up sound for the second time.
- Release the keys.
After an NVRAM reset, some system settings may return to default values and may need to be reconfigured. You can read more about NVRAM from Apple:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
Adjusting video settings
Minimizing the video options will reduce the amount of effects on screen and could help you avoid crashing. Playing around with these settings will help you find a sweet spot between performance and quality. As a starting point, try setting each option to its lowest value. You can access them in-game by pressing ESC and selecting VIDEO.
- Settings: Custom
- Resolution: Match desktop resolution
- Character Quality: Very Low
- Environment Quality: Very Low
- Shadows: No Shadow
- Effects Quality: Very Low
- Frame Rate Cap: 60 FPS
- Wait for Vertical Sync: Unchecked
- Anti-Aliasing: Unchecked
You can also change some of the interface options to reduce the amount of stress on your hardware. To access these options press ESC in-game and select INTERFACE.
Adjusting interface options
- Uncheck Enable HUD animations
- Uncheck Show Target Frame on attack
- Uncheck Enable line missile display
- Uncheck Show Attack Range
Note: Please test any new changes in a custom game (with bots or by yourself) first.
Still having issues?
If none of the above points helped, you can submit a ticket to Player Support. In order to help us resolve your issue quickly, please include the following logs in your ticket:
