fix kodi not starting in windows

How To Fix Kodi Not Starting In Windows will be described in this article. This guide explains the best approaches to fix Kodi not starting in Windows. Here’s how to restore Kodi’s functionality on Windows 10 and 11. Boy in a red shirt, seated in front of a computer on a chair

Kodi is the most widely used media center app for Windows 10 and Windows 11 that a lot of people use to play movies and music. In the help thread, a few users have expressed dissatisfaction over Kodi’s software initiating to launch on Windows. The Kodi media center does not launch when such users try to launch it.

Here are the details for Fix Kodi Not Starting on Windows that are included in this article:

Some users may decide to download and use Kodi on alternative devices if they are unable to open the software on Windows. In case Kodi fails to launch on Windows, there exist some functional solutions. Some of these are the best fixes for Kodi not starting on Windows 11/10.

How To Fix Kodi Not Starting In Windows In 2023

In this article, you can know about How To Fix Kodi Not Starting In Windows here are the details below;

1. Run kodi with Administrator Rights

Run kodi with Administrator Rights

If the software won’t launch, try running it with administrator access as a more fundamental troubleshooting step (permissions). This gives the app full access to the OS. This method is highly recommended if you are running a basic (non-admin) version of Windows 11/10. Kodi may be set up to always run with elevated permissions by following these steps: Verify Razer Synapse Not Opening as well.

On your taskbar, click the shortcut for File Explorer that is pinned there. Here’s another method to fix Windows Kodi not starting.

Access the installation folder of Kodi. By default, the Kodi directory is:

Files for Programs (x86) in C:

Kodi

Choose Properties from the menu by right-clicking Kodi.exe.

Then select Compatibility from the kodi.exe Properties window.

The compatibility tab

Click Run this software as an administrator to check that box.

Click Apply to save the updated Kodi compatibility settings.

2. Move Kodi Add-ons to a Different folder

After applying this fix, some users’ PCs no longer experience Kodi’s launch failure. Each Kodi add-on file was moved by these users to a separate folder. You could try carrying out the identical procedure as follows:

Right-click on any empty area on your desktop and select New > Folder.

The New and Folder choices

Give a title to the folder.

Next, hit the Run keyboard shortcut, Windows + R.

Enter %APPDATA% for Kodi Addons in the Open box.

Click OK to open an addons folder.

The directory of additions

Use Ctrl + A to pick every add-on subdirectory there.

Saving down the left mouse button, drag the selected subfolders into the folder you added to the desktop.

Then give Kodi another go. In the event that this patch works, one of the relocated add-ons is probably corrupted or incompatible. You can reinstall each add-on in its original folder to see which one is causing the issue.

3. Delete kodi’s Addon_Data Folder

Delete kodi’s Addon_Data Folder

Eliminating the addon data folder is another way to fix the Kodi app not starting. Should you delete that folder, the add-on data would vanish as well. The following methods can be used to remove the add-on data directory: Additionally, make sure Gmail Was Unable to Download Files

Open the Explorer app to get going on your adventure. Here’s another method to fix Windows Kodi not starting.

Click View > Show to choose Hidden Items in Windows 11 File Explorer. In Windows 10, the Explorer’s View tab’s Hidden Items checkbox can be selected.

The Hidden Items option

Open the aforementioned Kodi folder:

File system: C:\Users

Next, right-click the addon data folder and select Delete.

Windows 10: The Delete command

4. Update Graphics Drivers

Update Graphics Drivers

A number of customers report that Kodi started on their computers after they updated their graphics drivers. Check to check whether your visual card’s driver needs to be updated. One way to update a graphics driver on Windows is to follow the instructions in our tutorial on updating GPU drivers.

An update to the NVIDIA GeForce Experience driver

5. Run the DirectX End-Usr Runtime Web Installer

Run the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

Missing DirectX runtime files can cause a number of issues with games and more general multimedia applications like Kodi. The DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer can live used to replace any missing DirectX components in Windows. To launch the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer, take the following actions:

Go to the Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer page. Here’s another method to fix Windows Kodi not starting.

Click the Download option to start the package download.

Open your web browser & select the Downloads tab. In Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Opera, the Downloads tab can be accessed by pressing Ctrl + J.

Choose the file called dxwebsetup.exe from the Downloads menu.

Click Next after selecting “I accept the agreement” in the DirectX setup box.

The utility used to install DirectX

Uncheck the box next to the Bing Bar software if you have no interest in using it.

Click Next once more to proceed with the installation of the component.

6. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

You may need to update your computer’s Visual C++ Redistributable packages if an error message mentioning api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll or another DLL file shows when attempting to launch Kodi. Visual C++ Redistributable packages include several DLL dependent files required by Kodi. Here’s how to update packages for Visual C++: Here’s another method to fix Windows Kodi not starting.

Visit the Visual C++ Redistributable package download page.

Click the highlighted link below to download Visual Studio 2015-2022 for X64.

The X64 download option

Next, use a hotkey or the menu to pick the tab in your browser that shows the downloaded files.

Chrome’s Downloads tab

Click the VC redist.x64.exe file to launch the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable window.

Click “I agree” to demonstrate your agreement to the terms and conditions.

The Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 update tool.

Next, choose Install to update the Microsoft Visual C++ packages.

7. Perform a Clean boot

“Clean booting” is a debugging approach that eliminates third-party programs and services from the Windows starting. Disabling such starting items reduces background processes. If any background apps or services are conflicting with Kodi, a clean boot should stop them from launching automatically.

You can achieve a clean boot by using MSConfig to disable all third-party startup programs and services. As an alternative, you can manually disable the startup software using Task Manager. See our guide on Windows clean booting for more details.

Once Windows has enabled clean boot, restart your machine. Try starting Kodi again once you’ve rebooted. If that resolves the issue, you can choose to keep all third-party programs and services deactivated or try to identify which one is causing the issue.

8. Reinstall Kodi

You may need to reinstall Kodi if you have tried the following remedies and it still won’t open. This will erase all of Kodi’s data and replace all of its files and registry entries. This approach can be used to reinstall Kodi in Windows 11/10. Here’s another method to fix Windows Kodi not starting.

To open Programs and Features, use any method outlined in this article to start the Windows uninstaller application.

From the list, select the Kodi media center.

On Kodi, select the Uninstall option.

The Programs and Features applet

Click Next twice in the Kodi Uninstall wizard.

Select Yes, I’m sure and give permission to also remove the profile folder.

A method to remove Kodi

On the wizard, click the Uninstall button.

To remove leftovers, open File Explorer and navigate to this folder:

AppDataRoaming located at C:\userfolder~ of the user

In Windows 11, use the context menu to right-click the Kodi folder and select Delete.

Select to restart your Windows 11/10 computer or laptop.

Navigate to the Kodi v19.4 download page by opening your browser.

Click Installer (64BIT) to launch the Kodi installer.

The Installer option for 64-bit

Navigate to the folder where your browser downloaded Kodi.

Double-clicking the kodi-19.4-Matrix-x64.exe file is required.

Use the setup process to reinstall Kodi after that. Select Full installation when the Microsoft Visual C++ packages box is ticked in the setup process.

As an alternative, you can also download the Kodi UWP app. To begin, choose Get in Store app from the Kodi page on the Microsoft Store. Next, click Get in and select the Microsoft Store app.

Enjoy your Media content in Kodi

The majority of users should be able to resolve Kodi not launching issues by utilizing the several solutions listed above. Now that Kodi has been restored, you may unwind and begin to enjoy your favorite media. While there are a few well-known Kodi media center alternatives, such Media Portal, attempt to apply all of the previously listed possible fixes initially.