Skyrim won't launch, what should I do? "Skyrim": endless loading and problem solving What to do if Skyrim 5 does not start
Skyrim Special Edition
Troubleshooting FAQ
Update video drivers, DirectX and Windows:
NVIDIA Drivers: www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
AMD Drivers: http://support.amd.com/en-us/download
DirectX Updates: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/179113
Windows updates will download automatically if enabled.
From time to time, make backup copies of your Skyrim save files (they are located at "C:\Users\*UserName*\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves").
Skyrim Special Edition requires the following software:
- DirectX 11
- .NET Framework 4.6
- Visual Studio C++ 2015 Redistributable (x86 and x64 editions).
List of things to check to prevent/solve problems with the game:
- Disable antivirus
- Update your operating system
- Update the .NET Framework to version 4.6
- Update DirectX
- Update your video card drivers
- Update your sound card drivers
- Skyrim SE must be installed on the C:\ drive and cannot be located on an external drive or drive with a different drive letter
- If you already have problems, try running Skyrim SE without mods (if any)
- Make sure both ini files are in the "\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\" folder and are not empty
- Launch the launcher (SkyrimSELauncher.exe)
- Set the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz (note that V-sync must be enabled and GSYNC disabled)
- Disconnect graphics tablets and any external drives (at least to check)
- Make sure Visual Studio C++ 2015 Redistributable x86 and x64 is installed correctly
- Install the Windows patches listed below
- If everything is bad with VC C++ 2015, try running a file scan from the command line with admin rights: "sfc /scannow"
- If Skyrim crashes, try disabling "Give priority to exclusive mode applications" in the default audio device settings and set the audio format to "16 bit 44100 Hz"
- If Skyrim crashes every 15 minutes or so, disable the touch keyboard and handwriting panel service
- If Skyrim starts but is slow or flickering/blinking, or the in-game physics are going crazy, check that the integrated graphics card is not selected (you can check in the graphics adapter control panel)
- Vertical sync must be enabled (60Hz) and G-Sync disabled - this is important.
The launcher sometimes incorrectly determines system performance and may set incorrect settings.
The game crashes/freezes without mods.
- Welcome to the world of games from Bethesda Game Studios!
The mouse or keyboard does not work.
- Disable the gamepad.
- Disconnect the USB microphone, webcam or whatever you connected to yourself, this may help.
Problems with animation or the cart at the beginning of the game takes on a life of its own.
- Vert. sync (60 Hz) must be enabled!
- Open \Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini and set the iVsyncpresentinterval value to 0 if you are using a system with G-Sync. This can also be done in the Skyrim SE settings in the GPU control panel (nvdia and ati).
I stopped receiving achievements.
- When using mods or an old save that was made while playing with mods, achievements will be disabled.
- This can be fixed using a mod: Achievements Mods Enabler / .
Trees and other objects have some gray spots.
- Set the 3D image quality to high in the GPU control panel.
Double cursor when minimizing the game.
- Try to put a neof. patch for Skyrim SE - ENG / .
The save cannot be loaded because it is out of date.
- This can happen if the save is corrupted or conflicting mods are installed.
I'm trying to run SKSE on Skyrim SE, but it's not working.
- A new SKSE64 is being developed for Skyrim SE, release dates are unknown. The old one won't work.
Skyrim is terribly slow, fps is nowhere lower!
- You need to make sure that the game does NOT use the built-in video card. Usually this problem can occur with Nvidia. You can check the settings in the GPU control panel (it seems we are talking about laptops).
- Disable G-Sync if it is enabled.
The game crashes on AMD RX-- series video cards.
- If updating the video driver does not help, lower the GPU frequency to 1115mhz.
Skyrim SE keeps crashing.
- If you play with mods, make sure they don't use scripts or depend on mods that use scripts.
- The order in which plugins are loaded is very important; incorrect loading order can cause crashes.
- Changing the language helps some players. You can change the language in Skyrim.ini. Also try changing your OS language to one of the languages listed on the Skyrim SE Steam page.
- If Skyrim won't start or crashes on startup, try restarting your computer. It is also useful to restart your computer before installing VC++ 2015 Redist.
