Origin Not Opening or Responding! – Fixed

Origin is an online platform developed by Electronic Arts, which incorporates social features such as multiplayer gaming, networking, direct in-game overlays, group chatting, and social sharing. There is also an online store where you can purchase video games from the Electronic Arts catalog known as the Origin store.

One thing that is certain is that every platform comes with its own set of issues. The problem we are going to discuss in this article is the common problem that Origin won’t launch or respond after opening it. This problem is often reported by Origin users; but, here is some good news for you: we can fix it!

Before we jump into the details, we must figure out the reason why Origin will not open? There can be many factors causing the normal operations of Origin to falter such as a failed origin updater, corrupted cache files, damaged temporary files, problems with vital Origin files, etc.

Here’s a list of solutions that are potential fixes to help Origin launch normally when clicked. Go through the list until you find the solution which works for you.

1. Solution 1: Erase Origin Cache Files
2. Solution 2: Add Origin as an exception in Antivirus software
3. Solution 3: Update Graphics Adapter Drivers
4. Solution 4: Run Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
5. Solution 5: Check for Latest Windows Updates
6. Solution 6: Perform a Clean Boot
7. Solution 7: Reinstall Origin

Cache comprises of temporary files that make a browser or app run faster and more efficiently. Origin uses these cache files to load quicker and the application keeps the most frequently used data in these files. On startup of the Origin application, it uses those files and loads them from the cache rather than downloading them every time. If the cache is empty, then these files are recreated. A problem I have found is that over time these files stack and get corrupted — eventually affecting the startup of the app as a result. Deleting these files could prove to be a potential fix to the issue. Follow this step-by-step guide to delete Origin’s cache files and ensure a smooth launch of the application.

Firstly, close the Origin app. In case it is running, you can easily do close it using Task Manager or by exiting the Origin app from the icon tray on the right corner of the screen.

Next, to open the Run application, press both the Windows + R keys and then type in %ProgramData% into the dialog box and click OK.

In the %ProgramData% directory locate the Origin folder and open it.

Deletes all the files residing in that folder except the LocalContent folder.

Similarly, press Windows + R combination to open the Run dialog. Then type in %AppData% and click OK.

In the folder opened, locate, and delete the Origin folder.

Tap on the AppData in the address bar at the top. Open the Local folder, remove the Origin folder from there also.

Restart your PC now and open the Origin application to see if the error is fixed.

If Origin opens normally, you have fixed this issue successfully. If not, then go through the other solutions provided below.

Third-party Antivirus software can sometimes target application files that are critical in the functionality of software to operate properly. This can be the case with Origin as it consumes a lot of resources such as memory and CPU when playing video games with added features, and the Antivirus can flag Origin as a potential threat due to this.

In this case, whitelisting the Origin application from the antivirus software is the best solution. Here we explain the steps to whitelist Origin on a particular antivirus software: Avast Antivirus.

For Avast Antivirus, launch the app by right-clicking on the Avast icon in the icon tray and choosing the open Avast User Interface option from the panel.

Navigate to the General section and choose Exceptions in the sub-menu. Add the Origin executable file as an exception in the Avast antivirus. You can add exceptions by going to settings>general>exceptions and then add exception.

Windows Defender might also block Origin and prevent it from working properly by blocking some of the crucial files. To fix this, open Windows Security from the system tray and choose Protection History below the Scan option and you will see a list of threads. We can whitelist the Origin files from there by simply right-clicking and choosing to allow them on this device.

This issue might also be caused by an outdated graphics card driver. Updating your graphics driver to the latest version can be handy to prevent many concerns or errors. Here we explain step-by-step how you can update your graphics adapter drivers:

Firstly, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator, and then press the Windows + R keys.

Type devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog box and press OK.

Locate display adapters listed in the hardware section, right-click your graphics adapter, and select Update Driver.

Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

You will then be prompted to update your driver if a newer version is found. If this does not help, there is another way to go as well. You can download the drivers directly from the website of the graphics card manufacturer. Find the name of the graphics card under the “Display adapters” (in my case it is NVIDIA GeForce 750Ti). Download the latest drivers from:

• NVIDIA Graphics, at www.nvidia.com/
• for ATI AMD Graphics, go to www.amd.com/
• for INTEL Graphics, go to www.intel.com/

A very common root cause of this issue can be compatibility: the Origin version you’re opening may not be compatible with the Operating System (OS) you’re running. The program compatibility troubleshooter is a very useful Windows program that can check whether a given application is compatible with your current Windows version or not, and it can also provide OS version independence by testing the software on other versions of Windows. Follow the steps below to run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter in Windows.

Right-click the shortcut to Origin on your desktop or the Origin executable file and select Troubleshoot Compatibility.

The program will detect if any issues exist and then give the option to Try recommended settings to test the program using the system’s recommended settings.

If it still does not work, then run it again and select the second option: Troubleshoot program, and choose settings based on the problems you are facing.

If the error continues, adjust to the following settings manually and click OK. Here are a few more ways that the incompatibility can be sorted out:

• Run the Origin application in compatibility mode, pick a prior version of the Windows system to test-run Origin on it.
• Disable the fullscreen optimizations, simply disable it to see whether Origin will open now or not.
• Administrator privileges, run the Origin application as an administrator.

It’s very rare that this error is being caused by an outdated version of Windows, but it’s worth checking and giving it a shot. Try to update your OS to the latest version and then see if this error persists.

Here is the way to do it:

Go to the Notification Center by clicking the Notifications icon on the right edge of the screen, and then click the All Setting option.

Then open the Update & Security category. Click the Check for updates button to update your Windows.

You must restart your device when the Windows update is done to ensure that all the changes load properly.

Open the Origin application to verify. If this didn’t work, try the next fix to get this issue sorted.

Perform a clean boot if this problem still endures. A clean boot is a troubleshooting method that enables you to manually disable startup applications and services so that you can locate the software which is triggering this issue. We find it, uninstall it, and then the problem will be solved automatically. Here is how to do it:

Press Windows + R combination to open the Run Dialog. Type in msconfig and then press Enter.

Once the System Configuration window opens, go to the Services tab, check the option to Hide all Microsoft Services and then click on Disable all.

Right-click and Open Task Manager, snap to the Startup tab in Task Manager, for each startup item set the status to Disabled.

Go back to the System Configuration and press Enter.

Restart your PC afterward.

Run the Origin application and check whether the problem still persists. If the problem is fixed, we need to open the System Configuration window and enable every service one by one until we trace the culprit software.

After enabling each service, restart your PC to apply and save the changes.

Once you find out the culprit software, you need to uninstall it to resolve this issue, or just keep it disabled until you need it. Sometimes, two software applications can conflict and lead to issues where one of the applications won’t load and this helps resolve that issue. Unfortunately, this method is tedious, however, it can get the issue solved if Origin’s launch is being interrupted by another application running in the background.

If all the solutions above didn’t work, this is our final try by uninstalling the Origin application and then reinstalling it.

Uninstall Origin from the Control Panel by searching for the Control Panel in the start menu, and press Enter.

Under the Programs option, click on Uninstall a program and ensure that you see the applications on your device. Locate the Origin application the Double-click to uninstall it.

Restart your device after the uninstallation process.

Now download the newest version of Origin and open the setup executable file to install it.

In this article, we discussed a very common error with the famous Origin application and offered many helpful solutions. Follow the step-by-step guide discussed in this article to solve any Origin launching problem. We expect that this article helped you to get the error resolved, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out.

Happy gaming!