Home Technical issues The app crashes at launch on Windows or macOS

The app crashes at launch on Windows or macOS

Last updated on Apr 27, 2026

The Loudplay launcher crashes when you try to start it, before you even get to sign in. Or it opens, you click Sign in, and the window disappears. This is usually a fixable local problem — Windows permissions, drivers, antivirus, or a missing runtime. Below is a checklist that handles 90% of cases, in order of how often each fix actually works.

Windows

1. Run as Administrator

Right-click the Loudplay shortcut → Run as administrator → confirm the UAC prompt.

If it works as Administrator but not as a normal user, the launcher is hitting a permissions issue with one of its directories. To fix it permanently: right-click the shortcut → Properties → Compatibility tab → check Run this program as an administrator → OK.

2. Update your GPU drivers

Outdated drivers cause crashes during startup more often than any other single issue. Open your GPU vendor's tool — NVIDIA GeForce Experience, AMD Adrenalin, or Intel Driver & Support Assistant — and let it update.

A reboot after the driver install is recommended. Don't skip it; some driver updates only take effect after a restart.

3. Check antivirus and Windows Defender

Some antivirus products quarantine parts of the launcher silently. Two things to check:

  • Your antivirus quarantine list — is anything from Loudplay in there?
  • Windows Defender → Virus & threat protection → Allowed threats / History — same.

If nothing is quarantined but you suspect interference, add the Loudplay install folder (typically C:\Program Files\Loudplay\ or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Loudplay\) to your antivirus exclusion list, and try launching again.

4. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

The launcher depends on Visual C++ runtime libraries. If they're corrupted or missing, the launcher crashes silently. Download the latest Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015–2022 from Microsoft, run the installer, reboot, try Loudplay again.

Both x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) versions can be installed side by side. If you're not sure which you need, install both.

5. Reinstall the launcher

If everything above fails, fully reinstall:

  1. Close the launcher (check Task Manager — kill any Loudplay.exe processes).
  2. Uninstall Loudplay from Settings → Apps.
  3. Delete the leftover folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Loudplay\ if it's still there.
  4. Download a fresh installer from loudplay.io/download.
  5. Install, reboot, try again.

This wipes any corrupted local state and is what we'd ask you to do anyway before opening a support ticket.

macOS

macOS has fewer failure modes — most crashes are about Gatekeeper or accidentally running an old version.

1. Allow the app in Privacy & Security

If macOS blocks the launcher with a "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer" message, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the Security section, and click Open Anyway next to the Loudplay entry that appears after your blocked attempt.

On Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3 Macs), you may also need to right-click the app → Open → confirm the prompt.

2. Make sure it's in /Applications

Drag the Loudplay app into the Applications folder, then launch from there. Running directly from Downloads or the disk image causes occasional crashes because of macOS quarantine rules.

3. Update macOS

If you're on macOS earlier than 10.15 (Catalina), the launcher won't work — that's the minimum. If you're on a more recent macOS but haven't updated point releases in a long time, an update sometimes fixes app crashes.

4. Reinstall

Same steps as Windows: drag the app to the Trash from Applications, download a fresh build from loudplay.io/download, drag the new one to Applications, launch.

⚠️ Auto-update on macOS doesn't exist: unlike Windows, the macOS build doesn't auto-update. If you've been using the same install for months and it suddenly stopped working, manual reinstall from the download page is the fix.

When to write to support

If the checklist above didn't help:

  1. Note your OS version (Windows version + build, or macOS version).
  2. Note your launcher version (look in About if you can open the launcher; the file name of the installer otherwise).
  3. If on Windows, look for log files at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Loudplay\Logs\ — zip the latest one.
  4. Email help@loudplay.io with all of the above plus a description of when the crash happens (immediately on launch, after sign-in, etc.).

We can usually pinpoint the issue from the logs within a day.