- Try activating triple buffering in the nvidia control panel.
- Try setting real-time priority for SkyrimSE.exe in Windows 10. This can be done through the task manager.
Skyrim SE keeps freezing shortly after loading!
- Disable your antivirus (especially Avast), this may help.
Skyrim SE won't start / black screen.
- If you don’t use mods and the game still won’t start, try setting the files “skyrimSE.exe” and “skyrimSELauncher.exe” in the properties in the “Compatibility” tab to run as administrator and compatibility mode with Windows 7.
- Change Skyrim's full-screen mode to frameless windowed mode. This helps some people.
- Change the preferred video adapter for Skyrim SE from integrated to high-performance in the GPU control panel.
The launcher crashes or freezes.
- Set the files "skyrimSE.exe" and "skyrimSELauncher.exe" in the properties in the "Compatibility" tab to run as administrator and compatibility mode with Windows 7.
- Delete both .exe files in the Skyrim folder and check the integrity of the game via Steam so that it downloads them again.
Doesn't go past the logo screen.
- Incorrect loading order of plugins. You need to change it to the correct one.
- Set the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz.
- Delete both ini files in "\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\".
I want to play Skyrim SE in ultrawide mode.
- Add the following lines to "\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Skyrim.ini":
SIntroSequence=1
and then in the SkyrimPrefs.ini file change the settings to the following values:
bBorderless=0
bFull Screen=1
iSize H=1440
iSize W=3440
I can't reassign any keys!
- Perhaps disabling the gamepad in the options will help.
Error 0x000007b / VC_redist errors / "The program can"t start because api-ms-win-crt-runtime-(1-1-0.dll is missing from you computer"
- These errors occur when something went wrong with the installation of Visual Studio C++ 2015. You need to remove both packages, x64 and x86, then install them again by downloading them from the site Microsoft. When installing these packages, you should disable your antivirus.
- Install all Windows updates and make sure that KB2919355 and/or KB2999226 are installed (you can find it on the Microsoft website).
- If the error is still present, try reinstalling VC++2015 from "\Skyrim Special Edition\_CommonRedist\vcredist\2015".
Error 0xc0000005.
- It looks like there is a registry error or a problem with the video driver. You can try reinstalling the video driver and cleaning/fixing the registry using appropriate programs.
Problems with the introductory quest in Helgen.
- As a temporary solution, install the mod: Alternate Start / .
- Try to turn off the neof. patch until the end of the introductory task.
Skyrim constantly overwrites graphics settings.
- You can try setting both ini files to the address "\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition" in the properties as "read only".
Skyrim won't load, it just hangs in processes.
- This happens if a mod with a bsa archive for regular Skyrim was installed. Skyrim SE uses a new bsa packaging method, so older mods must be converted properly.
Clicking the "Play" button in the launcher restarts the launcher.
- There is no exact solution. Try deleting both .exe files in the Skyrim folder and checking the integrity of the game through Steam so that it downloads them again.
The water is gone!
- EXPERIMENTAL SOLUTION. Add the following lines to Skyrim.ini:
bUseCubeMapReflections=1
fCubeMapRefreshRate=0.0000
I was shot in slow motion during a battle.
- Kill all enemies nearby and wait 1 hour using the wait menu.
- You can try to turn off the neof. patch, if installed.
Problems with saving.
- Disable Bitdefender or antivirus software. Skyrim may be mistakenly identified as a virus. You can also add Skyrim to the antivirus exclusion list.
Textures in Russian are missing and there is a problem with the font in the console.
- A patch needs to be installed -
If you are faced with the fact that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim slows down, crashes, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not start, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not install, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim controls do not work, there is no sound, pop-up errors, saves do not work in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - we offer you the most common ways to solve these problems.
First, check whether your PC's specifications meet the minimum system requirements:
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Processor: Dual Core 2.0 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB
- Video: 512 MB
- HDD: 6 GB
- DirectX 9.0c
Be sure to update your video card drivers and other software
Before you remember the worst words and express them towards the developers, do not forget to go to the official website of the manufacturer of your video card and download the latest drivers. Often, drivers specially optimized for them are prepared for the release of games. You can also try installing a later version of drivers if the problem is not solved by installing the current version.
