If you tackle this Advanced Connections guide step by step, by the time you reach the end, you’ll have either solved your problem, or gotten much closer to helping our Support team help you do so. The last if-all-else-has-failed step will be to capture and submit various log and diagnostic data to our Support team, which you can read about below.
Firewall Troubleshooting
Want a tl;dr? Watch our awesome video about Unblocking Firewalls below!
Firewalls serve two main purposes: they block both incoming and outgoing communications. Blocking incoming connections prevents external "hackers" from accessing your computer, usually by manipulating a flaw in an Operating System or a commonly used application.
Most firewalls are built to protect users from themselves. They do this by blocking outgoing connections. Outgoing connections are opened by applications running on your system. These are usually harmless; web browsers, League of Legends and instant messengers, for example, open outgoing connections.
Updating your firewall
We have contacted a large number of firewall manufacturers to identify League of Legends as a harmless application and add exceptions for League of Legends automatically. It is possible that your firewall simply needs the latest update from the manufacturer to apply these exceptions.
Visit your firewall provider's support site for the latest drivers and updates.
Please note
Some firewalls require an active subscription in order to receive the latest virus definition updates.
Turning off your firewalls
The quickest and easiest way to solve your problem is to temporarily uninstall and disable your firewalls. Turning off your firewall should be for troubleshooting purposes only.
Disable your Windows Firewall
- Click on Start
- Click on Control Panel or search for it, then click it
- Click on System and Security
- Click on Windows Firewall
- Click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off (You might need to provide the Administrator password at this step)
- Under each Network location, select the Turn off Windows Firewall option
Uninstall third party firewalls
It is important that you fully uninstall these pieces of software during this step. Sometimes firewalls will still block connections even when they are disabled. Once you have found the source of the problem, you can re-install these firewalls and configure them to properly to allow for League of Legends network traffic.
Disable your router firewall (PROCEED WITH CAUTION!)
WARNING
Disabling your firewall should be a temporary measure to determine if it’s the source of the problem. It’s better to forward ports on your router (see below), as disabling the router firewall leaves you vulnerable to malicious scripts and software.
To disable your router firewall, you will have to access your router configuration page. You can do this by typing the IP Address of your Default Gateway into the URL bar of your browser. If you are not sure what the Default Gateway IP address is or what the default login credentials are for your specific router, there is an exhaustive list available here.
Adding exceptions to your firewall manually:
Here is a list of executable paths that you will need to add to your firewall's exceptions list:
- C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\LeagueClient.exe
- C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\LeagueClientUx.exe
- C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\LeagueClientUxRender.exe
- C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\Game\League of Legends.exe
- C:\Riot Games\Riot Client\RiotClientServices.exe
- C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard\vgc.exe
Info
Unfortunately, there are many different types and versions of firewalls. It is outside the scope of this article to go into detail about how to configure each one. You may need to contact the manufacturer of your firewall in order to properly configure exceptions for League.
Generally, this process requires three steps:
- Right-click on the firewall from your system tray and access Options or Settings.
- Find a tab on Exceptions\Allowances\Applications.
- Add each of the four executables above. Be sure to give them "Full Access" or the equivalent setting.
Configure Your DNS
Want a tl;dr? Watch our awesome video on Domain Name System (DNS) Troubleshooting below!
Changing to a public Domain Name system
The League of Legends launcher uses server aliases that have problems connecting to some Internet Service Providers' default Domain Name System resolver. If your launcher never seems to start downloading a patch, you may want to change to public DNS servers in your network settings. Most often, this only applies to players outside of the US.
Info
Changing these settings can cause problems with your internet connection if you have specified network configurations for another purpose. Be prepared to revert to your old settings and save any information you are about to change.
- Hit the Windows Key
- Type "Control Panel"
- Select "Network and Internet"
- Select "Network and Sharing Center"
- Select "Change Adapter Settings" on the navigation bar on the left
- Right click on your network adapter and select "Properties"
- Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and open "Properties"
- Go to the bottom of the menu and change "Obtain DNS server address automatically," to "Use the following DNS server addresses:"
- Put in the following public DNS servers, one in each empty field:
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4 - Save your changes by selecting "Ok"
- Close all open web browsers and applications
- Hit the Windows Key
- Right click anywhere
- Click on "All Apps"
- Right click "Command Prompt" and run as administrator
- Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
- Restart your computer
- Hit the Windows Key
- Type "Control Panel," then click it when it appears
- Select "Network and Internet"
- Select "Network and Sharing Center"
- Select "Change Adapter Settings" on the navigation bar on the left
- Right click on your network adapter and select "Properties"
- Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and open Properties
- Go to the bottom of the menu and change 'Obtain DNS server address automatically,' to 'Use the following DNS server addresses:'
- Put in the following public DNS servers, one in each empty field:
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4 - Save your changes by selecting "Ok"
- Close all open web browsers and applications
- Press the Windows Key
- In the Search bar type command prompt
- Right click on the result and select Run as Administrator
- In the command prompt type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
- Restart your computer
- Click the Apple icon on the top left of the screen and choose "System Preferences..."
- Double-click "Network"
- Select the active connection on the left, and click the "Advanced..." button in the lower right hand corner
- Click "DNS" from the selection bar.