It is important to remember that you should only download the final versions of video cards - try not to use beta versions, as they may have a large number of unfound and unfixed errors.
Do not forget that for stable operation of games, installation of the latest version of DirectX is often required, which can always be downloaded from the official Microsoft website.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim won't launch
Many problems with launching games occur due to incorrect installation. Check if there were any errors during installation, try uninstalling the game and running the installer again, after disabling the antivirus - often files necessary for the game to work are deleted by mistake. It is also important to remember that the path to the folder with the installed game should not contain Cyrillic characters - use only Latin letters and numbers for directory names.
It also doesn’t hurt to check if there is enough space on the HDD for installation. You can try to run the game as Administrator in compatibility mode for different versions of Windows.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is slow. Low FPS. Lags. Friezes. Freezes
First, install the latest drivers for your video card; this can significantly increase the FPS in the game. Also check your computer's load in the task manager (opened by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESCAPE). If before starting the game you see that some process is consuming too many resources, turn off its program or simply end this process from the task manager.
Next, go to the graphics settings in the game. First of all, turn off anti-aliasing and try lowering the post-processing settings. Many of them consume a lot of resources and disabling them will significantly improve performance without significantly affecting the picture quality.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim crashes to desktop
If The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim often crashes on your desktop slot, try to start solving the problem by reducing the quality of the graphics. It is possible that your computer simply does not have enough performance and the game cannot run correctly. It's also worth checking for updates - most modern games have a system for automatically installing new patches. Check if this option is disabled in the settings.
Black screen in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
More often than not, the problem with a black screen is an issue with the GPU. Check if your video card meets the minimum requirements and install the latest drivers. Sometimes a black screen is a result of insufficient CPU performance.
If everything is fine with the hardware and it meets the minimum requirements, try switching to another window (ALT+TAB), and then returning to the game window.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim won't install. Installation stuck
First of all, check whether you have enough HDD space for installation. Remember that for the installation program to work correctly, the stated amount of space is required, plus 1-2 gigabytes of free space on the system disk. In general, remember the rule - there should always be at least 2 gigabytes of free space on the system disk for temporary files. Otherwise, both games and programs may not work correctly or may refuse to start at all.
Installation problems can also occur due to a lack of Internet connection or unstable operation. Also, do not forget to pause the antivirus while installing the game - sometimes it interferes with the correct copying of files or deletes them by mistake, considering them viruses.
Saves not working in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
By analogy with the previous solution, check the availability of free space on the HDD - both on the one where the game is installed and on the system drive. Often save files are stored in a documents folder, which is located separately from the game itself.
Controls not working in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Sometimes game controls do not work due to multiple input devices being connected at the same time. Try disabling the gamepad or, if for some reason you have two keyboards or mice connected, leave only one pair of devices. If your gamepad does not work, then remember that games are officially supported only by controllers defined as Xbox joysticks. If your controller is detected differently, try using programs that emulate Xbox joysticks (for example, x360ce).
Sound does not work in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Check if the sound works in other programs. After this, check whether the sound is turned off in the game settings and whether the sound playback device to which your speakers or headset is connected is selected there. Next, while the game is running, open the mixer and check if the sound there is muted.
If you are using an external sound card, check for new drivers on the manufacturer's website.
Slow game loading from Steam
In Steam settings, try changing the download region to any other.
The game does not start or crashes after startup with the error “Missing X3DAudio1_7.dll”.
Update DirectX.
The game does not recognize the Nvidia video card
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel
- Select 3D Settings\Manage 3D Settings
- On the “Global Settings” tab, in the “CUDA - GPUs” section, select your video card.
If the problem persists:
- Open the "Program Settings" tab
- Select “Valve Steam” from the list of programs
- In the “CUDA - GPUs” section, select your video card.
"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - error on Steam - game temporarily unavailable"
Log out of Steam and log back in.
How to make English voice acting + Russian subtitles?
From the English version, copy the files Skyrim - Voices.bsa and Skyrim - VoicesExtra.bsa, located in the Data folder in the game directory. Then change the language in the game properties to Russian and replace the localization files with those copied from the original.
English-language console in Russian version.
- Go to the Data\Interface folder
- Open the fontconfig.txt file with notepad
- Change the line map “$ConsoleFont” = “Arial” Normal to map “$ConsoleFont” = “FuturaTCYLigCon” Normal.
If after this there is no change, make English the default input language:
RMB on the language icon in the taskbar => Settings.
Where is the Skyrim.ini file located?
- Windows XP: My Documents\My Games\Skyrim
- Windows 7: Documents\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim
- Windows 10: Documents\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim
The "Files" button is inactive in the launcher
Open the SkyrimPrefs.ini file, find the bEnableFileSelection=0 section and line and change it to bEnableFileSelection=1.
The game sound is too quiet
Open the SkyrimPrefs.ini file, find the line fAudioMasterVolume= and set it to 2.0000 to start with. Still quiet? Cancel the change and enable loudness compensation:
- RMB on the sound icon in the tray => Playback devices => RMB on “Speakers” => Properties => Improvements.
- Find the “Loudness” item in the list, mark it and apply the change.
When starting the game the computer starts beeping intermittently
Disable the Xbox 360 controller in the game settings or in the SkyrimPref.ini file, find the line bGamepadEnable=1. Change the value to 0.
How to disable vertical sync?
Open the Skyrim.ini file, find the section and add the line iPresentInterval=0 at the end of it.
Magic effects continue to appear on the hero even after their duration has expired
In the console (~) write sexchange, then repeat the command to change the character's gender to the original one. Or turn into a werewolf and then take on human form.
When loading the game, after the Skyrim logo appears, the game freezes for a while and then crashes
RMB on the sound icon in the tray => Playback devices => RMB on “Speakers” => Properties => Advanced => Select the value “16 bit, 48000 Hz”
In the Skyrim.ini file, change the line sLanguage=ENGLISH to sLanguage=RUSSIAN.
If after all the manipulations the game still does not start, delete the Skyrim.ini file.
How to rotate items in inventory?
Hold down the left mouse button and move the manipulator. If you need to zoom in on an item, move the cursor over it and roll the mouse wheel, or simply press the C key.
Where are the saves?
The saves will work, and you don’t even need to do anything for this - they are in the same folder as the licensed version. But achievements already received will not be counted.
You can find saves here:
- Windows XP: My Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves
- Windows 7: Documents\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves
- Windows 10: Documents\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves
Shadows have no anti-aliasing, although the quality settings are at maximum
In the SkyrimPrefs.ini file, find the line iBlurDeferredShadowMask= and set it to, for example, 7. The shadows will become blurrier and less detailed, but not a trace of the “ladder” will remain.
For owners of powerful systems, an option with increased shadow resolution is suitable. To do this, in the SkyrimPrefs.ini file, find the line iShadowMapResolution= and set the value to 8192. If after these manipulations crashes/brakes begin, reduce the value in increments of 512 until the game runs stable.
Two cursors are displayed on the screen - game and system
Do not minimize the game using Alt+Tab, close background programs, disable desktop composition (Win7).
The game unexpectedly crashes to the desktop (during transitions, loading)
Checking the loading order of mods:
- dawnguard.esm
- HearthFires.esm
- Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp
- Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp
- Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp
The character displays various effects that have arisen due to game glitches (burning eyes, steam, smoke, mob auras)
- in 3rd person mode, open the console and write player.addspell spell_ID, where spell_ID is the value of a certain “effect”
- close the console
- open again, write player.removespell spell_ID
- close the console
For example, to get rid of draugr eyes on a character, instead of spell_ID, enter F71D1.
Today, role-playing computer games have become widespread. Thus, among the new products we can highlight The Elder Scrolls 5 - Skyrim, which has excellent graphics, clearly defined landscapes, and excellent soundtracks. The role-playing game contains a variety of quests, plus leveling up the hero and thousands of weapons for every taste.
Why doesn't Skyrim launch on Windows 7, 10?