- Remove any current DNS entries, and input the following public DNS servers:
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4 - Save your changes by selecting "OK"
- Apply the changes by clicking "Apply" in the lower right hand corner
Release/renew IP and flush DNS (Windows)
- Open the Windows Start menu
- Type cmd
- Right-click the Command prompt shortcut and select "Run as Administrator" from the drop down menu. You should now see a black window with white letters.
- Type ipconfig /release in the command prompt.
- Press [Enter]
- Type ipconfig /renew in the command prompt.
- Press [Enter]
- Type ipconfig /flushdns into the command prompt
- Press [Enter]
- Close the command prompt and attempt to make a connection.
Port Forwarding
Want a tl;dr? Watch our awesome video about Opening Ports on your Router below!
Why forward ports manually?
Sometimes the ports that need to accept connections from League of Legends servers are closed by default on a router. If that is the case, you will need to forward them manually.
Connecting from a restricted network?
If you are connecting from a restricted network, such as a college campus, you will need to provide the ports below to your network administrator so they can forward them for you. Please send us a ticket if your network administrator requires any additional information.
Step 1: Obtain your default gateway and internal IP address
- Press the [Windows Key] + R
- Type cmd and hit Ok; the Windows Command Prompt will appear
- Type ipconfig
- Hit Enter
- You should now see a list of information in front of you. Write down your Default Gateway and IPv4 address as you will need these in a later step.
- Click the Apple icon on the top left of the screen, and choose "System Preferences..."
- Double-click "Network"
- Select your active connection in the left pane (the green circle icon)
- Click "Advanced..." on the bottom right
- Click the "TCP/IP" tab
- Your default gateway address is listed next to "Router:", and your internal IP address is listed next to "IPv4 Address:"
Step 2: Access your router's configuration page
- Open a web browser (Examples: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.).
- Place your Default Gateway into the URL Address bar.
- You may be asked for a password and username. This will be different for each router. Try hitting Ok, but if this does not work, the username is usually admin and the password is usually password.
- Most default router passwords are listed here.
- Locate a page with one of these names: Port Forwarding, Virtual Servers, NAT or Applications
- Port Triggering is NOT Port Forwarding. It is completely different.
- If we have reached the proper screen you will notice that you can input several pieces of information.
- The correct screen will ALWAYS have these: A SINGLE Port Range, Protocol and Local IP/IP
- Address/Computer.
- The correct screen MAY have these: Application Name, A check box for enabled.
- The correct screen should NEVER have: A second port range or an external IP field.
- Now you must create an entry for each of the port ranges listed on the previous page. It is very important that you put in the correct Port Range, Protocol (UDP or TCP) and Local IP.
League of Legends Game Client | 5000 - 5500 UDP, 7000 - 8000 UDP |
Patcher and Maestro | 8393 - 8400 TCP |
PVP.Net | 2099 TCP |
PVP.Net | 5223 TCP |
PVP.Net | 5222 TCP |
HTTP Connections | 80 TCP |
HTTPS Connections | 443 TCP |
Spectator Mode | 8088 UDP and TCP |
League Voice | Choose 50 Ports from 1024 - 65000 |
- Open a web browser (Examples: Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.).
- Place your Default Gateway into the URL Address bar.
- You may be asked for a password and username. This will be different for each router. Try hitting Ok, but if this does not work the username is usually admin and the password is usually password.
- Most default router passwords are listed here.
- Locate a page with one of these names: Port Forwarding, Virtual Servers, NAT or Applications
- Port Triggering is NOT Port Forwarding. It is completely different.
- If we have reached the proper screen you will notice that you can input several pieces of information.
- The correct screen will ALWAYS have these: A SINGLE Port Range, Protocol and Local IP/IP Address/Computer.
- The correct screen MAY have these: Application Name, A check box for enabled.
- The correct screen should NEVER have: A second port range or an external IP field.
- Now you must create an entry for each of the port ranges listed on the previous page. It is very important that you put in the correct Port Range, Protocol (UDP or TCP) and Local IP.
League of Legends Game Client | 5000 - 5500 UDP, 7000 - 8000 UDP |
Patcher and Maestro | 8393 - 8400 TCP |
PVP.Net | 2099 TCP |
PVP.Net | 5223 TCP |
PVP.Net | 5222 TCP |
HTTP Connections | 80 TCP |
HTTPS Connections | 443 TCP |
Spectator Mode | 8088 UDP and TCP |
League Voice | Choose 50 Ports from 1024 - 65000 |
Setting Up Your Permissions
Update Windows
To make sure your version of Windows is up-to-date, search for "Windows Update" in the Start menu and run the program.
Disable UAC
- Type “UAC” into your Windows taskbar
- Select “Change User Account Control settings”
- Select the “Never notify” option in the UAC settings box
- Click “OK”
Run the Riot Client as an Administrator
- Right click on the shortcut for the Riot Client
- Select Properties
- Check the box labelled "Run as Administrator" under the Compatibility tab
Note: Running the League of Legends.exe as administrator without also running the Riot Client as administrator may cause your game to not work properly.
League of Logs: Capturing and Submitting
Sometimes, in order to resolve your issue, our Tech team will ask you for some log files to learn more about your rig, network/connection, or recent games. It's time to collect and .zip them for delivery to Riot's League of Legends Support team! Read all about how to collect the necessary log types and info here:
Still having issues?
If none of the above points helped, please submit a ticket to Player Support with the Logs captured in the previous step. We'll do everything we can to resolve your connection issues and get back to dominating Summoner's Rift!