It should be noted that gamers have noted problems with launching Skyrim. If this problem occurs, you need to determine the moment at which the game stopped working. The solution to the problem will directly depend on the time at which the failure occurred. So, Skyrim may not start the first time you try to download the game, and its operation may be interrupted during the process.
Considering the fact that the technical parameters of the machines differ, you should understand that Skyrim may not start for many reasons, and each of them is individual. However, despite the differences in the problems, a solution may be on the surface.
So, if you know what actions led to the application not working correctly, you can try different solutions to the problem. If a player has just downloaded a game and it does not start, you can try downloading another available version. It is also recommended that you carefully study the instructions for installing the game on the site from where it was downloaded. Often a forum comes to the rescue.
True, this option is suitable for those clients who have a non-licensed version. Once the license has been purchased, claims should be made to the developer. The company that released the application has an excellent support service, whose specialists will solve the problem.
What to do if the launcher does not start?
In some cases, Skyrim may not start after the game has been running. Here, the sequence of actions performed most recently will play a decisive role in correcting the error. So, the cause of the failure could be an installed plugin or an add-on to the game. It is recommended to create a copy of all necessary game saves. Saves can be located in different places, but you should start searching for them from the installation folder where the game files are stored. After this, the application must be reinstalled.
Another problem that affects the launch of Skyrim is outdated computer drivers, you can solve it by installing the necessary updates and enjoying the game.
What to do if nothing helps?
You need to do some work on your system. We suggest doing this using two useful programs.
1. Update drivers with Driver Booster. This is really cool software that often helps. Updating old drivers to new ones is one of the key requirements for the normal functioning of games and programs on a computer.
You might think that Windows always alerts users when new updates are available. That's right, it shows alerts, but only for updates for Windows and the video card. But besides this, there are many more drivers that need to be updated regularly.
2. PC repair with Reimage Repair. Run this program to analyze your system for errors (and there will be 100% of them). You will then be asked to cure them, either individually or all at once.
> Skyrim won't start, what should I do?
Skyrim won't launch, what should I do?
Technical questions regarding The Elder Scrolls 5 arise about the same, many of them are related to the launch of this wonderful computer game. Often problems arise specifically with the first launch of TES 5, although there are also options that Skyrim launched earlier, but has now stopped. The solution partly depends on the variations of the problem, although everything can be reduced to one recipe.I’ll say right away that solving technical issues with computer games is difficult without obtaining specific data. We can say that each case is individual, so your problem can be solved on the arbse forum. However, despite the variety of unique cases, the solution to the problem with launching Skyrim can be formulaic. So the answer to this question is presented in the form of a step-by-step solution, where the set of necessary tools depends on the current situation. In order not to further get confused in general words, let’s go straight to the first step. However, there is a recommendation to read this article in full before starting to follow it step by step, although there is no urgent need for this.
Have you launched Skyrim before?
It is important to find out why The Elder Scrolls 5 failed to launch. If you have just installed Skyrim, and the game does not work on the first launch, then you can immediately move on to the next chapter of this guide. If the game worked successfully, but now Skyrim refuses to start, then try to remember what led to this. That is, after what actions with a computer game or operating system the specified failure occurred. Maybe you installed some plugin for Skyrim, after which the computer game stopped launching altogether or began to crash (that is, stop working with an error). In this case, it makes sense to cancel the changes if possible. However, before the next step, I recommend making a backup copy of your Skyrim saves.
Before making any changes to the game, you must make a backup copy of your saves, as the following measures will require you to reinstall the game, which may lead to the loss of your saves. If Skyrim did not start at all, which means there are basically no saves for earlier games, you can safely skip this point. Searching for a folder with saves should start with the game folder, but in the Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, Skyrim saves are located in the current user’s folder. For example, in my case they are located at: C:\Users\ZIRUS\Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves\ (my username in the ZIRUS system). So before further steps to revive The Elder Scrolls 5, I recommend copying all saves to a safe place. So that later you won’t be upset about the lost time and won’t have to go through Skyrim again. So, the preparations are completed, you can begin the technical operation.